I’ve been walking the Cotswold Way as a series of day trips. This is my guide to the Cotswold Way Stage 6, from Painswick to King’s Stanley.
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The Cotswold Way is a 102‑mile (164 km) National Trail in southwest England. It is one of many long-distance footpaths in the UK, and this one takes in some of the most beautiful English scenery in the Cotswolds.
I’ve been walking the Cotswold Way as a series of day trips. While many people do the whole route in 7-10 days with overnight stays, it’s also possible to walk this route as a series of day trips if you live nearby, or if you want to stay in just one place for the week.
If you want to read more about walking the Cotswold Way as a series of day trips, read my Ultimate Guide to Walking the Cotswold Way as a series of day trips. But this post will give details about the sixth section I did – from Painswick to King’s Stanley. If you missed Stage 5, you can read about the Cotswold Way Stage 5 from Leckhampton Hill to Painswick.
Stage 6: Painswick to King’s Stanley
- Total distance on the map: 9.5 miles/15km
- Total distance on my phone apps: 9.5 miles/15km
- Total time: approx 4.5 hours walking (5-6 hours with breaks)
My sixth day of walking the Cotswold Way followed the route from Painswick to King’s Stanley. It had been a while since I did the 5th stage of the Cotswold Way. A variety of reasons (and a trip to Morocco) meant that it was over a month between these stages. When I first started walking the Cotswold Way in July, I had in my head that I wanted to do it quickly, aiming to finish it in September. But actually, I’m really glad that I’ve ended up taking it more slowly.
I did this section in mid/late October, and the autumn colours were amazing. I’m actually really glad that I’m seeing the Cotswold Way in a variety of different seasons, from the hot summer droughts, and now the autumn colours – and my first time I’ve encountered rain and mud on the path. So I’m now pretending that it was my intention all along to do this walk slowly and take my time between stages – because honestly, I think it’s better that way, to see it in different seasons.
As with the previous sections, I parked at the end. So I parked in King’s Stanley, and then got a taxi up to Painswick. It was quick and easy, only taking about 15 minutes. And then in Painswick, I could find the Cotswold Way footpath and get started on the walk.
Painswick to Edgemoor
Straight away, I was loving the autumn colours on this walk. There had been a bad storm the previous two days, and it was still very windy, but the skies had cleared so there was some beautiful autumnal sunlight.
It was beautiful, and I stopped to take so many photos. All my photos meant that I didn’t make super fast progress on this first stage of the walk. But I think enjoying it is more important.
This first section of the walk is also the most uphill. The vast majority of the 300m ascent in this section is in the first hour of the walk. So the photo stops were also nice as a way to have a break on the hills.
The well signposted footpath takes you down narrow lanes, and past some very impressive, huge houses. You then start to climb, and start seeing some beautiful open countryside views.
The path then dips into the first of the woodland sections on the walk. In autumn, the woodland was lovely.
The not-halfway mark
You also pass the ‘not halfway’ marker. It feels like it should be a halfway marker – but it’s actually 47 miles walked, and 55 still to do. So it’s not halfway at all. But psychologically, it still feels like a sort-of halfway marker.
The creepy Halloween moment
This was also the moment I had my creepy Halloween moment. I was happily walking along, enjoying the views. Then, at the end of a lane there was a barn. And in the top window of the barn, in the loft room, was this doll…
What made it even more creepy was what I’d encountered in the previous 5-10 minutes. About 10 minutes before the creepy doll in the loft, I’d met a child on the footpath. She must have been aged 8-10, and was completely alone. She said hello to me incredibly confidently – much more confidently than most children her age. I thought it was a bit weird, but she’d seemed very happy, so I carried on. About 5 minutes later, I came across a group of 3 children. They were slightly older, maybe 10-12. But the 3 of these were also alone. And again, they greeted me very confidently, telling me about a tree that had blown over on the path just up ahead.
And then, a few minutes after these encounters, I see this child doll in the loft room window. Now, I’m sure it was all just completely innocent and normal. But it was only a week before Halloween….sooo….?!
Continuing on to Haresford Beacon
The beautiful autumnal views continue as you walk towards Haresford Beacon. I took so many photos. I think this blog post/section is going to have the most views out of all of them! It was just lovely seeing the autumn colours. I’d loved the views on all the stages, but this was a bit special.
The path has a few short woodland sections, but also plenty of times where it’s open with views.
Haresford Beacon and the Topograph
Haresford Beacon is a definitely highlight of the Cotswold Way Stage 6 from Painswick to King’s Stanley. The views from the trig point are stunning. Surprisingly, it wasn’t super windy here, so I could stop for a picnic and enjoy the views.
The path continues, following these beautiful views. And then you get to a topograph – a sort of 3D map.
Not far from here, you get to a car park. It’s an ideal car park if you were just wanting a short walk to Haresford Beacon. There was a small coffee van in the car park, so I treated myself to a mid-walk hot chocolate, which was amazing. And the man working there was lovely, so we had a nice chat.
Standish Woods
The next section of the walk was really easy and enjoyable. The footpath leads from the car park through the National Trust Standish Woods. And for 2km, you just follow the wide, flat and easy footpath through the woods. The path is well maintained, easy to follow, and mostly flat. And in autumn, the views of the coloured leaves in the trees were amazing.
I was a bit concerned that I’d taken the first half of this section of the walk a bit too slowly, and I was conscious that daylight is limited in late October. So I used this chance to pick up the pace a bit. I needn’t have worried, because I finished the walk in plenty of time. But still, it’s a good part of the walk to cover ground a bit more quickly, while still stopping for a few photos of course.
Down to King’s Stanley
Once you come out of the woods, you start on the descent into King’s Stanley. There are nice views as you descend on the footpaths over the open hills.
And also this interesting old tree, that was completely hollow inside but still seemed to be thriving!
Continue walking downhill until you reach a large vineyard. And then not long after this, you reach a railway bridge.
And then you get to the canal. There is an option for an extension to this section of the Cotswold Way that will follow the path alongside the canal for a bit, which I’m sure would be nice. I didn’t do that extension this time, but it looked a really nice canal to walk along.
And then it was just following the footpath alongside the road to get back into King’s Stanley. To be honest, I didn’t like King’s Stanley that much – it didn’t feel the nicest town, and there’s not much in the way of pubs, cafes or shops. So I didn’t hang around too much, and instead headed straight back to the car. But it was still a really nice walk, and I’m so pleased I took the Cotswold Way day trips slowly so I could see some of it in the autumn colours.
Enjoying these parts of the Cotswolds without walking
If you don’t fancy walking, navigating driving or public transport in the Cotswolds, there are lots of ways to enjoy this beautiful area on a small group tour. On these, you’ll have a driver and guide, who will show you the best areas. I recommend this affordable private tour of the Cotswolds villages (affiliate), or you can take this Cotswolds small group tour instead (affiliate).
You can also look on these websites for specific activities in the Cotswolds to mix up your days of walking. Check out this Cotswold pub landlord experience (affiliate), or this Cotswold lunch with a chance to make your own butter (affiliate). Or swap walking for cycling with this electric bike tour of the Cotswolds (affiliate).
Hope you enjoyed my guide to walking the Cotswold Way Stage 6, from Painswick to Middleyard! For the next section, read my guide to the Cotswold Way Stage 7. Or you can read my full guide to walking the Cotswold Way as a series of day trips. Make sure you also check out my guides to nearby places to explore, including Cotswold Wildlife Park, an afternoon in Bibury village, and the top things to do in Oxford.
