Day 3 - Thursday 16 June 2022
Winchcombe to Cheltenham (12.6 miles)
After what can only be described as a chaotic Breakfast we readied ourselves to leave Winchcombe - Fudge & I walking and Angie by car. Today's temperature had increased from yesterday therefore a careful look at the map & guide book revealed that there would be plenty of shade & water for Fudge plus the terrain was over field paths for the most part. Therefore we decided to let Fudge start the walk and see how it went - as it happens he was ok but we spared him the 2 or so miles walk on tarmac from Southam to Cheltenham. I cannot over stress how important it is to continually evaluate whether or not the conditions are right to walk a dog - particularly when the weather is hot.
The gates to Sudeley Castle. After leaving Winchcombe the route heads towards the castle grounds but turns off to the right. Today Sudeley Castle remains the only private castle in England to have a queen buried within the grounds - Queen Katherine Parr, the last and surviving wife of King Henry VIII who lived and died in the castle. Sudeley Castle & Gardens is now the home of Elizabeth, Lady Ashcombe, and her son, daughter and their families.
Just before Sudeley Castle the route turns off to the right to head over gentle farmland
Looking back to Winchcombe and the impressive St Peter's Church
After a short walk along Corndean Lane we leave the tarmac to head along a good track towards Belas Knap
The track is the access road to Corndean Hall whose stable block is up ahead to the right
Leaving the track the route heads up a grassy slope with great views back to Winchcombe
From the top of the grassy slope the route crosses Corndean Lane once more to head towards Belas Knap
The path to Belas Knap runs through a wood alongside the road to Charlton Abbotts
You are too big to play on kiddies swings Fudge
The Long Barrow of Belas Knap
The Barrow is over 5500 years old and was constructed by prehistoric people as a place to bury their dead. The remains of at least 38 people were buried within the four chambers and behind the portal setting. Radiocarbon dating shows that they died between 3700 & 3600 BC in the early Neolithic period. The entrance in the pic above is known as a "portal setting" and has a forecourt used for ceremonies. The skeletons of five children and a young man together with animal bones and flint flakes were buried behind the stones.
The Barrow is over 5500 years old and was constructed by prehistoric people as a place to bury their dead. The remains of at least 38 people were buried within the four chambers and behind the portal setting. Radiocarbon dating shows that they died between 3700 & 3600 BC in the early Neolithic period. The entrance in the pic above is known as a "portal setting" and has a forecourt used for ceremonies. The skeletons of five children and a young man together with animal bones and flint flakes were buried behind the stones.
Chamber D - inside here were found 14 skeletons of varying age including a child and an adult who had fatal head injuries. These probably indicate that raiding and conflict may have been common in the Neolithic period.
Chamber E - most of the stones were removed after the 1860s excavation which revealed human skull fragments
Chamber B - at least two male and two female skeletons were found here together with flint flakes, pottery & animal bones
Chamber C - this had a porthole entrance formed of two vertical stone slabs and contained 11 or 12 skeletons one of which was described as being in a seated position
From Belas Knap we headed to the curiously named Breakheart Plantation which is ahead
Postlip Farm up ahead as we cross a footbridge - Fudge takes the opportunity to cool off his paws
A wooly kindergarten gathering as we cross the footbridge
Looking over Postlip Farm to Cleeve Hill - the 2 walkers ahead were the first people I had seen since leaving Winchcombe
Postlip Hall
Postlip is an established community with its heart in the origins of the Co-housing movement. People of all generations come together to make up a “village under one roof”. Postlip’s eight families are a co-housing community living at the hall. The house is divided into eight separate living units. More information on this fascinating way of life can be found here
Postlip is an established community with its heart in the origins of the Co-housing movement. People of all generations come together to make up a “village under one roof”. Postlip’s eight families are a co-housing community living at the hall. The house is divided into eight separate living units. More information on this fascinating way of life can be found here
Having just had a breather sat in the shade at Postlip Farm I passed this Bovine gathering enjoying their lunch
A purpose built water trough and much better than seeing animals drinking out of a manky tin bath
Entering Cleeve Common with the accompanying notice board for those members of society without common sense
There are several paths that go in the same direction over Cleeve Hill - the Cotswold Way takes the most northern of these over the Golf Course. The clubhouse has a reputation for good food therefore I had arranged to meet Angie there for lunch.
The clubhouse at Cleeve Hill Golf Club - they do a massive and very tasty bowl of Cheesy Chips which we had with a Panini Chaser
If dining with Golfers isn't your thing then next door to the clubhouse is The Cotswold Way Cafe
Heading uphill to the summit of Cleeve Hill with the village of Bishop's Cleeve below. The two walkers heading towards the golf club are the couple I saw at Postlip Farm.
