England has an extensive network of well-marked footpaths and bridle ways, many of them dating back centuries, and the public has the right to travel them even when they cross private land. Much of the Cotswold Way is on these trails, and our first day's walk, a short five miles up and over the Cotswold escarpment to the picturesque village of Broadway, got us accustomed to the stiles and kissing gates that allow humans access but keep livestock from escaping.

-- Sue Horton

Read more: Making strides along Cotswold Way in England