01694 723600 info@secrethillswalking.co.uk

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The rolling Cotswolds hills and magnificent honey stone villages epitomise Cotswolds Beauty. Join our small group friendly solos holiday. It’s a land of lovely deep river valleys, airy uplands and super views at every turn. Lovely village pubs and quiet by ways – the Cotswolds are one of England’s most beautiful landscapes and we take you to the heart of them on our walks.

Our speciality is offering guided walking holidays for solos and singles in magnificent locations across the UK and Europe. Unlike many other walking companies which offer solos holidays as an extra, we are unique in that we only deal in solos guided walking. We also design bespoke holidays for special groups.

Three days
Refund guarantee
Expert Tour Guides
Two nights
Small, friendly groups
Location: Cotswolds

What you get on a Secret Hills break

Hotel bed and breakfast– en suite two nights
Dinner
Lunch- Saturday and Sunday
Sole occupancy- no single supplement
Personal service – where possible, our walk leader will collect and return to Kemble station. If this is not possible, there are taxis available at the station to take you to the hotel
Total flexibility on when you arrive and depart – come for as many or few days as you want
Expert guiding
Transport to walks start and finish
No single supplement
A social, relaxed approach
Full joining details prior to your holiday
Our administration services to help you enjoy this holiday

Not included

All drinks in the hotel and on our walks
Any additional services you request from the hotel – ie newspapers, bar food

We meet as strangers and depart as friends

Hotel and Meals

We stay two nights at Stratton House Hotel, Cirencester. Accommodation is single en suite rooms – no sharing and no single supplement. The hotel has a welcoming bar, and lounge. You can see the hotel accommodation by visiting http://www.strattonhousehotel.com/

There will be a supplement if you request a double room for sole occupancy – contact us for further details. All other rooms are twins for sole occupancy/or single rooms and do not have a single supplement.

Guided walking for solos and singles in the Cotswolds

Dinner is at the hotel and is three courses. We have lunch at one of the Cotswolds lovely country pubs, or take a packed lunch. Walking starts at 9.30 am, and we generally finish for that welcome cuppa at 4.30 pm. This will give you plenty of time to get ready for dinner.

Great reasons to join us

There are other walking holiday companies that cover the countryside but we believe we offer the best value for many reasons….

We specialise in organising guided walking holidays for singles and solo travellers
We are a small friendly company
We have a loyal customer base who return again and again (so we must be doing something right) – read our testimonials page on the website
We offer a lot of flexibility – you can stay extra nights which we are happy to organise for you. We are also very flexible on the walks we provide, adapting to suit walkers and weather conditions
Our walk leading is second to none. Unlike some other large Walking Companies, we use LOCAL leaders who live in the area and who love their surroundings. They have expert knowledge of everything you need to know to make an area come alive.
You are safe in our hands – our guides are experts, fully qualified in first aid. Also, because of their local knowledge of the hills, they can respond to any situation that might for example demand cutting short a route. They don’t need to consult maps – they know the hills intimately.
Our leaders are all easy-going, genuinely sociable people who want to ensure that you have the best time you can with the rest of the group. They make the weekend fun by engaging with all members of a group, and ensuring that everyone feels part of the group experience.
We give great value for money. Because we recognise that lots of walkers holiday on their own, we have negotiated no single supplement deals with all our hotels to ensure the best possible deal.
We always use good hotels.
We have smaller groups than some of the larger walking companies, because we believe the social experience is much better in a smaller group. People can talk to everyone, especially at dinner where you can all sit on one table in a small group. Our numbers vary from holiday to holiday but an average group size would be 8-12.

Directions

By train – Kemble is the nearest station, some 6 miles away. Taxis are readily available. This is your cost. See www.nationalrail.co.uk

By car – the post code for your Sat Navs is GL7 2LE . A good way of checking a route is using the AA route finder. www.theaa.com/route-planner

Station pick up or arrangements. We recommend Kemble – we will arrange a taxi pick up for you and return if you let us know. This is at your cost.

Full detailed journey instruction will be sent with your Joining Details prior to the holiday.

Itinerary

Two and half days walking in the lovely countryside of the Cotswolds around Cirencester and Bourton in the Water, staying at the The Stratton House Hotel in Cirencester. The hotel is close to the centre of “The Capital of the Cotswolds”. It has superb grounds, and superb food, with lovely rooms.

Walking is moderate – few major climbs, and we cover 9/10 miles a day.

