LOCATION: Circular long‑distance trail centred on Moreton‑in‑Marsh, linking Ebrington, Chipping Campden, Blockley, Guiting Power, Notgrove, Northleach, Bourton‑on‑the‑Water, Oddington and Adlestrop.

DISTANCE: 60-66 miles / 96-106 km (depending on guidebook edition).

SUMMARY: The Diamond Way is one of the most satisfying circular routes in the North Cotswolds — a long, shapely circuit devised for the Ramblers’ Association Diamond Jubilee in 1995. Where the Wardens Way gives you a purposeful line between two villages, the Diamond Way offers a full sweep of the region: undulating farmland, beechwoods, steep little valleys, and a string of honey‑stone villages that feel lived‑in rather than curated.

It’s a route with a gentle rhythm — varied, quiet, and ideal for walkers who enjoy a sense of progression without the pressure of a linear A‑to‑B finish. No part of the trail lies more than eleven miles from Stow‑on‑the‑Wold, giving it a pleasing geographical coherence.

Cotswolds Villages, Limestone & Quiet Valleys

The Diamond Way is essentially a curated tour of North Cotswold character. The oolitic limestone underpins everything: the warm stone cottages, the dry‑valley folds, the drystone walls that guide you across open fields.

The route dips repeatedly into sleepy villages — Ebrington, Blockley, Guiting Power, Notgrove, Northleach, Farmington, Bourton‑on‑the‑Water, Oddington, Adlestrop — each with its own rhythm and architectural signature.

Much of the trail uses lesser‑known footpaths, chosen deliberately to avoid busy roads and to give walkers a sense of solitude.

It’s a route shaped by local knowledge: the Ramblers’ North Cotswold Group designed it to showcase the region’s quieter corners, and that intention still shows.

ROUTE OVERVIEW (Circular from Moreton‑in‑Marsh)

Stage 1 — Moreton‑in‑Marsh → Ebrington → Chipping Campden

A gentle start across farmland and spinneys, leading into the handsome streets of Chipping Campden, one of the great market towns of the Cotswolds.

Stage 2 — Chipping Campden → Blockley → Ford

A varied stretch through Blockley, with its steep valley setting, then onward to Ford, where the countryside opens out again.

Stage 3 — Ford → Guiting Power → Notgrove

Cross undulating hills and quiet tracks to Guiting Power, then continue to Notgrove, where the landscape feels wide and airy.

Stage 4 — Notgrove → Northleach → Farmington

A classic Cotswold section: rolling limestone farmland leading to Northleach, a historic wool town worth lingering in.

Stage 5 — Farmington → Bourton‑on‑the‑Water → Oddington → Adlestrop

Follow the Windrush valley into Bourton‑on‑the‑Water, then continue through Oddington and Adlestrop, villages with deep literary and historical resonance.

Stage 6 — Adlestrop → Bledington → Moreton‑in‑Marsh

A final quiet stretch through Bledington before returning to Moreton‑in‑Marsh to complete the circuit.

PUBS: The Black Bear at Moreton-in-Marsh is food focused, but it's good, friendly and serves great beer too; the Ebrington Arms in Ebrington is one of the most characterful pubs in the area; try the Eight Bells at Chipping Camden; and the Great Western Arms at Blockley; the Farmers Arms at Guiting Power is great. The Mousetrap Inn at Bourton-on-the-Water is walker friendly; and the Kings Head at Bledington is a standout pub.