Chipping Campden

8 August, 2021

Chipping Campden – A Walk From Moreton-In-Marsh

8 Mile Walk From Moreton-in-Marsh To Chipping Campden

The Best Way To Get To The Start Of The Cotswold Way

Are you looking for a way to get to the start of the Cotswold Way in Chipping Campden? Let me guess, you’ve discovered the nearest railway station is Moreton-in-Marsh and the buses aren’t too frequent between the two! That was the situation I found myself in when I hiked the national trail in 2021, so what’s any hiker worth their salt to do? Walk!

And this walk right from the station in Moreton-in-Marsh to Chipping Campden town centre is the perfect route.

Want To Head Straight To How To Plan Your Walk?

You can download my free gpx file at the bottom of the page, where you’ll find all the other info you’ll need for this walk too.

A view of the market place building in the centre of the high street of Chipping Campden. There's a large deep pink and yellow, shiny kingfisher sculpture on the right of the image (seen from behind) that marks the start of another trail.

Chipping Campden market hall, where this walk ends and the Cotswold Way begins.

This 8 easy mile walk is a lovely introduction to the Cotswolds and more than worth the extra distance added to the national trail

Across Buzzing Meadows From Moreton-In-Marsh To Blockley

A grass meadow with red flowering grasses in the foreground and a line of trees in the middle distance.

Beautiful meadows as you leave Moreton-in-Marsh

The route I took followed sections of the Monarch’s Way and the Heart of England Way through beautiful countryside and the sleepy, pretty village of Blockley. I walked on a hot July day when the field paths were studded with poppies and wildflowers and the grassy meadows were buzzing. But it was the butterflies that amazed me – I just couldn’t believe how many there were, literally clouds of them in places. They filled me with joy (a child at Christmas kind of joy) and made it one of the most memorable starts to a walk I’ve had in a long time.

Moreton-in-Marsh to Chipping Campden Walk - a field path with poppies in the foreground and trees behind/

Poppies brighten field edges

a small orange-brown butterfly on a purple scabious flower

Butterflies everywhere (small skipper on field scabious)

Purple wild flowers along a path edge near Moreton-in-Marsh

Wildflowers line the edges of footpaths

Blockley Village

Once you get to Blockley you’re about halfway or so through the walk. If you’ve got time to spare there’s a pub and a cafe right in the village centre where you can sit and watch the world go by. Unfortunately for me, my train into Moreton-in-Marsh arrived 2.5 hours late so I didn’t have much time for anything more than a mooch around the pretty churchyard. Although I did, of course, make time for a gawp through the very fine windows of some very fine houses, to see how the other half live. Which was very nicely thank you very much!

A beautiful Cotswold stone house in Blockley

Blockley, near Chipping Campden. An old church with a tall square tower and a clock face showing 5.45pm stands between old cottages with 2 cars parked in front.

The Church at Blockley, midway on the walk

Blockley near Chipping Campden. White roses growing round a stained glass window on the walls of the old church. There's a small 'bug box' under the roses.

Roses even grow around church windows in the Cotswolds!

A typical cotswold stone street in Blockley near Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds. Looking along the street on a raised pavement with the church tower just seen in the background. The houses have no gardens but are planted with colourful low growing shrubs and climbers close to the walls.

The main street in Blockley

The Last Leg To Chipping Campden

I followed the Heart of England Way out of Blockley through the hamlet of Broad Campden and into Chipping Campden, although the Monarch’s Way is also very close and meets the Heart Of England Way back at Broad Campden. The Monarch’s Way alternative might be worth a try if you fancy an easy downhill walk on a made-up track, but I preferred the look of the Heart of England Way through trees and small fields and wasn’t disappointed.

This leg of the walk takes in a few more miles of lovely countryside, farm, and parkland before passing down beside tennis courts into the town centre.

Inside Chipping Campden covered market hall. It has a wobbly cobbled floor, arched balustrades and wooden roof beams. You can see the high street on the left and a large red Kingfisher sculpture through the arch at the end.

The 400 hundred-year-old Market Hall in Chipping Campden is owned by the National Trust

I can’t think of a better way to start the Cotswold Way than this lovely walk. In fact,

I met another hiker on the Cotswold Way who’d walked in from Moreton-in-Marsh to Chipping Campden, and we both agreed it would make a fine official start to the national trail!

Plan Your Walk From Moreton-In-Marsh To Chipping Campden

Distance And Difficulty

8 miles on easy, generally level terrain.

The walk is mostly on well-maintained way-marked footpaths and some tarmac through towns and villages.

A metal sign post pointing to a recreation ground, the Cotswold Way, Heart of England Way and the Monarch. You can see the higgledly-piggledy buildings of the high street in the background.

Lots of trails converge in Chipping Campden

Maps and GPX File

OS 1:25,000 Map of the Cotswolds

Moreton-in-Marsh to Chipping Campden: Free GPX File

Public Transport

Rail to Moreton-in-Marsh – service operated by GWR.

Bus there are 3 buses a day between Moreton-in-Marsh and Chipping Campden operated by Johnsons Coaches

(Find out how to find the nearest railway stations to any trail and get the cheapest tickets with ‘split-ticketing’)

Parking

There is parking in both Moreton-in-Marsh (inc the station) and Chipping Campden. Try Parkopedia for details.

Amenities

Moreton-in-Marsh

Cafes, pubs, etc, and a large Co-op

Morton-in-Marsh town website

Blockley

Cafe and pub

Plenty of cafes, pubs, restaurants, and a convenience store

Chipping Campden town website

***

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a great walk!

Happy Hiking

Stephie x

You Might Also Like

Have you seen my ultimate guide to the Cotswold Way? It’s full of all the planning details from wild camping to how much it all cost – everything you need to know before you go!

Cotswold Way, Gloucestershire, Routes