A rider passes in front of the Lygon Arms hotel in Broadway, a Cotswolds village. The first recorded date in the history of The Lygon Arms (then the White Hart Inn) is in 1532, when the Broadway Parish Register noted its owner as Mr Thomas White, a local wool merchant.
Oliver Cromwell, who became Lord Protector of England in 1653, stayed at The Inn on 2nd September 1651, the night before the Battle of Worcester, the final and decisive battle of the great Civil War, fought between King Charles I and his "Cavaliers" and Parliament's "Roundheads".

Walk / HikeActivities

Cotswold Way

📷 Photo by Saffron Blaze · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

This section of the Cotswold Way gives you a genuine sense of what makes the region special.

You'll be walking through rolling hills and open fields bounded by the dry stone walls that are so characteristic of the landscape, with patches of ancient woodland offering shade and chances to spot wildlife. It works well whether you're planning a full day's hike or just want to stretch your legs for an hour or two.

As you head along the trail through the countryside near Frampton Mansell, you'll pass through villages built from the warm golden stone the Cotswolds are known for. The area has real historical depth—the wool trade brought considerable wealth here in earlier centuries, and that prosperity paid for many of the fine buildings you'll see today. Watch out for the local churches and traditional farmsteads scattered throughout.

Once you've finished walking, Stroud is conveniently close by. It's a proper market town with plenty of independent shops and cafes, and if you time your visit for a Saturday you can catch the farmers' market, which is excellent for picking up supplies or grabbing something substantial to eat. Nearby villages like Sapperton offer other places to rest and refuel if you're planning to continue along the Way. Just make sure you wear shoes with good grip for the rougher sections of path.