The Cotswold Way: Leg 7

Crickley Hill to Coopers Hill 5.69 miles

Sunday 24th March, 10am

Moving time 2:09:06

Elevation gain 543 ft

13,122 steps

Today we met in the tiny car park at the bottom of Cheese Roll Hill, a location famous for the crazy Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling race held annually on the Spring Bank Holiday within the Coopers Hill Nature Reserve. The wheel of Double Gloucester Cheese weighs 3.6kg and is thrown down the 100m hill with an average gradient of 45 degrees and chased by participants. The winner is the first person to cross the finish line at the bottom of the hill! There have been broken bones and concussions!

After a short 11 minute drive we reconvene at the start by the café at the top of Crickley Hill. There are six of us today braving the blustery, freezing winds!

There is evidence of settlements on Crickley Hill for over 5000 years, and the hill fort is considered to be of international importance, with long running periods of excavation to discover what the story of its history entails. There are posts in the ground showing where the buildings shown on this information board would have been.

Views from the top of Crickley Hill were clear today and a nice dry stone wall!

The first part of the walk on Crickley Hill is on open land showing evidence of quarrying with undulating grassy pockets, this passes into a small wooded area gently sloping downhill.

The beech wood eventually turns into a field which draws alongside the current A417 road and pops out at the old Air Balloon roundabout joining with the A436. It’s a bit hairy crossing the road here as the cars are quite fast moving and coming around a corner. This road is in the process of being redeveloped, the so called ‘missing link’ works are extensive and we’re left wondering how they will cross the Cotswold Way over the new road. After a bit of research it looks like there will be a special Cotswold Way bridge to take walkers across from Crickley Hill.

This is a screen shot of the proposed footbridge across what will be a 5 lane A road at this point! There will also be a footbridge for walkers using the Gloucestershire Way.

Walking alongside the busy A436 passing a phone box with no books or defibrillator, but an actual working payphone! (I checked!)

The path goes along the edge of the escarpment and exposes us to the biting winds again (just after I’ve removed gloves, buff and a soft-shell jacket) More fabulous views and passing the Barrow Wake viewpoint, the grassland is undulating with equal up and down in elevation. I imagine this stone is a waymarker for something, but there’s no writing or numbers on it.

Gloucester in the distance, you can just make out the cathedral bathed in sunshine.

“Into the woods I go to lose my mind and find my soul” John Muir

We then head into some gorgeous beech woodland and out of the blowy wind.

We pass a few of these shelter structures along the way in the woods.

Following the Acorn National Trail way markers into the sunshine!

Norbert the Nordic Walking Gonk needed a snack and a breather, so we all paused by this fungi-ridden tree-stump in the dappled sunshine.

“Never miss an opportunity of noticing anything of beauty” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spring is very much in evidence on todays walk. Vast swathes of wild garlic, primroses, wood anemones, dainty violets, buttercup yellow celandine and even our first flowering bluebell of 2024!!

Wild garlic (Ramsons) in abundance

After crossing the B4070 we enter Witcombe Wood and we soon come across mud-splattered cyclists taking part in the Cotswold Cross Sportive (35, 55 or 75km routes) and we enthusiastically pass on our encouragement as each rider passes. We may even have done a mexican wave for one group of riders!

Mossy walls and Gemma spotted a King Alfred’s Cake fungus - Daldina Concentrica

We’re thoroughly enjoying this route today and then sun keeps appearing too. More Scarlet Elf Cup fungi - Sarcoscpha Coccinea

We cross a small stream trickling under our feet in the hillside and find a suitable fallen log to stop for lunch. Kirsty even finds a backrest! We enjoy the sunshine and a rest before setting off for the last stretch of todays leg. We also pass a sign for the remains of a 3rd century roman villa.

Witcombe reservoirs in the distance and a carpet of Wild Garlic.

My favourite photo from todays walk.

Pausing to take in the view, amazing exposed tree roots and more beech woodland as we head up to Coopers Hill.

Finally we pop out into the small hamlet atop Coopers Hill.

Such a well-marked trail

Lovely Cluckers

Our finish line today, The Cheese Roll.

Finished! The sun came out from behind a cloud just at the wrong time!

What a gorgeous walk! I thoroughly enjoyed everything about todays walk, the company, the views, the terrain, the sunshine, but especially those stunning beech woodlands!