Cam to Ham Circular
summary
The walk starts from the car park at Cam Parish Council Office off Noel Lee Way (GL11 5PS). You can also park in the Tesco car park, but please register your car at the desk inside the shop.
The Village Shop and Café at Coaley provides a good place for a break and refreshment along the walk, including a toilet facility. Or why not treat yourself after the walk at one of the cafes/pubs in Cam centre.
This was the first Saturday walk organised by the Dursley Welcomes Walkers Group, held on 13thFebruary 2022. The walk was arranged to thank the Long Distance Walkers Association (Bristol and West Branch) for its generous contribution to fund 8 kissing gates along the Coaley Parish section of the Lantern Way route. The walk was attended by 47 walkers including a number of the LDWA Committee and several Cotswold Voluntary Wardens who were responsible for organising the scheme and carrying out the physical work to install the gates.
This was the first Saturday walk organised by the Dursley Welcomes Walkers Group, held on 13thFebruary 2022. The walk was arranged to thank the Long Distance Walkers Association (Bristol and West Branch) for its generous contribution to fund 8 kissing gates along the Coaley Parish section of the Lantern Way route. The walk was attended by 47 walkers including a number of the LDWA Committee and several Cotswold Voluntary Wardens who were responsible for organising the scheme and carrying out the physical work to install the gates.
Details and start point
Distance: 6.5 miles
Walking time: 3.5 hours
What 3 Words: fried.former.preheated
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Step by Step Directions
1
From the Cam PC office walk back to the main road roundabout and go right for about 100 yards, passing the Post Office, and then turning right at the footpath sign beyond the Winterbotham Hall. Follow the path through a gate and then slightly left along the track, then path, which runs along the edge of the Rackleaze nature area. Cross the bridge over the River Cam and then a stile into a field. Go ahead across the field and then continue ahead across the next field to another clear opening. Here, bear slightly left to follow the path along the field edge to then cross a bridge over a stream between two kissing gates. Continue ahead across the next field to another kissing gate, and then walk around the edge of the next field to find a stile leading onto Halmore Lane.2
Go straight across Halmore Lane (there may be obstacles here and gates to climb), and then ahead down the next field at first with a hedge on your left, to cross another bridge with stiles. Continue ahead to cross another bridge with a kissing gate, and then walk through the gap in the patchy hedge on the next boundary. Continue straight ahead across the next large field aiming for the gap to the left of the large tree to reach a junction of paths at a farm bridge over a stream. Here, go ahead over the bridge and follow the right of the two way marked paths, going uphill to the top right corner of this long field to find a kissing gate. Cross the next field diagonally to another kissing gate at the corner of Pinnels End Lane. Carefully cross the road and go right on the pavement to reach the Church and Coaley Village Shop.3
From the shop, continue along the street pavement for about 300 yards and look out for a narrow path between the houses on the left. To the rear of the houses go through a kissing gate and then ahead to another kissing gate. Beyond this go slightly left across the field to find a field gate which has a squeeze stile on its left. Continue this line across the next field to find another kissing gate beside a house.4
Carefully cross the road and proceed along a broad track between two fields recently planted with trees, passing through two self-closing wooden gates. At the edge of this area cross a double stile and then bear half left to cross the next field to pass through a gate. Beyond the gate, follow the hedge to the left and when reaching a stile, do not cross it but go along the hedge to the right to a gate/kissing gate under a tree. (This is the official path, although walkers can be seen to have taken a direct line across the field.) Do not go through the kissing gate, but pass through the gate onto a grass track. After a few yards bear right next to horse paddock fencing, and continue around the edge of the field to reach a kissing gate out onto The Ham.5
Turn left and walk up to the entrance to Ham Farm and turn right onto a farm track. Beyond a gate turn right through a field gate and continue ahead, uphill, to the right of the trees. At the top of the field nearing a stile in the hedge ahead, bear right to find a kissing gate beside a large tree on the field’s side boundary. On a fine day this is a good spot to enjoy the view over the Severn Vale to the River and beyond. Through the gate, bear right and go down the field to find another kissing gate with a sleeper bridge leading back onto the Ham.6
Turn left on the road and walk carefully to reach a junction. Bear right and then immediately left onto the road signposted to Dursley. Continue carefully along this road for just over half a mile, passing Ashmead House, and then turn right onto a lane, with a sign for “Keeper’s Cottage”, leading towards an isolated house. Shortly, before the house, cross a stile on the left into a field and cross the corner to another stile into a large field. Go ahead to cross this field (or alongside the boundary hedge if the field is in crop) and find a path leading into a steep gulley and crossing a footbridge.7
Climbing out of the gulley, bear half left to a stile in the hedge. Immediately over this, turn right through a kissing gate and follow the path alongside the field hedge through three more kissing gates and then, at a kissing gate in the hedge on your right, go down the steps onto the tarmac of Green Street. Turn left and after about 200 yards, opposite another footpath sign, turn right between bungalows and then, over a stile, go slightly left across the next field to a wooden kissing gate at Pear Orchard Farm.8
Turn left along the road to Upthorpe and, at the road junction, bear right and then, shortly afterwards, bear right again at a footpath sign. Continue ahead through gates across a drive and then through kissing gates along a fenced path and through a small wood to reach a field. Follow the hedge on the left and at the bottom corner of the field you re-join the out route of the walk. Turn left and retrace your steps back to Cam centre.Enjoy your walk!
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