Solos and Singles Guided walking in the Cotswolds

Our first walk is on Friday afternoon starting at 2.30pm, a two hour “get to know you “walk, with a cuppa at the end. If you cannot make that walk, then we meet on Friday evenings, at 7.00 pm, for a three course dinner and a discussion on what we are doing during the weekend. Each weekend’s walking has a different theme, to fit into the time of year, or events going on in the area. Dress code is smart casual.

Walking starts on Friday afternoon at 2.30pm from hotel reception. We then walk full days on Saturday and Sunday. Walking finishes on Sunday afternoon at 4.00pm.

We offer you the opportunity to stay additional nights, and many people extend their weekend as they wish. Just reserve what nights you need.

If you have booked an additional nights accommodation, note there is no walk on the Monday.

Grades and Difficulty

We walk between 9 and 10 miles per day. We walk at a steady pace, we don’t rush. We want you to enjoy our lovely scenery – these hills and valleys are a walkers paradise with good paths and an ever changing landscape.

There are hills to ascend – we go up to a maximum of 200 metres over two miles of walking, but the climbing is gradual and we won’t rush. What’s the point of huffing and puffing, being exhausted then not being able to enjoy this fabulous land. Descending is not precarious, and is gentle in relationship to many walking areas.

The Cotswolds rolling countryside will enchant you – it is a land of ever changing vista’s. On any walk we get four or five different landscapes to enjoy. Walking boots or shoes are obligatory, and many walkers find a walking pole useful, especially on the downhills. You will also need wet weather gear although generally we have a mild climate, lovely springs and mild autumns, and winter walking too is outstanding in theses secret hills. A full equipment list will be sent with the Joining Details.

Exclusions

Although our leaders are well trained and experienced in dealing with different capabilities of our walking clients, if they have any concerns about any clients ability or suitability to undertake safely any walking activity we plan or they feel that participation of an individual may affect the groups safety and cohesion, then they have full permission to exclude that client from an activity.

They will try at all times to provide an alternative suggested activity, though this may involve the client in additional local cost.

We rarely have to enforce this above recommendation, but it is a sensible and necessary protection for the individual client, the group and the leaders.

Sample Walks

The Churn Valley circular

From hotel, through fields around Stratton to the village of Baunton. quiet roads to the lunch stop at the Bathurst Arms for lunch,

The walk down the path beside the River Church- 3 miles – back to Stretton village and across meadows to the hotel

Bourton in the Water, The Slaughters, Naunton and the Windrush Valley

From the centre of Bourton, follow Macmillan Way to Lower and Upper Slaughter. Onto Naunton and the Back Horse Inn for lunch,

We then follow the Windrush river along its meandering course to Bourton and into the centre of this iconic tourist trap for tea.

Painswick and it’s valley Haresfield Beacon, and Toposcope

We walk upwards to the Cotswolds Way and onto Haresfield Beacon. Following the Cotswolds Way, we stop at the Edge Arms for lunch. Then meander into Painswick- look round the church grounds with its 99 yew trees, and back along a lovely valley for minibus pick up.

A circular round Cirencester Great park

Cirencester Park is very large and we walk the many ”rides” to the Daneway Arms for lunch. We then walk towards the Stratton valley and back to the hotel on wooded walks and field paths

Meet New Friends

Its all about meeting new friends. Each holiday is designed to be a friendly, relaxed and stress free occasion. Talking is as important as walking on Secrethills Walking Holidays. We don’t go in for discos, we may use an event that is taking place in the area we are in to boost the weekends activities – but its good, old fashioned chat that makes our short breaks successful.

“Make new friends that turn into old friends” – that’s our motto.

You might be surprised by what fun you’ll have with people who are older or younger than you during a holiday with us, and that’s exactly the sort of atmosphere we encourage; people find it very rewarding.

It doesn’t matter what your reasons for traveling with us are, we’ve had people who are single, divorced or widowed, people who have partners that are unable to travel, and people who can’t holiday with their friends anymore as they’ve all got married themselves. There are people who want to make friends, see sights, and experience something completely new. Whatever your reason, we’ll welcome you with open arms and our friendly hosts will help you to get the most out of your holiday.

Don’t worry if this is the first time you have ventured to join a group holiday – its always a bit daunting – but we will look after you and ensure that you get used to being amongst friends again. Trust us to to get you back into the swing of things.

Oh – by the way – its not a dating agency – over the years we have had people meet and fall in love – but that’s just chance. Our aim is that you make like minded friends – just relax and enjoy.

