The Cotswold Way : Leg 15 (the penultimate one)

Tolldown to Freezinghill: 8.67 miles

Sunday 8th December, 10am

Moving time: 3:01:17

Elevation gain:1,123 ft

Steps: 18,786

Storm Bert put paid to us attempting this leg at the end of November and storm Darragh almost delayed it once again! Thankfully the stormy winds had eased enough by Sunday morning for us to safely Nordic walk this leg.

Our route today

It was a chilly, but bright start to Leg 15 and we were all wrapped up against the elements, such a difference to the last leg when we were all in t-shirts! Even Norbert is tucked up cosy in his pocket! We start on the official diversion route just up the road from the Marshfield Bakery and The Crown Pub just off the A46.

The route takes us across the middle of a very open field and the wind whips across taking our breath away, but it’s flat and relatively firm so we are able to push our poles and walk with speed and warm up! Once out of the field the path continues left onto a wide farm track (Wallsend Lane) with a slightly higher dry island running down the centre keeping us out of the muddy puddles! We pass this rather dilapidated straw bale storage barn and wonder if storm Darragh added to it’s fragile chaotic roof!

At the end of Wallsend Lane we turn right onto Dunsdown Lane and pass a few houses. Once at the end of Dunsdown Lane we have to cross the A46 which is really busy with folk travelling into Bath for the Christmas Market! We continue across the other side following the lane until it runs out and turns into fields.

Beautiful scenery here and we pass ‘strip lynchets’ on the map, quite probably an ancient earth terrace on the side of the hill. The vertical rows are likely to be man made to make the best use of the space for agricultural purposes. We come out onto one of the roads in Dyrham village and follow the road passing the National Trust Dyrham Park estate.

Slightly downhill to Dyrham Park (or Dryham Park according to the guide book - several times!) and a peek through the lovely gates to see the fantastically arranged formal beds of the garden in front (or behind?) of the house. The house and gardens are from the late 17th Century and after extensive repairs were opened to the public in 1961. Free to visit if you are a National Trust member.

We continue on the lane through houses in the village and then turn right following the acorn signs. Once again we come across some of these rather elegant kissing gates with acorn finnials.

Before we continue through the kissing gate, we take advantage of this brilliant seat around a tree, built by the Cotswold Wardens. It’s a great spot for a cuppa and a snack, out of the wind and in the sun!

We continue on the marked path through damp fields passing Sands Farm which has these truly sculptural earth terraces behind it. Camera shy Nordic walkers are constantly trying to avoid being my photography subjects!

Sunshine and muddy patches through the next few fields, there is a fishery here and a few natural ponds so the ground is naturally squishy. (technical term!)

We soon reach Dyrham Wood and find the message box, where other walkers have inscribed their names and messages. We add ours to the book within! The path winds up through the woods here and there is plenty of evidence of the effects of both storm Bert and storm Darragh having had a natural prune of small branches and some very leaning branches, not quite where they should be! It starts to spit with rain.

Leaving the woodland behind us we come out onto this lovely grassy track between two hedges, still slightly uphill. A handmade sign on the fingerpost warns us we are about to come out onto a 60mph lane, which is very helpful, but not an issue today. Turning left onto the lane we shortly turn off again right heading towards Pennsylvania and crossing the busy A46 yet again, here you could pop to the garage for supplies if needed! Once across the road and down a couple of steps into another field, we continue to the A420 at The Folly where we have to walk along the road for a few 100 metres, facing the fast-paced oncoming traffic where there is no pavement! Thank fully the turning off comes quickly and we continue down a driveway which eventually comes to the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church, Cold Ashton. It is still lightly raining with a fresh breeze and so we look to the church for some shelter.

The church has one of the biggest stone porches I have ever seen and it is open!! Gratefully we all clamber inside, relieved to be out of the wind and to have a seat for our lunch stop. Marvellous! After consuming our packed lunches and refreshments and enjoyed a nice sit down, we prepare to return to the wild world beyond the porch!

There has been a Church on the present site for almost 900 years, but Holy Trinity Church was substantially rebuilt in the early/mid 1500's with a capacity of about 100. The church is open during daylight hours and is enjoyed by many visitors, especially the Cotswold Way walkers including us!

We leave the churchyard and follow a walled path down to Hyde’s Lane, turning right. Along Hyde’s Lane we pass the wonderful Grade I listed Cold Ashton Manor House. The Manor House was thought to have been built in 1629 for John Gunning, the then Mayor of Bristol, although earlier origins have been suggested. Cold Ashton is ancient. It is mentioned in the Doomsday Book and is the site of two round barrows known as Robin Hoods butts. By the mid 19th century the population was as high as 600. It is also the starting point for The Limestone Link, which is a route of 38 miles joining the limestone of the Cotswolds to that of the Mendip Hills. It is a connecting route between the Cotswold Way at Cold Ashton and the West Mendip Way at Shipham. Between the two, the route passes through the valleys and villages south of Bath. Might be another challenge route in the future!

