ArtBreaks Cotswold Walking & Walking with Artists

		Cotswold Walking & Walking with Artists
Poppies. Painswick Valley
		Our Courses More than a ramble through wonderful countryside, this is also the chance to see and experience the wonderful and varied landscapes found in the Cotswolds. Under our guidance, our ‘Cotswold Walks’ will take you off the beaten track and into the most delightful rolling Cotswold countryside. We’ll walk through intimate copses and woodland that open up into broad vistas over the Severn Vale to the distant Welsh Mountains. Although it’s a bit hilly, our walks are relaxed and typically around 12K and a little shorter for 'Walking with Artists', (with a lunch stop at a country pub). As we know the area and walk it most days, the walks will be supported by our local knowledge of the flora and fauna and some of the history of this beautiful part of The Cotswolds. We keep numbers small in order to be able to provide a quality experience and to have minimal effect on the environment. Costs: Our 1 day guided walks cost £45 per person Group discounts available for 4 or more people We are pleased to offer a discount of 10% to guests staying at The Amberley Inn
Dry-stone wall. Pitchcombe
Terrain Mostly on footpaths, through woodland and fields. Undulating with some steep accents and descents. Distances Walking with Artists: approx 8km Cotswold Walking: approx 12km		Over the Edge This part of the Cotswold Hills presents intimate valleys and broad vistas over the Severn Vale to the Black Mountains and Wales. Local flora includes bee orchids and other meadow flowers, and we often get a glimpse of Spotted Woodpecker, deer and a variety of other wildlife. The walk is full of variety, with plenty of climbs and decents through a variety of terrain. We start our walk from Edge, near the Cotswold Way and walk over the unique limestone grassland of Scotsquar Common. This leads us to little used footpaths that snake through beechwoods and over fields outlined by dry stone walls and all the while offering exciting visual treats to draw, photograph or just to gaze. After a welcome break for lunch at a local pub, we continue walking through the beautiful but little known paths of Painswick Valley, returning to Edge in the late afternoon.
Summer Walking. Photo John Davidson Terrain Starting in a village, the walk is mostly on narrow lanes and footpaths that lead through woodland and fields. Undulating with some steep accents and descents. Distance Walking with Artists: approx 10km Cotswold Walking: approx 15km		Painswick churchyard Mills and Yew trees Painswick is a gem of a Cotswold village, set with stunning views of hills and vallleys at all compass points. We start at Painswick’s churchyard, famous for it’s amazingly sculptural yew trees, that are the subject of local legend. We leave the village, walking through narrow streets that are lined by stonebuilt cottages, houses and mills. Shortly we cross stiles and streams, finding ourselves on footpaths and tracks that lead away from civilization and into a visualy stimulating countryside. Our lunch break will be at a country pub after which we continue our circular walk returning to Painswick in the late afternoon.

Towards the Forest of Dean, from Rodborough
Terrain Mostly over the grassland of the Commons, along footpaths, through woodland trails and narrow lanes. Undulating with some steep accents and descents Distances Walking with Artists: approx 9km Cotswold Walking: approx 14km		Commoner’s Rights We start at high elevation to walk across the National Trust’s Minchinhampton Common and Rodborough Common, known for prehistoric earthworks, big skies and views over Stroud and the surrounding valleys and countryside. We pass through charming villages of Pinfathings and Box, with overviews of Nailsworth - a former cloth town which is now a centre for the arts. Its surrounding hills are very enticing. From Box we descend into a valley which has been recolonised by otters. Lunch is at a country pub famous for it’s atmosphere, delicious pies and real ales. Our return leg takes us through Nailsworth, along narrow lanes and woodland trails.