Cotswold Lakes Walk

24 May 2025, 10.45

We are very sorry but booking for this walk has now closed. If you would like to join the waiting list for a place on this walk please email info@tcf.org.uk Thank you.

TCF Volunteer and bereaved parent, Rebecca, invites bereaved parents, adult siblings and grandparents to join her on their first walk in Gloucestershire for Compassionate Friends. This walk will be through the stunning wetland landscape at Cotswold Lakes on Saturday 24 May 2025, meeting at 10.45 am for a 11 am start. 

The walk is around 5 miles and will take around 2.5 hours at a steady pace.  Although the route is flat it is also uneven underfoot along the towpath and across the farmland. Please note that the route is along a disused railway which is even underfoot and a canal towpath which is uneven and can be muddy. There is some walking along country roads and through farmland to join the towpath and railway.  More details about the Cotswold Water Park are here.

We plan to have lunch together at the end of the walk, so either bring a picnic or there is a pizzeria and café at the Gateway Centre. There are plenty of picnic benches outside. There will be a rest stop at South Cerney, either at one of the pubs or at one of the many riverside benches. There are toilet facilities at the start and at the pub/café in South Cerney.

Dogs are welcome at the Cotswold Water Park and there are some stretches of the walk where they can be off the lead. However, please note that there are sections of the walk on the road in South Cerney and through farmland with sheep at Cerney Wick. There may be cyclists on the disused railway and also dog walkers.

There is plenty of free car parking with EV charging points at the meeting point. The Stagecoach 51 bus from Swindon to Cirencester stops at The Gateway Centre. We will email the exact meeting point at Cotswold Water Park closer to the time. **

We welcome all bereaved parents, grandparents and bereaved siblings (18 years or over).

We hope very much that you will join us.

***

We ask that you wait until you have been bereaved for at least 3 months before joining our supportive walks. New walk dates are regularly added here, and we hope to welcome you at a future walk.

Our peer support is for parents bereaved of a child from one month old to an adult son or daughter, from any cause. We also offer support to bereaved grandparents and adult siblings (aged 18+)

Please call our Helpline on 0345 1232304 or email helpline@tcf.org.uk for support. 

We look forward to seeing those who have walked with us before, and to welcome those who are joining us for the first time.

If you haven’t walked with us yet, please don’t feel daunted or anxious about joining. You’ll quickly find yourself part of a warm, friendly and supportive community of others who have experienced similar bereavements.

** Please be aware that your email address will be given to our walk facilitators who will send a welcome email approximately one week before the walk, providing additional information and details about the meeting point. (It may sometimes end up in junk or spam folders, so please check there if you’ve registered and haven’t received the email.)

Please remember, if you bring a friend or relative for initial support, they will not be able to join the walk itself unless they are also a bereaved parent, grandparent, or adult bereaved sibling.

As this is a supportive walk, we ask that you stay together as a group for the duration of the walk.

Please note that individuals join a TCF walk at their own risk. 

To register for the walk, please click ‘book for this walk’.