(Newswire.net — February 10, 2014) Worcestershire — Did you know the Cotswolds is considered the walking capital of England? With over 3,000 miles of trails, you can walk further than from Los Angeles to New York. But there’s a trick to this ancient legacy of footpaths created by people over the ages (tresspassers, all of you!). These networks of trails are shown on maps with a green dotted line – but may not show themselves in real life, as they meander through private land, across fields of grass and crops. This is where Cotswold Walks comes in, as your local guide to the area.
Cotswold Walks, with 20+ years of experience in the area, will lead you on five different guided walks for travelers to experience. Each walk is carefully selected, to give travelers the chance to discover the real essence of the Cotswolds, from honey coloured limestone buildings to exquisite country gardens.
“There’s a sense of freedom, of invigoration to be able to walk across private land,” notes Cotswold Walks owner Andrew Guppy. “With the right guide and on the right path, you can begin to indulge yourself, camera in hand, as you meander through quintessential English villages abundant in colour and period charm; eager to see what might be round the next corner.”
On these walking tours, the walking is at a relaxed pace and expert local guides bring the fascinating Cotswolds history to life, from the famous “Cotswold Lion” and the fabulously wealthy wool merchants to the iconic architecture and gardens that followed.
History lovers will delight in a visit the magnificent Blenheim Palace, the former home of the Duke of Marlborough and the birth place of Winston Churchill and now designated a World Heritage Site for a guided tour, or Downton Abbey (Highclere Castle), which has won the hearts of millions of viewers around the world.
Arts and Crafts aficionados will enjoy visiting the gardens at Hidcote, the gardens at Kiftsgate nearby, and the village of Broadway, which once boasted 30 coaching inns and was first discovered by the ‘American colony’ in the 1870’s and became home to Francis Millet and artists such as John Singer Sargent.
The accommodation is a mix of luxury and period charm, and travelers will experience the newly refurbished Dormy House. With the Broadway golf club right next door, it makes the perfect base to explore the Cotswolds from. The Lamb Inn at Burford is the 2nd stop and is full of English character and nestled in the Cotswold village of Burford, with its famous wool church and sloping high street running to the river Windrush.
Another joy of the tour is just how good English cuisine has become. Local pubs, sourcing local ingredients, are keen to showcase traditional delights such as a ploughman’s lunch or bangers and mash. Washed down with a pint of local ale, these convivial meals become a highlight of the day, where travelers recount what they’ve seen and experienced together.
There is so much to see and do that one visit is never enough. Take one taste of the Cotswolds, in every sense, and you’ll be hooked and hungry for more.
ABOUT COTSWOLD WALKS, the Cotswold’s premier walking tour company. Cotswold Walks provides both bespoke concierge walking tours and a variety of self-guided walking tours and self-guided luxury walks. Locally-owned and focusing on the best of local attractions, history, and the ancient footpaths that define the Cotswolds, Cotswold Walks provides an immersion experience into the idyllic English countryside. Guided walking tours include Arts and Crafts movement, Cotswold Gardens, Scenic Cotswold, and Cotswold Treasures.
For more information, availability, and reservations, please contact Cotswold Walks at http://www.cotswoldwalks.com/guided-tours, info@cotswoldwalks.com by phone from the UK: 01386 833799 US & Canada: 1-323-544-5519
Photo by Nick Turner