Walk 12: Hawksbury Upton - Tormarton Interchange
19th May 2013: Today I was joined by Duncan and Lindsay, who also joined me on my final Munro exactly 6 years ago to the day. The weather today was more clement.
We left the pool at Hawksbury Upton at 10:11am and followed the Way along Bath Lane (a track, that is clearly heading in the right direction), until it joins Highfield Lane, here a footpath has been made through the fields on the other side of the hedge so you don't have to walk along the road. Shortly the path cuts across a field with a derelict barn and enters the aptly named Walk Wood, above Horton Court. The Way has been re-routed here to pass over a hill fort, rather than continue to Horton along the road. We stopped on a bench perched on the edge of the escarpment for a sandwich.
Crossing the fort and descending into Horton you pass a folly constructed in the year 2000 as a nesting site for swallows and barn owls, and then enter the village of Horton next to the school. Cross the main road and almost immediately you leave the village again through fields to cross a small valley that has been dammed to make a reservoir. We crossed another field (one which was full of inquisitive cows) and emerged into Little Sodbury by a farm. Past the church and along the road for a bit before ascending through a wood to come out at another hill fort that I've seen many times from the A46 but never visited before.
The path crosses the middle of the fort and then cuts back down through the wood and across fields to emerge in Old Sodbury, again next to the school. Cross the road and go through the churchyard to emerge at a popular viewpoint (complete with Topograph). We stopped and had another sandwich here.
The path descends through a couple of fields to come out at the A432, which is crossed near The Old Dog Inn. Follow Chapel Lane for a short while before cutting across fields to reach a road at Coomb's End. Here the path enters the parkland of Dodington Park, currently owned by vaccuum cleaner salesman, James Dyson. The path ascends through grassy fields grazed by sheep (and one of them featuring a statue of a stag), and crosses the infant River Frome (which eventually flows into Bristol's Floating Harbour) before coming out at the busy A46.
A dash across the road and across many stone stiles brings us to the village of Tormarton, and after following an indirect route through the village past the Church the route leaves the village along Marshfield Lane, crossing the M4 before following tracks through the fields adjacent to the motorway, and recrossing the A46 to arrive at the car park by the Tormarton Interchange. We finished the walk at 2:39pm.
We left the pool at Hawksbury Upton at 10:11am and followed the Way along Bath Lane (a track, that is clearly heading in the right direction), until it joins Highfield Lane, here a footpath has been made through the fields on the other side of the hedge so you don't have to walk along the road. Shortly the path cuts across a field with a derelict barn and enters the aptly named Walk Wood, above Horton Court. The Way has been re-routed here to pass over a hill fort, rather than continue to Horton along the road. We stopped on a bench perched on the edge of the escarpment for a sandwich.
Crossing the fort and descending into Horton you pass a folly constructed in the year 2000 as a nesting site for swallows and barn owls, and then enter the village of Horton next to the school. Cross the main road and almost immediately you leave the village again through fields to cross a small valley that has been dammed to make a reservoir. We crossed another field (one which was full of inquisitive cows) and emerged into Little Sodbury by a farm. Past the church and along the road for a bit before ascending through a wood to come out at another hill fort that I've seen many times from the A46 but never visited before.
The path crosses the middle of the fort and then cuts back down through the wood and across fields to emerge in Old Sodbury, again next to the school. Cross the road and go through the churchyard to emerge at a popular viewpoint (complete with Topograph). We stopped and had another sandwich here.
The path descends through a couple of fields to come out at the A432, which is crossed near The Old Dog Inn. Follow Chapel Lane for a short while before cutting across fields to reach a road at Coomb's End. Here the path enters the parkland of Dodington Park, currently owned by vaccuum cleaner salesman, James Dyson. The path ascends through grassy fields grazed by sheep (and one of them featuring a statue of a stag), and crosses the infant River Frome (which eventually flows into Bristol's Floating Harbour) before coming out at the busy A46.
A dash across the road and across many stone stiles brings us to the village of Tormarton, and after following an indirect route through the village past the Church the route leaves the village along Marshfield Lane, crossing the M4 before following tracks through the fields adjacent to the motorway, and recrossing the A46 to arrive at the car park by the Tormarton Interchange. We finished the walk at 2:39pm.
Walk Distance: 9.6 miles (15.5 km), 4h26m.
Cumulative Distance: 95.4 miles (153.5 km), 36h00m.
The next (penultimate) walk will be on Tuesday, 21st May. Tormarton Interchange to the site of the Battle of Lansdown. Overall there are 15 miles of the Way remaining.
The next (penultimate) walk will be on Tuesday, 21st May. Tormarton Interchange to the site of the Battle of Lansdown. Overall there are 15 miles of the Way remaining.
No comments:
Post a Comment