I’ve been walking the Cotswold Way as a series of day trips. This is my guide to the Cotswold Way Stage 5, from Leckhampton Hill to Painswick.
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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 fourth section I did – from Cleeve Hill to Leckhampton Hill. If you missed Stage 4, you can read about the Cotswold Way Stage 4 from Cleeve Hill to Leckhampton Hill.
Stage 5: Leckhampton Hill to Painswick
- Total distance on the map: 10.5 miles/17km
- Total distance on my phone apps: 10.5 miles/17km
- Total time: approx 5 hours walking (6 hours with breaks)
My fifth day trip of walking the Cotswold Way followed the route from Leckhampton Hill to Painswick. The section from Leckhampton Hill to Birdlip was finishing off the remaining section what my book called Section 6, from Dowdeswell to Birdlip. And the main part of the walk was from Birdlip to Painswick. Like with many of my Cotswold Way day trips, I decided to park at the end, so I parked in Painswick. It took a while to find a parking spot, as the main car park in Painswick was full. So I had to drive around side streets for a while before I could find somewhere. But once I got parked, I got an Uber to Leckhampton Hill, and then started the walk.
Leckhampton Hill to Birdlip
The section from Leckhampton Hill to Birdlip was pleasant. The views from Leckhampton Hill were beautiful again, as they had been when I had finished the previous section there. And then the well signposted footpath continued, to Birdlip.
Birdlip is a very small village – there wasn’t much there are all. There’s a pub, which felt like the focal point of the village. But aside from that, there wasn’t much. And the road that runs through Birdlip is very busy, so it didn’t feel as peaceful as some of the other small villages I’d passed on the route.
Leaving Birdlip and into the woodland
Leaving Birdlip, you have to walk down a hill on the side of a busy road, which didn’t feel very safe, but it wasn’t for long. The footpath then turns left off the road and takes you into woodland.
The section of the Cotswold Way from Birdlip to Painswick is one of the most wooded sections of the path. A significant proportion of this part of the walk is through trees. I did this section on the first weekend in September, so the trees were still green. I can imagine this would be a lovely section to do a bit later in autumn as well, with the autumn colours in the trees. After a very dry summer, the path was very good and clear – but I can imagine it could get quite muddy in the winter in wetter weather.
It was pleasant walking through the trees. The path is best described as undulating – there are some gentle uphills and downhills, but nothing too strenuous.
After a few km of walking, the woodland to your right starts to thin, so you can get some glimpses of the classic Cotswold views through the trees. And then it’s back into the woodland, with more clear patches every so often to see the views.
It had been about 2 weeks since I’d done a section of the Cotswold Way. And in those two weeks, the UK had had some very welcome rain. After a record-breaking hot and sunny summer in 2026, late August finally saw some rain after months of not much. And it was amazing to see the difference this rain had made in just a few weeks. The views I was seeing on this stage of the Cotswold Way were so much greener than I’d seen before. It hadn’t even rained that much – but it was enough to start seeing some green in the views, rather than the parched ground of previous walks.
Cooper’s Hill
The next significant point you get to on the walk is Cooper’s Hill. It’s a small but very steep hill, that is very famous (for a slightly unusual reason). Cooper’s Hill is the location of the annual Cheese Rolling Competition. Every year, in spring, competitors throw themselves down the steep slope chasing an 8-pound (4 kg) wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. The first person to cross the finish line at the bottom wins and keeps the cheese wheel.
It’s a completely crazy and chaotic event. The hill is so steep and so uneven underfoot that no one manages to stay on their feet for more than a few seconds. All the competitors are just tumbling and somersaulting down the hill, gaining a fair few injuries. And there are people at the bottom (a local rugby team) to try to catch the falling competitors and stop them crashing right into the house at the bottom. It really is a crazy event, but it’s hugely popular with spectators and the media, and lots of fun. And all for a wheel of cheese!
On the Cotswold Way, you can stand at the bottom of Cooper’s Hill and look up. The path then takes you up to the top. You (thankfully) don’t have to climb the super steep hill – the path goes around the side. But it is still a very steep uphill climb. It doesn’t last long, but it is very steep.
At the top of Cooper’s Hill, you get lovely views across the countryside. And you can also stand at the top of the hill and look down. It literally feels like you’re looking down over a cliff edge – it really is that steep. I couldn’t imagine trying to run off the edge of the hill – it was scary enough just standing close to the edge!
Continuing from Cooper’s Hill to Painswick Beacon
The path continues behind Cooper’s Hill, and goes back into trees for more woodland walking. Again, the path is undulating, with a few uphills, and also some downhill sections.
After a while, you get to Painswick Golf Club. The footpath of the Cotswold Way takes you round the edge of the Golf Club. It’s slightly unclear whether the walkers or golfers should have priority here – so definitely keep an eye out for any golfers who are about to hit the ball! Some are polite and will wait for walkers to pass, while others seemed more irritated by the walkers…but it’s an official footpath with plenty of people walking along it.
Follow the path carefully through the golf course until you get to Painswick Beacon. You have to take a very small diversion from the official Cotswold Way footpath to reach the top of Painswick Beacon, but it’s absolutely worth it.
Painswick Beacon is a 238m hill, and was historically the site of an Iron Age hill fort. The views from here are lovely. There’s a trig point at the top, with a map that points out what you can see. I could see the Malvern Hills very clearly, and also just about see across the Severn River to the Brecon Beacons.
Again, I was struck by how much greener the scenery looked than the last few weeks, after just a bit of rain. The views from here were really beautiful. Painswick Beacon was the definite highlight of stage 5 of the Cotswold Way.
Walking into Painswick
After enjoying the views from Painswick Beacon, I continued the final stage of the walk into Painswick. The path was mostly downhill from the Beacon, so it was nice and easy.
It wasn’t long before I got to the edge of the small town. I decided to spend a bit of time at the end of the day exploring the town. Painswick was a really pretty town. The buildings were made of a lighter grey stone, rather than the traditional honey-coloured Cotswold stone. And it was really pretty. There weren’t many shops or much to do, but the central streets were really pretty. And the traffic was well managed here, so it felt quite peaceful in the centre.
Painswick does have a really nice, cute old pub called The Oak. It was the perfect place to stop for a drink in the cute courtyard garden, to celebrate reaching the end of Day 5 walking the Cotswold Way.
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 5, from Leckhampton Hill to Painswick! For the next section, read my guide to the Cotswold Way Stage 6 from Painswick to Middleyard. 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.
