🥾 Walking route
The Path of Vice, Stowe
Buckinghamshire
- 📏 2.3 km · 1.4 mi
- ⛰ +40 m
- ⏱ 30 min
- 🐕 On lead
Walk stats
- Distance2.3 km · 1.4 mi
- Elevation+40 m
- Duration30 min
- DifficultyEasy
- Route typeLinear
- TerrainLevel grass and gravel garden paths
- Best seasonSpring to autumn
- DogsDogs welcome on leads
About this walk
This short linear stroll through the celebrated landscape gardens at Stowe follows one of the estate's designed thematic routes. Beginning at the imposing Corinthian Arch, the path descends gently across open parkland with sweeping views back towards the great house.
The way leads past Lord Chatham's Urn before reaching the Cascade and Artificial Ruins, a picturesque set piece where water tumbles between crumbling stonework. From here you pass the domed Rotunda and the Statue of Queen Caroline, both classic 18th-century garden features, before arriving at the Temple of Venus and finishing at the secluded Hermitage tucked among the trees.
At only 2.3 km with a modest 40 m of ascent, this is an easy half-hour walk that packs in an extraordinary number of monuments. Nearby you can extend your visit to take in the Temple of Friendship, the Gothic Cross, Dido's Cave, the Statue of King George II and the Temple of Ancient Virtues, all within the wider gardens.
Route map
Route line drawn from OpenStreetMap footpath data. Numbered markers are waypoints on the route; amber star markers are points of interest a short detour away.
Waypoints along the route
7 waypoints along the way
- 1
Corinthian Arch
- 2
Lord Chatham's Urn
- 3
Cascade and Artificial Ruins
- 4
Rotunda
- 5
Statue of Queen Caroline
- 6
Temple of Venus
- 7
Hermitage
Worth a short detour
Points of interest just off the route, look for the amber markers on the map.
Temple of Friendship
~206 m off the route
Gothic Cross
~229 m off the route
Dido's Cave
~233 m off the route
Statue of King George II
~278 m off the route
Temple of Ancient Virtues
~294 m off the route
Route & waypoint data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).