Walk 14: Lansdown - Bath Abbey
22nd May 2013: The forecast for today offered the best chance for arriving in Bath without having got wet, so I seized the opportunity and Teasel and I set off from Lansdown Battlefield at 10:38am.
The path returns to the edge of the escarpment at Hanging Hill, with views over Bristol and the distant Welsh Hills beyond. The trig point on the prow of Hanging Hill (235m) has no view as it is enclosed by vegetation. The path follows the edge with views over the pleasant green valley of Pipley Bottom to Keynsham and a glimpse of the River Avon.
The track runs between a wood and a golf course before cutting across the golf course (on the site of a Roman Fort) to rejoin the escarpment along the top of Pipley Wood, and runs below the earthworks of a hill fort to the prow of Little Down, before cutting back across the fort to the edge of Bath Racecourse, and then following the edge round to the viewpoint and Topograph of Prospect Stile (the final Topograph of the walk). From here the conical hump of Kelston Round Hill is prominent.
The route drops down off the edge and heads towards Kelston Round Hill. There is access to the Hill by a Permissive Path, so we made the ascent and had a sandwich at the top by Kelston Clump. From here there are views over Bristol to the North West, and Bath to South East, and further South to the Mendips.
Descending Kelston Round Hill we rejoin the official route and continue along the spur of Dean Hill to Penn Hill. All the time the sprawl of Bath continues to grow below, and the Abbey (Journey's End) can be made out in the middle of the city. We drop down off the spur, though a playing field and emerge on Penn Hill Road in Weston on the outskirts of Bath.
The route manages to weave its way through quiet roads and alleyways through a field at Primrose Hill (which is applying for Village Green status) before ascending a stepped pathway to Sion Hill. Here we cross the Bath Approach Golf Course to emerge in Royal Victoria Park.
From here a knowledge of Central Bath is quite useful, as the way markers become small stickers on lampposts and bollards and are quite easily missed among the urban visual clutter. The official route passes in front of the famous Royal Crescent and around The Circus with its carved friezes before heading in to Central Bath until you arrive at the square containing Bath Abbey.
Here there is a carved circular stone marker marking the official end (or beginning if you're starting from Bath) of the Cotswold Way. It was installed in October 2012, but when I arrived there was some work going on to the slabs around it, so I wasn't able to have a final photo taken on top of it.
We finished the walk in Bath at 1:10pm without having been rained on for the entire route.
The path returns to the edge of the escarpment at Hanging Hill, with views over Bristol and the distant Welsh Hills beyond. The trig point on the prow of Hanging Hill (235m) has no view as it is enclosed by vegetation. The path follows the edge with views over the pleasant green valley of Pipley Bottom to Keynsham and a glimpse of the River Avon.
The track runs between a wood and a golf course before cutting across the golf course (on the site of a Roman Fort) to rejoin the escarpment along the top of Pipley Wood, and runs below the earthworks of a hill fort to the prow of Little Down, before cutting back across the fort to the edge of Bath Racecourse, and then following the edge round to the viewpoint and Topograph of Prospect Stile (the final Topograph of the walk). From here the conical hump of Kelston Round Hill is prominent.
The route drops down off the edge and heads towards Kelston Round Hill. There is access to the Hill by a Permissive Path, so we made the ascent and had a sandwich at the top by Kelston Clump. From here there are views over Bristol to the North West, and Bath to South East, and further South to the Mendips.
Descending Kelston Round Hill we rejoin the official route and continue along the spur of Dean Hill to Penn Hill. All the time the sprawl of Bath continues to grow below, and the Abbey (Journey's End) can be made out in the middle of the city. We drop down off the spur, though a playing field and emerge on Penn Hill Road in Weston on the outskirts of Bath.
The route manages to weave its way through quiet roads and alleyways through a field at Primrose Hill (which is applying for Village Green status) before ascending a stepped pathway to Sion Hill. Here we cross the Bath Approach Golf Course to emerge in Royal Victoria Park.
From here a knowledge of Central Bath is quite useful, as the way markers become small stickers on lampposts and bollards and are quite easily missed among the urban visual clutter. The official route passes in front of the famous Royal Crescent and around The Circus with its carved friezes before heading in to Central Bath until you arrive at the square containing Bath Abbey.
Here there is a carved circular stone marker marking the official end (or beginning if you're starting from Bath) of the Cotswold Way. It was installed in October 2012, but when I arrived there was some work going on to the slabs around it, so I wasn't able to have a final photo taken on top of it.
We finished the walk in Bath at 1:10pm without having been rained on for the entire route.
Walk Distance: 7.36 miles (11.8 km), 2h38m.
Cumulative Distance: 110.5 miles (177.8 km), 42h16m.
This walk completes The Cotswold Way in May!
6 comments:
Not sure if this comment will take, as I've had blogger commenting issues - but I've been following your path via Caroline's posts on FB and wanted to offer congratulations to you and Teasel. What beautiful walks you've been on!
I think you finished about 2 hours before we did.they were still working on the surrounding stones so we were unable to have our photos taken also.well done..it certainly sounds more enjoyable the way you did it rather than 7 days with full packs.www.bobanddai.blogspot.co.uk for our adventures.
@Tinker: Thanks for commenting - it's good to know someone is out there reading this stuff.
@Rob: Well done on completing The Way in one push. I certainly took the easier option. But as I find myself currently living in Painswick I had the luxury of doing shorter walks, when the weather was dry.
This is cool!
Jim,
Fine commentary sir. I will be walking this path from Chipping Campden in the Spring of 2014, and have enjoyed reading your notes on the Cotswold Way. Thank you for that, and congratulations on completing this walk.
Best wishes from the USA.
@Yankee: Thanks for your comment. I hope you have dry weather for your walk in 2014 (the paths can get a bit muddy in prolonged rain, and it's not much fun walking in the rain).
I would recommend nipping up Painswick Beacon as you go past (hardly a detour at all), and it's also worth doing the Selsley Common variation (which is handy if you want to go to Sainsbury's in Stroud) if you have the time, and the round of Uley Bury. But I wouldn't blame you if you didn't go all the way around Stinchcombe Hill (after Dursley).
Post a Comment