Cotswold Way - Walk 7

Walk 7: Barrow Wake - Painswick

[See the photos on Facebook]

12th May 2013: The forecast had been for rain spreading from the west in the afternoon. Then it gradually moved earlier and earlier until it was due to arrive at 11am. So we set off early from Barrow Wake at 8:45am. It was sunny, but there was quite a chilly wind blowing and clouds were massing to the west.

The path follows the edge of the escarpment and then enters the woods at Birdlip Peak, after which views are fleeting for several miles. Quite soon you cross a road descending steeply to The Witcombes. A brave soul was cycling up it. The path cuts down the slope to pick up a track through Witcombe Wood. With the heavy showers yesterday the track was a bit squishy in places, but not too bad.

After 3 miles of walking on forest tracks (there are plenty of way marks to keep you on the route), with only the purple haze of the bluebells, the odd wood pecker and the odd fleeting glimpse of Witcombe Reserviors and Roman Villa for amusement we emerged in the small village of Cooper's Hill - famous for the cheese-rolling antics of its inhabitants. The path passes underneath the strip of hillside where this takes place, and then goes steeply up through the woods to emerge at the top of it. We stopped for a sandwich.

It's then back into the woods and another steep pull up to the earthworks of another ancient settlement at High Brotheridge, and the road noise indicates were are getting closer to the A46. Descending through Rough Park we came out at Cranham Corner, crossed the A46 and head back into the woods. Emerging shortly onto a road, that becomes a track, and then a golf course.

This is Painswick Common. I have walked here dozens of times with Teasel, so we depart from the official route (which follows an often muddy bridleway across the common) to follow the gentle slopes across the golf course and up to the hill fort at the summit on Painswick Beacon (283m). We descended The Beacon, had another sandwich and then crossed the golf course to reach Catbrain Tump, rather than take the official route past the rather unappealing Catbrain Quarry (which has taken a significant bite out of the hill), and rejoined the official path by the Cemetery. Only to depart from it again to pass through The Plantation (instead of walking through the Walker's Car Park and road) to reach Gloucester Road into Painswick. The official route carries on along this road into the centre of Painswick, but I took Gyde Road, past the rather grand Gyde House, crossed the A46 and the Recreation Ground to arrive at The Cross and my front door at 11:37am, having successfully avoided the rain (which turned up within an hour).

Walk Distance: 8.7 miles (14.0 km), 2h50m.

Cumulative Distance: 49.8 miles (80.2 km), 18h03m.

The next walk (which will include the half-way point) is scheduled for Tuesday 14th May, but I may have to bring it forward to Monday 13th May to make better use of the weather.