A temporary diversion is in place on the Cotswold Way near Birdlip from 3 July 2026 for at least six months, while National Highways reroutes the A417 (the Missing Link scheme). Updated 15 September 2026 with photographs from the works and notes from walkers who have already passed through.
This is a large construction site, not a few cones on the verge. Walkers who completed the detour in July reported that it added more than two miles to the day, with a steep dirt climb, a busy underpass, and long stretches of fencing. Build that extra time and distance into Stage 7 before you set out.
Official signed route
For the first 12 to 14 weeks, the National Trails notice described a pavement section of about 250 metres along Leckhampton Hill, then a later phase using a permissive path at National Star. On the ground, the full signed loop around the works is much longer than that short pavement hop - treat the notice as the legal line of the path, and the fencing and acorn waymarks as what you actually follow.
Crickley Hill facilities - car park, paths, and cafe - are unaffected and remain reachable from the Cotswold Way. The Star Bistro at National Star College is a useful pause south of Leckhampton Hill if you want food before the works.
For maps and the latest official details, see the National Trails notice: Diversion at A417 Birdlip.
North to south: do not leave the trail too early
Walkers heading from Chipping Campden toward Bath have been caught out by an early closure sign. After the Star Bistro, an intersection warns that the trail ahead is closed. That sign is easy to read as "turn onto the road now". It is not the start of the detour. You still have more National Trail - including Crickley Hill - before you reach the A417 site. You will know the diversion when you arrive: the roadworks fill the view.
Some walkers who tried to cut toward the old roundabout found a new footpath closed and had to turn left at the crossroads down Leckhampton Hill until they could pick up the signed path further on. If a link is taped off, stay on the waymarked line rather than forcing a shortcut through the compound.
Following the works
At the roadworks, waymarks can be sparse compared with the rest of the trail. Walkers recommend:
- Follow the red and white fencing, not the live carriageway.
- Go through the wide gate, then steeply up the dirt road.
- Look for the acorn with S (south) or N (north). Markers are there, but they can sit far apart.
- Use the Birdlip radio mast as a landmark - it stays in view for much of the diversion and is marked on the Cotswold Way Association map.
- Expect a busy underpass to get around the mast. Take care with traffic.
Printed Association maps have not always matched every turn on the ground. Trust the fencing, the acorn discs, and the mast when paper and path disagree. Carry an up-to-date map or app as well - see Maps and navigation.
You may also find laminated A417 Missing Link maps on posts, sometimes with a QR code linking to a short video of the diversion. Photograph the code while you still have signal, then follow the "you are here" map if the next acorn is not obvious.
If you find missing markers, please report them so they can be replaced.
