I did the entire Cotswold Way (North-South) from Chipping Campden to Bath using Contours over 8 days in May this year.
If you don't have time to do the entire Way, I'd recommend doing the northern end of it as the countryside and villages are prettier in the north. If you do have time to do the whole thing, I'd recommend going south to north, again for the same reason. It is hard work (lots of ups and downs) so I spent the first few days just getting acclimatised.
I was reasonably well pleased with Contours and would use them again.
Good points:
the accomodation was decent value for money (2 star standard) and the baggage transfers worked without any problems.
the supplied maps and guide book were very helpful - all the same, take a compass. On the whole, the route is well marked but there are places where it isn't very clear.
Bad points:
the instructions on how to find your B&B were often not very clear, and on one occasion, just plain wrong.
one B&B I was booked at was a good 1 1/2 miles off route. Not Contours fault as there is nothing much closer but I didn't discover this until I looked it up on Google maps. The extra mileage wasn't mentioned in Contours route notes.
the Way has been updated/modified since it was first set up. The distances given on the Contours website are from the original version. The new version is generally longer. Contours also sends you an intimidating list of modifications to the Way. All but the adjustment to the route around Cleeve Common can be ignored as the maps/guidebooks have already incorporated all the rest.
Basically, minor quibbles really. As I said, I'd use Contours again.
Small plug: My previous experiences with self-guided walking/cycling holidays were in France and Italy with ATG Oxford () which I highly recommend. They aim at a slightly higher end of the market in terms of accommodation quality and less so for the hard-core walker/rambler/hiker (typical distances about half that as for Contours and more hand-holding in the route notes). I've used them 3 times and I'm planning my fourth trip (to the Amalfi Coast) with them for next year.
Note, you don't have to use any of these companies. I met some people on the Way who used Sherpa Van (). You buy your own maps and guidebooks; pick you own B&Bs then use the Sherpa booking service to book them (pay each B&B owner each night, typically in cash); and get the Sherpa Van to move your bags. More stuff to arrange yourself, but it works out a good bit cheaper. My walk cost almost 700 pounds (single supplements really hurt) and I could have saved 100 pounds if I'd used the Sherpa service and stayed in the same places.
Our family did the Cotswolds Ring walk through CotswoldsWalks back in 2002. (This was the first long-distance walking trip in Europe and we've now done seven walks, using a couple of other companies.) Our route coincided with the Cotswolds Way for a couple of days.
This is a small company (I think a husband/wife team) based in Cheltenham, and they know this area intimately and personally select their accommodations. (I remember the wife actually checked out an inn I asked about with a personal visit.) The husband had written some hiking guidebooks on the area, including a guidebook on the Cotswolds Ring walk. They were extremely flexible in working with our family and making adjustments to their standard walk.
We have done several self-guided walks through Sherpa Walking Holidays, and I believe they offer a Cotswolds Way walk. We've had very good experience with Sherpa.
On our Coast-to-Coast walk, we met several walkers doing their walk through Contours and heard very good things about them too.
We are in the Cotswolds now, and it is a lovely area for walking! We have such great memories of our first long-distance walk here.
Let us know what you decide to do, and I hope you'll come back and share your walking experiences with us!
