Broadway and the Cotswold Way

---

Grid Reference: SP 096/375

https://nationaltrails.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/Walk-2-Broadway-Tower-Circular-Walk-2024.pdf

Duration: 3 hours

Distance: 4 miles

This walk started in Broadway, known as the ‘Jewel of the Cotswolds’ a picturesque village in Worcestershire, England, celebrated for its wide, tree-lined high street and stunning honey-coloured limestone buildings. Located at the base of the Worcestershire hills, it offers a perfect blend of historic charm, boutique shopping, and scenic walking trails.

A circular walk took us from the High Street and past field of horses and sheep, with very friendly lambs before starting a slow steady climb up the hill.

Here a stop to enjoy St Eadburgha's church which dates back to the 11th century, beautifully framed by blossom laden trees.

Then on through the woods climbing past bluebells and mossy banks, progressing through a series of kissing gates. A kissing gate is called such because the hinged gate ‘kisses’ (touches) the sides of its U-shaped or V-shaped enclosure rather than using a latch. These rural gates allow people through while keeping livestock contained, with the design often requiring walkers to pass through one at a time. Folklore suggests that because the narrow design often forces people to close the gate behind them, it became customary for the first person through to request a kiss from the next person. For the record this was not a requirement for our walk.

Walking on through the sun and the shade we eventually arrived at the Broadway Tower, the second highest point in the Cotswolds, with its beautiful landscape laid out all around you. This day was the warmest so far of the year with bright sunshine and a 23C temperature so we took advantage of the café alongside the tower for a refreshing bottle of water.

A climb up the tower, a folly built in 1798 for Lady Coventry, is apparently well worth the extra 55 feet but we felt that this being such a clear day the views were good enough so we just stayed at the base, but apparently you can see 13 counties from the top.

Once we had had finished taking in the amazing views we began our descent down towards Broadway once again. This took us onto the Cotswold Way, a 102-mile National Trail running along the Cotswold Edge escarpment between Chipping Campden and Bath Abbey. It offers a scenic, often challenging, route through villages, ancient woodlands, and wildflower meadows, typically walked in 6 to 12 days, so maybe one for the future maybe but a little too challenging right now.

A few random facts about the walk:

• Broadway Tower is a 65-foot folly built in 1798 for Lady Coventry, located on a high ridge offering views of up to 13 counties, and was a retreat for designers like William Morris
• The site includes a nuclear bunker, a cafe, and a herd of red deer (which by any measure is a strange mix
• Renowned for its picture-postcard beauty, with ancient buildings and horse chestnut trees lining a wide, grass-fringed high street Broadway is a delight to experience 
• Known as a haven for artists in the 19th and 20th centuries, including John Singer Sargent and Frank Millet and the Broadway Arts Festival and several galleries continue this legacy today
• The village was an important center for the Arts and Craft movement, and is home to the Gordon Russell Design Museum, which celebrates the famous 20th-century furniture designer
• The Lygon Arms is a historic coaching inn on the High Street that dates back to at least 1377, known for hosting historical figures like Oliver Cromwell and King Charles I
• Celebrities associated with Broadway and the immediate area include Amanda Holden, Hugh Grant (who has stayed at the Lygon Arms on multiple occasions), Simon Cowell and the ultimate power couple of the past in Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
   

Now, whilst this walk is typically 4 miles we added a further half mile, through the over-enthusiasm and lack of attention of our official navigator (DAS). So here’s a tip, if you end up crossing a main road, you have gone wrong.

That said it was a wonderful walk on a very pleasant day and with good company.

For refreshment we kicked the walk off with a coffee and carrot cake at the Leaf & Bean and concluded with a much-deserved pint at the Lygon Arms.