Today’s post is 1350 words, 22 photos, a 7 minute read. Enjoy!
Hi everyone,
Welcome back to Traveling With Tom. And thanks for the views and likes on the first three posts in this series from England. If you missed those posts, click here, here, and here.
This week I’ll take you from Bath to Morton-in-Marsh where we begin our seven day, 50 mile walk in the Cotswolds. I promise you’ll see sheep, cows, horses, beautiful scenery, and meet wonderful, interesting people along the way.
The Trail From Bath to Moreton-in-Marsh
My Traveling Partner and I woke up on Sunday morning to learn that our daughter, The Eldest, arrived at the hotel in Bath at 2:30 AM. She was 15 hours late due to plane delays in the US. We heard from her at about 8:30 AM, she was ready for breakfast and so were we. It was good to see her and hear about the comedy of errors that caused the delay. The important thing was she was here with us to do the walk.
In our planning for this excursion, we considered taking public transportation from Bath to Moreton-in-Marsh that has the only train station in the Cotswolds. It meant at least one transfer and more time to make the journey. Since there were three of us, the private car option cost a bit more but would save us time and the hassle of wrestling our luggage.
Meet Steve, the driver we hired to take us to Moreton-in-Marsh, a distance of 60 miles (95 km). Prior to working for himself , Steve was a traffic police officer for 19 years. He lives near Chipping Campden, a lovely market town about a 15 minute drive from Moreton. He is a pleasant fellow and provided commentary as we drove through the scenic countryside. He told us that several celebrities own homes in the Cotswolds including Ellen DeGeneres and that Beyonce was looking for a suitable place. Maybe we’d encounter a famous or infamous person or two on our walk. (Full disclosure, we didn’t. But we met some nice, extraordinary people in our travels.) Soon we were delivered to the door of our hotel in Moreton-in-Marsh. We would see Steve at the end of our walk when he would transport us to Bletchley Park.
The Cotswolds
The Cotswolds is a picturesque region about two hours northwest of London. It’s renowned for its gently rolling hills, honey-colored limestone villages, and timeless rural charm. Designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Cotswolds stretch across several of England’s counties. Quintessential English market towns like Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, and Chipping Campden offer a glimpse into the past with their historic buildings, cozy inns, and traditional tea rooms. The landscape is dotted with ancient churches, dry stone walls, and scenic walking trails, making it a favorite destination for walkers, history enthusiasts, and anyone seeking a peaceful countryside retreat.
The name Cotswolds is believed to mean sheep enclosures in rolling hillsides. Cots are sheep pens and wolds are hills. Put the two together and you have an enduring iconic name. The Cotswolds was once the center of the wool industry in England. During the Middle Ages, it was the one of the wealthiest areas in the country. The decline began in the 18th and 19th centuries during the industrial revolution and traditional farming practices became less profitable.
Our walk in the Cotswolds was arranged through Macs Adventure, a company based in Scotland that provides support for self-guided walks/hikes and bike adventures. We chose the Cotswold Trail from their long list of walks. Macs arranged our lodging, the transfer of our luggage from inn to inn, and provided an app that would keep us on the trail. This walk is designed to take us in a circle beginning and ending in Moreton-in-Marsh. I’ll show you the way in future blog posts.
Moreton-in-Marsh
Moreton-in-Marsh is a market town that has been around since Roman times, about 1700 years! Today this town has a population of about 5000 residents. Since Moreton-in-Marsh has a train station, it’s a beginning point for many visitors to the Cotswolds. You may wonder how this town got its name. According to AI, Moreton means a “Farmstead on the Moor” while in-Marsh refers to a place used by birds such as moorhens or to a boundary marker. Moreton-in-Marsh was just the first of many towns on our walk that had interesting names, you’ll see more in future posts.
Since we couldn’t check into our lodging until 3 PM, we stowed our luggage and did a walkabout town. The first thing we noticed was the limestone bricks to build houses and businesses. This is a common sight throughout the Cotswolds.
We stopped for lunch then continued our walk. We came across some of that wry British humor. Take a look.
We found the starting point for our walk the next day. It was on the edge of Moreton-in-Marsh and led off into the wilds of the Cotswolds.
Back in town, we checked into the Redesdale Arms on High Street. This inn has been a fixture in Moreton-in-Marsh since 1661. Sure it’s been updated and added to over the years but duck into the pub and you’ll go back in time. Even a few of the patrons appeared to occupy the same bar stool over this period of time!
This Morris auto sits out front of the Redesdale Inn. At one time Morris was the most popular auto brand in the UK. Over time Morris merged with other companies to form what is now BMW. 
After checking in, we decided to work our legs for the walk. We learned there was a trail that began behind the Redesdale that would take us to Batsford where there was an arboretum, a distance of about 2 miles. While most of the walk was through pastures, this trail took us through the middle of a farm field, barley I think. We would see more in coming days including an encounter with a sprayer.
Every day during our walk, we would see these warnings signs affixed to gates and stiles. We did see many day walkers using the paths to give their dogs exercise. 
As promised, we did see sheep and cows on our causal walk to Batsford. They mostly ignored us, occasionally one would approach for a closer look. 
There are walking trails all over. Landowners have easements that allow trails to cross their property. As long as walkers stick to the trails, there are no issues with walking on private property. Wish we had a system like this in the United States. It might get more people out walking and attract visitors from other countries that promote walking in the countryside.
As we approached Batsford, we noticed this sign about access to the Arboretum. It was late in the afternoon so it was probably closed anyway. We continued to walk into the village thinking there might be a way for us to return to Moreton-in-Marsh by a different route.
As we walked into the small village of Batsford, population about 100. The only person we saw was James, the Warden of the Church of St. Mary’s, a Church of England parish. James told us there wasn’t a path to the arboretum then asked us if we wanted to see the church before he locked it up. We said “sure.” James proudly led us to the entrance of the sanctuary built in 1861. As with many small village churches, this one was quite plain. However, I was most intrigued by the World War I memorials to two parishioners.
There was an acknowledgement of the coming 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Many municipalities and churches scheduled observances on May 8, a couple of days after we were returning home.
Private Jame Gardner was the head gardener for Lord Redesdale. He was killed in action on the Western Front just a month shy of the Armistice on November 11, 1918.
Clement B. O. Freeman-Mitford, was the only son of the 1st Baron of Redesdale, Algernon Freeman-Mitford. He was killed in action on May 13, 1915 in Flanders. He’s buried in the Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery in Belgium. One of the many World War I casualties that were buried near where they fell.
We thanked James for showing us around and headed back to Moreton-in-Marsh. As we were exciting the trail, The Eldest asked us to pose for a photo by the trail signs. It wasn’t until later that we read the signs at the top of photo. This would garner lots of smart remarks and laughs when The Eldest posted it on Facebook. If it gives you a laugh, have at it. It’s appropriate for a couple of seniors thinking they can walk 50 miles in seven days. We did!
That’s enough for this week. Next I’ll take a one-week break in this series to celebrate a significant milestone. Stay tuned.
Until then, happy travels!
Tom
PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM