On the 24 May, 2007, The
Cotswold Way officially opens as a UK National Trail, a long distance walking trail of 102 miles (164 km) between the Roman City of Bath and the small town of
Chipping Campden.
The Trail runs for much of its length along the Cotswold escarpment, providing wonderful views of a quintessential English landscape and passing through many picturesque villages built with the characteristic, mellow, yellow limestone of the Cotswolds. It also passes close to a number of historic sites, such as the Roman heritage site at Bath, the Neolithic burial chamber at Belas Knap, Sudeley Castle near Winchcombe and Hailes Abbey.
Chipping Campden is notable for being the home of the British Arts and Crafts movement, founded by William Morris at the end of the 19th century. It is also known for the annual Cotswold Games, which dates back to the early 17th century and includes some odd country sports like Shin Kicking!
The town is just a stone's throw from Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon and even closer to Broadway, which has a long association with artists, writers and musicians,
including Henry James, J.M.Barrie,Vaughan Williams, Edward Elgar, and American artists Francis Davis Millet and John Singer Sargent. 2007 is the 150th anniversary of Edward Elgar's birth.
Labels: Cotswold Way, Cotswolds, National Trail, UK
