Autumn walks in the Cotswolds are a great way to see the region at its most colourful, when the landscape changes almost day by day. These 10 walks take you through some of the Cotswolds’ most beautiful woodlands and countryside, as leaves turn shades of gold, orange and red, fungi appear on the woodland floor and mornings turn moodily misty. Autumn colours normally reach their peak from mid-October to mid-November, but the exact timing varies from year to year.
Routes range from 1.5 to 7.3 miles and are spread across the Cotswolds, with most accessible by public transport. Autumn can be muddy – we’ve flagged routes where you’re most likely to encounter wet or slippery paths, but waterproof footwear is a good idea wherever you’re walking.
Moreton-in-Marsh to Blockley (6.9 miles)
This circular walk has a bit of everything that makes the Cotswolds so special in autumn – colour, cosy pubs and quiet paths. It starts in Moreton-in-Marsh, which you can easily get to without a car, then passes Batsford Arboretum, where you can stop off to see the Japanese maples, cherry and katsura trees which form part of their spectacular 60-acre tree collection.
From the arboretum, you climb onto a ridge with views down to Blockley, where autumn foliage covers the wooded slopes around the village. You can stop for a coffee in the café, visit one of Blockley’s pubs, or take a look around the Church of St Peter and St Paul which appears in TV series Father Brown. Then return to Moreton, climbing back onto the ridge and past Batsford village.
- Distance: 6.9 miles/11km circular.
- Walking time: 3 hours.
- Difficulty: Moderate, parts can be muddy after rain.
- Start/finish point: Junction of the High Street and Corders Lane in Moreton (GL56 0AH).
- Access: Parking at the Old Market Way car park (GL56 0JY). Or trains and buses to Moreton.
- Refreshments: The Blockley Café and The Great Western Arms and Crown Hotel pubs in Blockley, and lots of pubs, cafés and restaurants in Moreton.
- Map and directions
Winchcombe to Belas Knap (5.1 miles)
This circular walk from Winchcombe combines big Cotswold views with one of the area’s oldest monuments. The route climbs out of Winchcombe along a stretch of the the Cotswold Way long-distance route to Belas Knap, a Neolithic long barrow built around 3000 BC, before following the Winchcombe Way downhill, with views towards Sudeley Castle along the way.
From the higher ground you can look down across fields, hedgerows and wooded hills around Winchcombe, with the low autumn light bringing out the contours of the countryside. Belas Knap also feels particularly atmospheric at this time of year, especially on a crisp or slightly misty morning. Finally, descend towards Sudeley and Winchcombe’s pubs and cafés.
- Distance: 5.1 miles/8.2km circular.
- Walking time: 2–2.5 hours.
- Difficulty: Moderate, with a steep climb and some muddy sections after rain.
- Start/finish point: Winchcombe war memorial on Gloucester Street (GL54 5LW).
- Access: Parking at the Back Lane car park (GL54 5PZ). Or Stagecoach W or Pulhams 606 buses (both except Sundays) from Cheltenham.
- Refreshments: Cafés, pubs and restaurants in Winchcombe.
- Map and directions
Lineover Wood (1.5–2 miles)
Lineover Wood makes an easy autumnal escape from Cheltenham. It’s only a few miles from the town centre but feels much more remote once you’re out among the trees. The wood’s mix of rare limestone grassland and ancient woodland is home to mature beech, oak and ash trees, including a 600-year-old beech tree that’s thought to be the third largest in England.
From the start point, the path climbs up a stretch of the Cotswold Way. There are two suggested circular walking routes through the wood, each taking around an hour: The North Walk is moderately challenging and the South Walk has some more strenuous sections. From the top there are great views out across the Cotswold Hills, a palette of greens, golds and reds in autumn.
- Distance: 1.5–2 miles/2.4–3.2km circular.
- Walking time: 1 hour.
- Difficulty: Moderate, with steep sections which can be muddy after rain.
- Start/finish point: Lineover Wood car park (GL54 4HG).
- Access: Car park at the starting point. Or the Pulhams 801 bus (every day) from Cheltenham stops at the Reservoir Inn, a few minutes’ walk away.