Just arrive and enjoy.

How to Book

To reserve a place on any of our holidays, please follow these simple instructions.

Reserve online – once you have chosen your holiday, click on Proceed Booking and complete the online form. If you have difficulty reserving online, please contact us (tel: 01694 723600, email: info@secrethillswalking.co.uk) and we will assist you to complete your booking.

Payment

Please note we cannot take credit/debit card details over the phone. You may pay by the following methods when you book online…

Paypal – if you have a Paypal account, simply click on the link to the Paypal website.
Credit / Debit card – we use Paypal to host our credit/debit cards facility because it is a very secure system. So if you want to pay with a card, simply click on this option which will take you to our page on the PayPal website. Check in there as a “Guest” to enable your card payment. You do not need to have a Paypal account for this transaction.
We will also accept a Bank Transfer – you will find our account details on the booking form.
Finally, we will also accept a cheque payable to Secret Hills Walking Holidays and sent to: Secret Hills Walking Holidays, 35 Sandford Avenue, Church Stretton, Shropshire, SY6 6BH

Please note than an initial deposit is required with each booking regardless of which payment method you choose. Your booking will be accepted when your payment (deposit or full balance) is received. Note – if you are reserving a holiday within a month of the start date then the full amount is due immediately and no deposit should be paid.

It is important that you read the terms and conditions before you sign the booking form.

Note – if you are reserving a holiday within a month of the start date then the full amount is due immediately and no deposit should be paid.

Location

The Cotswolds area is one of England’s favourite destinations; famous for hundreds of honey-colour limestone villages in a beautiful rural setting. In summer time, the Cotswolds offers fantastic walking and cycling, beautiful gardens, bustling farmers’ markets and a delightful cafe culture.

Solos and Singles Guided walking in the Cotswolds

The Cotswolds is great walking country with over 5000km of footpaths and rights of way. For serious walkers, the Cotswold Way and Thames Path are on offer. For recreational walkers, most towns and villages have a choice of shorter circular routes.

The Cotswolds are situated in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with thousands of miles of footpaths and bridleways, a walker’s paradise. Walk through rolling countryside dotted with picturesque villages full of history and follow winding river valleys with some great views.

Cirencester

Cirencester, known as the “Capital Of The Cotswolds”, is an historic Roman town in the heart of the Cotswolds with attractions from a Roman Amphitheatre to the nearby Chedworth Roman Villa. The Corinium Museum in an important source of information on the local history.

Solos and Singles Guided Walking in the Cotwolds

Come and experience life in a real country market town full of Roman and medieval history which also boasts an amazing selection of independent shops and restaurants. Cirencester is in a great location to tour the Cotswolds making the perfect base from which to discover this iconic English landscape and its historic buildings. It is full of tastefully restored courtyards, alleyways and lovely old streets and many places to visit and sites to enjoy, including the magnificent Church of St John Baptist, the Abbey Grounds, St. Michael’s Park, Cirencester Park (owned by The Earl Bathurst)

Photos

Solos and Singles Guided Walking in the Cotswolds

Guided walking for solos and singles Cotswolds

Reviews

14 Reviews

Sort By:RatingDate

Christine Sallis

Solo Traveller

The hotel, food and overall was lovely. Craig (walk leader) was lovely and knowledgeable. Great weekend.

October 15, 2023

Susan Darlow

Solo Traveller

Craig, our walk guide was very good and increased the enjoyment of the holiday. Well organised.

October 14, 2023

Lynne Atkinson

Solo Traveller

It was appreciated that the
holiday went ahead despite low
bookings and being reduced…and special recognition for Alan
Garner for his professionalism. Walk leaders very friendly and
knowledgeable about area.
Hotel Food choice was
excellent and staff very helpful.

October 26, 2022

Louise Green

Solo Traveller

Thank you for a great holiday. This was my first walking holiday and I will definitely do another. I loved the walking and meeting new people. Great scenery, friendly, knowledgeable guides.
I felt the organisation was really good. It was lovely that Alan was waiting at the hotel on arrival, and I felt we were informed of all that was happening prior to and during the holiday. This really helped me feel relaxed throughout the break.
The hotel was lovely, comfortable, clean, friendly helpful staff, and really good food. It was easy to find and plenty of parking.

October 19, 2022

Adrian Dawson

Solo Traveller

Guided walking – I very much enjoyed. Very well organised holiday. Very good hotel.

July 14, 2022

Cotswolds Beauty

Why Book With Us?