Walk 4: Winchcombe - Cleeve Hill
7th May 2013: Teasel and I set off from Winchcombe at 11am, on what had originally been forecast to be a cold, rainy day, but in fact turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far. The bad weather having been postponed until tomorrow.
This part of the Cotswold Way has undergone considerable re-routing, so watch out if you have old maps or guides. The route now cuts across the fields soon after crossing the bridge on Vinyard Street, and continues along a leafy pathway to emerge at Corndean Lane, where most of the walking on the public road is avoided by a path that winds through a thin strip of woodland alongside the road. Although the route then picks up a private tarmac drive for Corndean Hall, but after the cricket pitch cuts uphill through a large meadow with views back to Winchcombe and Sudeley Castle, emerging back on the road by a wood.
Crossing the road and climbing through the wood and skirting around the edge of a field brings you out onto a 300m plateau, and emerging from a shady path along the top edge of a wood brings you out at the rather impressive Stone Age Long Barrow of Belas Knap.
From here the path follows the plateau through fields to emerge on a track heading to Wontley Farm. Formerly the path passed Wontley Farm approaching close to the masts by the highest point of Cleeve Hill before heading North. Now, it takes a sharp right across fields, passing within 3/4 miles of the summit of Cleeve Hill, and then heads into Breakheart Plantation and descends steeply before emerging from the wood - apparently heading back towards Winchcombe. But it turns sharply Westwards and heads down through a pleasant wood to cross a small stream (where Teasel did a bit more paddling).
The route now passes through fields and a farm heading towards Postlip Hall, although the Hall itself becomes hidden from view and doesn't re-emerge as you follow tracks around it. Heading North and finally emerging on to Cleeve Common, the track brings you out on the golf course, and we stopped at 1:30pm by the club house.
This part of the Cotswold Way has undergone considerable re-routing, so watch out if you have old maps or guides. The route now cuts across the fields soon after crossing the bridge on Vinyard Street, and continues along a leafy pathway to emerge at Corndean Lane, where most of the walking on the public road is avoided by a path that winds through a thin strip of woodland alongside the road. Although the route then picks up a private tarmac drive for Corndean Hall, but after the cricket pitch cuts uphill through a large meadow with views back to Winchcombe and Sudeley Castle, emerging back on the road by a wood.
Crossing the road and climbing through the wood and skirting around the edge of a field brings you out onto a 300m plateau, and emerging from a shady path along the top edge of a wood brings you out at the rather impressive Stone Age Long Barrow of Belas Knap.
From here the path follows the plateau through fields to emerge on a track heading to Wontley Farm. Formerly the path passed Wontley Farm approaching close to the masts by the highest point of Cleeve Hill before heading North. Now, it takes a sharp right across fields, passing within 3/4 miles of the summit of Cleeve Hill, and then heads into Breakheart Plantation and descends steeply before emerging from the wood - apparently heading back towards Winchcombe. But it turns sharply Westwards and heads down through a pleasant wood to cross a small stream (where Teasel did a bit more paddling).
The route now passes through fields and a farm heading towards Postlip Hall, although the Hall itself becomes hidden from view and doesn't re-emerge as you follow tracks around it. Heading North and finally emerging on to Cleeve Common, the track brings you out on the golf course, and we stopped at 1:30pm by the club house.
Walk Distance: 5.8 miles (9.3 km), 2h33m.
Cumulative Distance: 25.1 miles (40.4 km), 9h50m.
No comments:
Post a Comment