We leave the village passing the village hall (good car park available to walkers!) and bear left descending down towards the busy A46 keeping straight ahead after crossing the road. We follow Greenway Lane, slowly descending. We pass Special Plants, which is a garden, nursery and online seed shop run by Derry Watkins near Bath in Southwest England. The site was purchased in 1996 as a derelict barn surrounded by muddy fields, and has since been converted into a thriving garden, home and business. You can visit the specialist nursery and garden that grows and sells unusual plants from all over the world including an amazing range of hardy herbaceous and rockery plants as well as many tender perennials for terrace and conservatory. Derry also teaches one day gardening courses at the nursery and lectures extensively.

We continue downhill and pass Hill Farm, where there is a B&B, we turn right on the path and then left down a lane.

Crossing over a small bridge we turn right and begin to climb through fields, we knew what went down would eventually have to go back up again!

However the view from the top of the climb is well worth it! The Cotswold Way weaves its way through.

This slightly muddy path leads to the site of the Battle of Lansdown.

Last stile of the day.

“The battle of Lansdown Hill was fought between the armies of Sir William Waller and Sir Ralph Hopton on 5th July 1643. By late May 1643 Waller's army, based around Bath, was Parliament's main defence against the advance out of the South West of the royalist army under Hopton. After several probing moves to the south and east of the city, the two forces finally engaged on the 5th July.

Waller had taken a commanding position on Lansdown Hill. He sent troops forward to skirmish with the royalist cavalry detachments and finally forced the royalists to deploy and then to engage. After initial success on Tog Hill, a mile or more to the north, his forces were eventually forced to retreat. Now Hopton took the initiative and made direct and flanking attacks up the steep slopes of Lansdown Hill. Despite heavy losses amongst the regiments of horse and foot in the centre, under musket and artillery fire, the royalists finally gained a foothold on the scarp edge. Repeated cavalry charges failed to dislodge them and Waller was finally forced to retire, as he was outflanked by attacks through the woods on either side.

He retreated a few hundred yards to the cover of a wall across the narrowest point of the plateau. As darkness fell the fire-fight continued. Neither army would move from the cover they had found and both armies contemplated retreat. Late that night, under the cover of darkness, it was the parliamentarians who abandoned their position. Though the royalists were left in control of the field and of Bath, they had bought the ground at a high cost. Waller in contrast had lost very few killed or wounded and was ready to fight another day.” From The Battlefields Trust.

Norbert needs assistance to stay upright today!

An interpretation scheme was implemented on part of the Lansdown battlefield in 2003. It is associated with the Cotswold Way, which traverses the northern edge of the Lansdown plateau. There are a series of 10 metal markers (orange coloured ‘standards’ on blue poles) that mark the trail along the edge of the scarp. There are also four interpretation panels: two beside road near the Grenvile monument;  another on the summit at the west end of Hanging Hill and one at the eastern edge of the scarp. Two small plaques have also been erected by English Heritage at the monument which give a few words about the battle, Grenvile and the construction of the monument.

This section of the walk today was absolutely freezing! It runs alongside Freezinghill Lane, high and exposed, there is little shelter from the elements in any direction! Freezinghill Lane is famous amongst local residents for many things, not just for being one of the highest points between the cities of Bristol and Bath. On Freezinghill lies a landmark, known locally as the ‘Caterpillar.’ The Caterpillar landmark comprises a defined line of fifty-plus beech trees, which make quite a visual statement. The trees were planted hundreds of years ago, although the gardener and their reasons have been lost to history.

We reach Sir Bevil Grenville's Monument which was erected in the 18th century to commemorate the Royalist commander and his Cornish pikemen who fought at the Battle of Lansdown, 1643. Standing 7.6 metres (25 feet) high, it carries an inscription on the south side describing the battle and two poems on the north side (unfortunately these are in a state of disrepair with parts of the facade falling off). There is a griffin bearing the Grenville coat of arms on the top. As a piece of architecture, it is typical of the flamboyant style known as English Baroque. Trees have grown up around the monument, which would once have commanded a fine view over the valley below. It is difficult today to imagine the horror of the Civil War battle that took place on this spot.

We decide to pause just beyond here to do our post-walk stretches as it’s slightly sheltered and not right next to the busy road!

End of today’s leg, still all wrapped up against the elements!