Walk 5: Cleeve Hill - Lineover Wood
8th May 2013: The rain, originally promised for Tuesday, has been postponed to Wednesday afternoon, so hopefully there's time to get another bit of the Cotswold Way in before it arrives.
Teasel and I set off across Cleeve Common in the sun at 11am. Although it was a lot cooler than yesterday, and there were big dark clouds massing. We headed up to the topograph, trig point and highest point on the official trial (317m), with fine views over Cheltenham, the Severn Vale and across to the Malvern Hills, and also to the south the aerials that stand close to the actual highest point of Cleeve Hill (330m), and hence the highest point in The Cotswolds. But with the clouds looking increasingly ominous and the wind picking up we didn't linger and marched off along the eastern edge of the escarpment.
We departed from the official route to carry on over the common, past the aerials a second trig point, marking the highest point of Cleeve Hill. Although it's 13m higher it lacks the views of other trig point, but less than a mile to the west lies the path from Belas Knap we were on yesterday, and beyond that, somewhere over the hills, Chipping Campden. We went back to the road by the aerials and picked up a pleasant path through Prestbury Hill Nature Reserve which joined us back on to the official route.
The path continues through Happy Valley - I was happy it hadn't rained recently as it looks as though it can get quite muddy - and passes though gorse bushes to come out in a rather unimpressive disused quarry. The track returns us to farmland before bringing us out onto quiet tree lined lanes, which are followed for half a mile or so before turning onto a grassy lane between fields.
Crossing a road by some gates with strangely carved posts the track drops down by a farm to Dowdeswell Wood Nature Reserve, where bluebells are emerging. The power lines above crackle and traffic on the A40 roars past below. We emerge from the wood, by the reservoir, into bright sunlight and dash across the A40 at a suitable gap in the traffic, before entering Lineover Wood.
A steep uphill pull through the wood brings Cheltenham back into site and eventually brings us onto higher ground, close to the A436 on part of the route that is different from that shown on the map. We finished the walk at 1:30pm, without having been rained on.
Teasel and I set off across Cleeve Common in the sun at 11am. Although it was a lot cooler than yesterday, and there were big dark clouds massing. We headed up to the topograph, trig point and highest point on the official trial (317m), with fine views over Cheltenham, the Severn Vale and across to the Malvern Hills, and also to the south the aerials that stand close to the actual highest point of Cleeve Hill (330m), and hence the highest point in The Cotswolds. But with the clouds looking increasingly ominous and the wind picking up we didn't linger and marched off along the eastern edge of the escarpment.
We departed from the official route to carry on over the common, past the aerials a second trig point, marking the highest point of Cleeve Hill. Although it's 13m higher it lacks the views of other trig point, but less than a mile to the west lies the path from Belas Knap we were on yesterday, and beyond that, somewhere over the hills, Chipping Campden. We went back to the road by the aerials and picked up a pleasant path through Prestbury Hill Nature Reserve which joined us back on to the official route.
The path continues through Happy Valley - I was happy it hadn't rained recently as it looks as though it can get quite muddy - and passes though gorse bushes to come out in a rather unimpressive disused quarry. The track returns us to farmland before bringing us out onto quiet tree lined lanes, which are followed for half a mile or so before turning onto a grassy lane between fields.
Crossing a road by some gates with strangely carved posts the track drops down by a farm to Dowdeswell Wood Nature Reserve, where bluebells are emerging. The power lines above crackle and traffic on the A40 roars past below. We emerge from the wood, by the reservoir, into bright sunlight and dash across the A40 at a suitable gap in the traffic, before entering Lineover Wood.
A steep uphill pull through the wood brings Cheltenham back into site and eventually brings us onto higher ground, close to the A436 on part of the route that is different from that shown on the map. We finished the walk at 1:30pm, without having been rained on.
Walk Distance: 7.5 miles (12.0 km), 2h33m.
Cumulative Distance: 32.6 miles (52.4 km), 12h24m.
If the weather is dry, the next walk will be on 10th May.
If the weather is dry, the next walk will be on 10th May.
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