- Refreshments: The Fox Dowdeswell pub and food stalls at Dunkertons Park.
- More information (there’s no map but the paths are marked)
Cranham, Cooper’s and the Beechwoods (4 miles)
This Cotswold Way circular walk is packed with spectacular autumn scenery. Starting in Cranham, its runs through ancient beech woodland in Buckholt Wood, which is part of the Cotswolds Commons and Beechwoods National Nature Reserve. It then climbs up Cooper’s Hill – home of the quirky cheese-rolling competition each May – with views out across the countryside.
Mature beechwoods create a canopy of golden leaves in autumn, particularly from mid-October onwards when the colour is at its richest, the paths are carpeted with fallen leaves and you can see some of the 780 different species of fungi that live on the woodland floor.
- Distance: 4 miles/6.5km.
- Walking time: 2.5 hours.
- Difficulty: Easy–moderate, with some steep sections.
- Start/finish point: Buckholt Woods car park (GL4 8HP).
- Access: Car park at the starting point. No regular buses but you could use The Robin.
- Refreshments: The Black Horse Inn in Cranham near the finish point.
- Map and directions
Painswick to Slad (7.3 miles)
This literary ramble explores the wooded valleys and countryside around Painswick and Slad which inspired Laurie Lee’s book Cider with Rosie. And you can add on a short diversion to The Woolpack pub, Laurie Lee’s former local which is now a gastropub with a roaring fire on chilly days.
The walk follows the Painswick Stream out of the village and crosses fields and woodland on its way into Slad. On the other side of the Slad Valley, the path skirts Laurie Lee Wood, where beech and ash add copper and red to the hillsides, and Swift’s Hill Nature Reserve, a limestone grassland where lady’s tresses flower into October, one of 13 species of orchid recorded here.
If you don’t want to do the full route, there is also the 5-mile Laurie Lee Wildlife Way, which was created by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth.
- Distance: 7.3 miles/11.7km circular.
- Walking time: 3–4 hours.
- Difficulty: Moderate, some sections by streams can be muddy.
- Start/finish point: St Mary’s Church in Painswick (GL6 6XH).
- Access: Stamages Lane car park (GL6 6UZ). Or the Stagecoach 66 bus (every day) from Stroud or Cheltenham stops at St Mary’s Church in Painswick.
- Refreshments: The Woolpack Inn in Slad just off the route, or lots of options in Painswick.
- Map and directions
Siccaridge Wood and the Frome Valley (1.5 miles)
This short circular walk near Sapperton packs a lot of colour into a short distance. It starts at The Daneway Inn and climbs through Siccaridge Wood, a 27-hectare ancient woodland nature reserve, before dropping steeply into the Frome Valley. The return follows the towpath of the abandoned Thames and Severn Canal, squeezed between the old canal and the River Frome.
Autumn is one of the best times to see Siccaridge Wood, when its canopy of ash, silver birch and beech changes from green to shades of yellow, orange and golden brown. It’s also a good place for spotting fungi, with turkeytails and shaggy inkcaps flourishing at this time of year.
- Distance: 1.5 miles/2.4km circular.
- Walking time: 1 hour.
- Difficulty: Moderate, with a steep, slippery descent and possible muddy sections.
- Start/finish point: The Daneway Inn (GL7 6LN).
- Access: Small parking area on the Sapperton side of the bridge or customer parking at The Daneway Inn. Or the infrequent Cotswold Green 54/54A bus (except Sundays) from Stroud or Cirencester stops at The Glebe, a 15-minute walk from the start.
- Refreshments: The Daneway Inn.
- Map and directions
Woodchester Park (4.4 miles)
The lakes and landscapes of Woodchester Park near Stonehouse are extra beautiful in autumn. A family-friendly 4.4-mile circular walk starts from Tinkley Gate and descends into a secluded wooded valley, passing a chain of lakes before reaching the unfinished Victorian Gothic Woodchester Mansion, which is open to visitors on Fridays–Sundays until 1 November.
Dotted among this former parkland are 18th- and 19th-century remnants like the boathouse which provides a roost for horseshoe bats. The park is also home to a herd of Belted Galloway cattle whose grazing helps with conservation. Look out for grey herons, roe and muntjac deer too, as mist hangs over the lakes in early autumn mornings, with colourful trees reflected in the water.
