North to South: Crossing the Golden Way

Day 1 - Arrival into Cheltenham

Distance: No trail running

Welcome to the start of the Cotswold Way: North to South!

Make your own way to Cheltenham with check-in available at our hotel from 16:00 onwards.

Spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing before we all catch up for an evening briefing, meet with your guides and get prepared for our trail running weekend.

Day 2 - Trail Running the Cotswold Way

Distance: Approx. 15 - 18 miles
Time: 5 - 6 hours trail running

After an early breakfast this morning, get your gear ready as we start our trail running of the Cotswold Way.

We’ll depart and head towards the summit of Cleeve Hill where we join the Cotswold Way escarpment stretching south. As we traverse along the Cotswold Way skyline heading towards the impressive sites of the Devil’s Chimney, Crickley Hill and the famous Coopers Hill - known as the cheese-rolling hill.

The trail undulates quite impressively on this section of the Cotswold Way, largely running through forests and meadows as we reach the beautiful town of Painswick which is our base for the evening.

We arrive at our hotel which is just off the Cotswold Way, with the evening to relax and to soak up the impressive views with a series of talks given over a nice cold drink and a recovery massage.

*Our support vehicle will be within close proximity for most of the day with a series of aid stations offering snacks, fruit, nuts, water and tail-wind nutrition to keep us well stocked up. If the distances are feeling a little to long at any point our support vehicle is available for you to rest and get transported to our next stop for the evening.

Day 3 - Painswick to Wotton via Coaley Peak

Distance: Approx. 15 - 17 miles
Time: 5 - 6 hours of trail running

We’ll get back on the trail after breakfast where the trail climbs, before we once again pick up a woodland trail which makes for lovely running as we head past iron age long-barrows and onwards to the top of Coaley Peak. From here we have spectacular views out towards the river Severn, the Black Mountains and the Cotswold Escarpment.

This is a perfect stop for lunch and to soak up the views.

We continue on traversing the extraordinary peaks on the outskirts of Dursley town, with some steep uphill and downhill sections as we run past the Tyndale Monument and into the pretty town of Wotton-under-Edge.

From here we’ll transfer you to your hotel with the rest of the evening to chill.

Day 4 - Final push to Bath Abbey

Distance: 15 - 18 miles
Time: 5 - 6 hours of trail running

Our final day on the trail as we run the final section of the Cotswold Way, our sights locked onto the finish at Bath Abbey.

We’ll get dropped off at the trail head as and pick up the route which effectively begins to run gradually downhill towards Bath.

We’ll pass another monument at Hawkesbury Upton and run through the remains of an impressive iron age fort. From here the trail begins to flow downhill, passing the old village of Tormarton and then skirting the Dyrham Park estate.

Our final stage of the run has us on the skyline of Bath, running past the battlefields of Lansdown and the racecourse, continuing our descent into Bath, running past the spectacular Royal Crescent and the curious Circus.

From here it’s one final, small push as we head down Bath’s main street and find yourself at the foot of Bath Abbey - marking the completion of the epic Cotswold Way!

Congratulations and celebrations, as we relax to take in what we have achieved over the last few days. After a bit of time to check out the local surroundings we will coordinate transfers back to your vehicles marking the end of this extraordinary journey.

* Optional: Extend your stay with a night in Bath. Ask us for details.

*Please note that the itinerary is subject to minor changes. We may run distances further or less depending on the general feeling of the group.