Fudge at the toposcope on the summit of Cleeve Hill
The summit of Cleeve Hill - the highest point of The Cotswold Way
From Cleeve Hill the route passes along the escarpment above a hill fort
Just after the hill fort at Huddlestone's Table, I turned off the Cotswold Way to the right and headed for Southam. We were staying in Cheltenham tonight therefore I would shortly drop Fudge off with his Mum in Southam. My intention was to then walk in to Cheltenham via the Racecourse path. Of course I could have jumped in the car with them but I was feeling good and fancied going on a bit longer. Tomorrow Angie would drive me back to Southam to continue on the route.
Dropping down the gentle slope into Southam to meet Angie who was waiting below
After dropping off Fudge with Angie I headed into Southam to have a quick look at the village's 12th Century Church of the Ascension.
And here it is. Tucked away on the edge of the village, the church was built in the 12th Century as a private chapel. In 1665, no longer used as a place of worship it found employment as a barn, but some of its treasures: chancel and pulpit, remained in situ. In 1862 Lord Ellenborough restored it as a private chapel. In 1946 it reverted to the Diocese of Gloucester as a chapel of ease within the parish of Bishop's Cleeve. Finally on Ascension Eve in 1957 it became Southam's church and was reconsecrated as the Church of the Ascension.
Heading back to my path to Cheltenham I passed this beautiful stone dovecot
The luxurious Ellenborough Park Hotel - having had a look at the prices on-line it is safe to say we will never, ever darken their doors
Cheltenham Racecourse and a couple of locals
The route heads alongside the southern perimeter of the racecourse
After a long walk in through the town I reached Cheltenham Promenade and The Boer War Memorial. The memorial commemorates the residents of Cheltenham who gave their lives in the Anglo-Boer War (or South African War) (1899-1902).
The Neptune Fountain
The Neptune Fountain depicts the Greek god Neptune in a shell-chariot, being drawn by four sea-horses and heralded by conch-shell blowing merman. Neptune sits proudly, clothed in a mantle while clasping a Trident as a symbolic representation of his dominion over the seas, while the horses are depicted in motion, and the entire fountain is enclosed by sculpted balusters and vases filled with flowers. Purported to have been modelled as an ode to the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy (although that has never been historically verified) The Neptune Fountain sits outside the Municipal Buildings on The Promenade.
The Neptune Fountain depicts the Greek god Neptune in a shell-chariot, being drawn by four sea-horses and heralded by conch-shell blowing merman. Neptune sits proudly, clothed in a mantle while clasping a Trident as a symbolic representation of his dominion over the seas, while the horses are depicted in motion, and the entire fountain is enclosed by sculpted balusters and vases filled with flowers. Purported to have been modelled as an ode to the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy (although that has never been historically verified) The Neptune Fountain sits outside the Municipal Buildings on The Promenade.
The statue to Scott of the Antarctic's right hand man, Edward Wilson.
Born in Cheltenham in 1872, Edward Wilson (Uncle Bill as he was affectionately known) was part of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Expedition to the Antarctic as Chief of the Scientific Staff, Artist & Zoologist. Selected by Scott to be one of the final 5 to make an attempt on the South Pole, Wilson died with Scott and 3 others on the return journey at the Ross Ice Shelf, Great Ice Barrier, Antarctic in March 1912 just 11 miles short of the food depot that could have ultimately saved them. Scott wrote in his diary "that Wilson died as he lived, a brave true man, the best of comrades and staunchest of friends". The statue in bronze was sculpted by Scott's widow Kathleen and unveiled in July 1914.
Born in Cheltenham in 1872, Edward Wilson (Uncle Bill as he was affectionately known) was part of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Expedition to the Antarctic as Chief of the Scientific Staff, Artist & Zoologist. Selected by Scott to be one of the final 5 to make an attempt on the South Pole, Wilson died with Scott and 3 others on the return journey at the Ross Ice Shelf, Great Ice Barrier, Antarctic in March 1912 just 11 miles short of the food depot that could have ultimately saved them. Scott wrote in his diary "that Wilson died as he lived, a brave true man, the best of comrades and staunchest of friends". The statue in bronze was sculpted by Scott's widow Kathleen and unveiled in July 1914.
Arriving in Cheltenham, Fudge checked into his room complete with bed, treats and doggy shampoo. Who's a lucky boy!!
Slap bang in the centre of the town. Even though staying here was the most expensive room of the trip, it was (by a country mile) the best. Large room, great nights sleep, Fudge catered for and the biggest buffet selection for breakfast we had ever experienced.
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Day 3 Data
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Mileage
Cumulative Mileage Time Total Ascent |
12.6 miles
32 miles 6hrs 35mins 1879ft (573m) |