Limestone Link - Cotswolds to Mendips Hills

The Limestone Link - Cotswolds to Mendips Hills is 63.2 km long with 1,088 m of total ascent. Most walkers split it over 2 to 4 days, depending on pace and stopovers, because it is a multi-day route with generally easy overall difficulty rather than a single short day hike.

The Limestone Link - Cotswolds to Mendips Hills links the Cotswold Way at Cold Ashton in Gloucestershire with the West Mendip Way at Shipham in Somerset. It was created to connect the limestone landscapes of the Cotswolds and the Mendip Hills, crossing the corridor between those two National Landscapes.

The Limestone Link - Cotswolds to Mendips Hills is graded easy, but that does not mean flat. Over 63.2 km it still gains 1,088 m, so the route is best described as straightforward long-distance walking with some climbs onto and across the Cotswolds and Mendip Hills rather than technical terrain.

The Limestone Link - Cotswolds to Mendips Hills was designed to connect two distinct limestone landscapes: the Cotswolds and the Mendip Hills. The route passes through countryside shaped by limestone geology, including dry stone walls, farmed valleys, rolling hills, and the landscape around the Chew Valley and Somer Valley before reaching the Mendips.

The Limestone Link - Cotswolds to Mendips Hills is waymarked with an ammonite symbol. That marker reflects the route’s limestone theme and helps identify the trail as it runs between Cold Ashton and Shipham across the countryside south of Bristol and Bath.

The Limestone Link - Cotswolds to Mendips Hills can be walked in either direction, from Cold Ashton to Shipham or from Shipham to Cold Ashton. Many walkers choose direction based on transport and overnight logistics, since the route is linear and connects the Cotswold Way in the north with the West Mendip Way in the south.