Stanton, Snowshill, and Stanway Walk

14.5 k / 9 miles

Highlights: Beautiful views over the hills. Pretty, quiet, and quaint villages of cotswold stone with spring flowers in all the gardens. The two great pubs on this route also make ot one of our absolute favourite walks in the Cotswolds.

How long did it take? 5 hours with little ones, and plenty of breaks, including a picnic at Snowshill.

Parking: Park at the Stanton Village Free Car Park, WR12 7NG.

Eat/ drink: Snowshill, Stanton and Stanway are tiny villages with no shops or cafes. However, there is an excellent pub, The Snowshill Arms, serving drinks and hot food ( in Snowshill). There is also a lovely cafe within the national trust estate of Snowshill Manor, which is located in the heart of the village ( entrance fees apply). The Mount Inn, Stanton, is also a great pub to stop for food and drink along the way.

Facilities: No public toilets on route

Accessibility: Stiles, gates, and uneven terrain with some steep inclines and declines.

Step by Step:

Stanton to Stanway

Start: Leave the car park and head right along the road. At the junction, turn right again on to the Stanway Road and walk past some pretty cottages, walking a short distance until you see a large signpost for the Cotswold Way. Turn left and start to head uphill, continuing to follow signs for the Cotswold Way.

Now heading towards Stanway, you will walk through several fields, you will see magnificent views – but be warned there are signs saying ‘Bull in Field’ but as of yet the fields have always been empty when we have walked through them (we have completed this walk twice).

After the pastures you will reach a road. Follow the road left past the manor house and the church. Stanway Manor house is a fantastic historical house (not open to the public) with an attractive wall and ornate wooden door, and when the gates are open, you can see the famous fountain in the garden. Just past the door to the manor os a tree with a bench around the trunk. Take a sharp left here and rejoin the Cotswold Way ( it’s well signposted).

Stanway to Snowshill

When you reach the main road, here you leave the Cotswold Way and head to Snowshill. Follow the main road B4007 ( it has a pavement). Walk uphill until the road bends sharply right – leave the road and continue upwards past a row of cottages . The way is signposted as the footpath and bridle way to Snowshill and Stanton. Turn left and follow the path upwards, following the edge of Longpark Wood.

Stay on the path that follows the valley, heading roughly northeast. The track gets steeper as it climbs toward the top of the hill. This bit seemed to go for a bit and was hard to keep the kids motivated- plenty of sweets required!
At the top of the hill, keep going straight, going northeast across the fields toward Snowshill. Watch carefully at the next junction to choose the correct path, which will lead you to a lane, that heads downhill towrds Snowshill village. Walking past Sheepscombe Holiday Let, Turn right on the road into Snowshill follow it to the centre of the village.

Snowshill to Stanton

After enjoying Snowshill, it is time to head back to Stanton. Follow the road you came in on, back out of Snowshill. Shortly on the right, before the juction on the lane to Sheepscombe Holiday Let, you will see a sign for Littleworth wood on the right. Leave the road and follow the sign for Littleworth Wood down to a stream and the back up through the woodland copse.

Follow the path uphill through a field and up some steps to a lane. Turn left and follow the path past the Farm and along on to the corner of Buckland Wood.

The path goes downhill towards Laverton, with great views over the Vale of Evesham. When you reach a junction turn left at the last gate before the path leads to the hamlet of Buckland.

Follow the path along the fields all the way to Stanton.

As you get close to the village, keep left at the fork. The path brings you to the main street, where you’ll see lots of lovely stone cottages, and you can follow the road back to the car park in Stanton.