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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Saturday 24 August 2019

Saturday Walk - Moreton-in-Marsh Circular via Chipping Campden, a Cotswolds Classic

DAC is away…

Length: 25.1 km (15.6 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 429 m
Net Walking Time: ca. 5 ¾ hours
Toughness: 7 out of 10

or longer (also via Dover’s Hill)
Length: 28.9 km (18.0 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 513 m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 ½ hours
Toughness: 8 out of 10

or shorter (not via Chipping Campden)
Length: 20.0 km (12.4 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 370 m
Net Walking Time: ca. 4 ½ hours
Toughness: 6 out of 10

Take the 09.22 Worcester Foregate Street train from Paddington (09.38 Slough, 09.54 Reading, 10.23  Oxford), arriving Moreton-in-Marsh at 10.59.
From Ealing B’way: 09.05 to Slough (09.27).
From NW London the 09.06 Oxford service from Marylebone (via Haddenham & Thame) may be a better option.
Return trains: 16.42, 17.45, 18.48, 19.48, 20.48 & 21.57.

A Cotswold Classic from the market town of Moreton-in-Marsh. It provides a fine introduction to the gentle rolling landscape of the Cotswolds and passes through some charming honey coloured villages for which the area is famous. It is a peaceful anti-clockwise circular walk heading north from Moreton through the gentle foot hills of the Cotswolds visiting a number of pretty honey coloured villages, including Paxford, Broad Campden and Blockley. The morning route passes through some gently rolling fields before commencing a steady climb up a hill with lovely views then descending down to Broad Campden. The afternoon stretch again gently climbs up and follows the top edge of a picturesque valley for a spell before passing through a dramatic dip on the approach to Blockley.

Walk Options: In Broad Campden cut out the loop via Chipping Campden (20.0 km version) or from Chipping Campden add a loop onto Dover's Hill (28.9 km version).

For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here.

Lunch: Churchill Arms  in Paxford (6.8 km/4.2 mi, food to 15.00) or Bakers Arms  n Broad Campden (10.1 km/6.3 mi, food to 14.00) and several options in Chipping Campden.
Tea: The Great Western Arms and The Blockley Shop & Cafe  (now open to 19.00 apparently) en route, and loads of options in Moreton. T=swc.115

1 comment:

Thomas G said...

Just n=5 off the train in w=warm-to-hot-but-late-on-with-a-breeze kind of weather.
The train was busy, but not overly so, what with the usual amount of Windsor & Eton tourists (change at Slough) supplemented by Reading Festival goers, Oxford tourists, The Big Festival goers (on James suchandsuch of Blur fame's farm) and Cotswolds tourists. We stopped at Broad Campden for lunch (3 of us), as we were hungry by then (at the Baker's Arms, a very competent pub, and with Butty Bach on tap), then moved on to Chipping Campden to decide there whether anyone was up for the long version. The new routing around Chipping C worked quite well, as it brings into play the historic ruins, the large church and also automatically leads past the best pub (we didn't stop though). 2 walked the extra loop up Dover's Hill for the views, the other 3 whiled away the waiting time for our return in the Court Barn's Arts & Crafts Exhibition, an ice cream parlour and a cafe, so that we could all walk on together. We had a refreshment stop on the return route at the Baker's Arms (told you it's a nice pub!) and got back to M-i-M just in time for the 18.48 train. Rolling hills, beautiful villages, peace and quiet, some very nice pubs, exceptionally good vistas, just 97 mins from The Smoke, what more can you ask for?