- Distance: 4.4 miles/7km circular.
- Walking time: 2 hours.
- Difficulty: Moderate.
- Start/finish point: Tinkley Gate (GL10 3UH).
- Access: Tinkley Gate car park. Or the Stagecoach 65 bus (every day) from Stroud stops at The Cross in Nympsfield, a 20-minute walk from Tinkley Gate.
- Refreshments: Tinkley Gate café.
- Map and directions
Westonbirt Arboretum (2 miles)
For sheer autumn colour, it’s hard to beat Westonbirt Arboretum. The National Arboretum near Tetbury has around 15,000 specimens and 2500 species of trees from around the world, which means the display develops gradually rather than peaking all at once. Its Perfectly Imperfect trail runs through the dog-friendly Silk Wood from 7 September–30 November 2026.
Maples take centre stage in autumn, with leaves ranging from scarlet and orange to pink, yellow and deep burgundy. This year’s trail is inspired by Westonbirt’s collection of Japanese maple trees and takes you around some of the best seasonal views in the Silk Wood. If you have time, it’s worth exploring beyond the trail too – particularly the Acer Glade in the Old Arboretum.
- Distance: 2 miles/3.2km circular.
- Walking time: 1.5 hours.
- Difficulty: Easy.
- Start/finish point: Westonbirt Arboretum Welcome Building (GL8 8QS).
- Access: Car park at the starting point. Or the Stagecoach 620 bus (except Sundays) from Stroud or Tetbury stops outside the entrance.
- Refreshments: The Kitchen restaurant and Pantry kiosk at Westonbirt.
- More information (pick up a map from the Welcome Building)
Castle Combe (6.2 miles)
This circular walk starts in Upper Castle Combe before descending into the lower village and crossing the famously photogenic Bybrook Bridge. Then you leave the crowds behind and follow the river towards the villages of Long Dean and Ford, before looping back through woodland, alongside the Broadmead Brook and across the grounds of the luxurious Manor House hotel.
In autumn, the wooded Bybrook valley brings splashes of copper and gold to the route, with fallen leaves along the riverbanks and woodland paths. Back in Castle Combe, colourful creepers and trees contrast with the stone cottages. And there’s a choice of cafés and pubs to warm up in.
- Distance: 6.2 miles/10km circular.
- Walking time: 2.5–3 hours.
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate, the section by the Broadmead Brook can get muddy.
- Start/finish point: Dunns Lane car park in Upper Castle Combe (SN14 7HH)
- Access: Car park at the start. Or the Faresaver 95/95A bus (except Sundays) from Chippenham to Castle Combe, stopping next to the Market Cross.
- Refreshments: The Castle Inn, White Hart and cafés in Castle Combe, plus The White Hart in Ford just off the route.
- Map and directions
Bath Skyline (6 miles)
The Bath Skyline walk offers something a bit different, combining some of the best views over Bath with surprisingly peaceful countryside. The 6-mile circular route climbs through Bathwick Fields and onto the hills around Claverton Down, passing through meadows, valleys and woodland, with viewpoints looking back across Bath’s Georgian terraces and landmarks.
It’s a particularly scenic walk in autumn, when the wooded hills surrounding Bath turn shades of rust and gold, framing the city’s pale Bath stone buildings. But mix of sweeping panoramas and sheltered woodland makes the Skyline a great walk at any time of year. It is easy to access by train too so you don’t need a car (in fact it’s best not to have one as driving in Bath can be slow).
- Distance: 6 miles/9.6km circular.
- Walking time: 3.5–4 hours.
- Difficulty: Moderate, uneven paths can be muddy and slippery in wet weather.
- Start/finish point: Bathwick Hill at Cleveland Walk (BA2 6JP).
- Access: Parking in Bath can be difficult so it’s best to use the Park and Ride car parks or arrive by train. Bath Spa station is a 0.8-mile walk, or a short ride on the U1 bus, from the start.
- Refreshments: Lots of places to eat and drink in Bath.
- Map and directions
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