Cotswold Gateway Dursley 2
Dursley Figure of Eight: Western Loop
summary
There
is a sustained climb early on and one
descent which can be muddy and
uneven, otherwise paths are good.
The pdf leaflet for this walk may be downloaded from the Cotswold Gateway website
The pdf leaflet for this walk may be downloaded from the Cotswold Gateway website
Details and start point
Distance: 8 miles
Distance: 12.9 km
Walking time: 4.5 hours
Grid Reference: ST756981
What 3 Words: rift.loudness.stags
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Step by Step Directions
1
Go down Silver Street and turn first right up Boulton Lane. At the top of the road continue ahead up the bridleway and into the wood.Go up next to the fence on the left but when it turns down left you go up ahead on a broad path. Reach a more open and almost level area where several paths converge around a clump of trees.
Turn right, pass the first narrow downhill path, and take the next one, which is broader and more level. Avoid the right-hand fork and continue, with a field on the left.
Where the field ends continue straight on. There are some narrow stretches which can be very muddy, but do not deviate from this path, which becomes wider again.
At the road go left up the hill, then right and, almost immediately, left.
2
The walk will now follow the perimeter of Stinchcombe Hill Golf Course for 1.5 miles, with woods on your left and the course on your right.At the end of the tarmac go right alongside the trees, passing the Cotswold Way fingerpost. After the car park go left along the edge.
After going through a corner of the wood you will emerge with a panoramic view in front of you.
Turn right to follow the obvious narrow path and, ignoring the Cotswold Way which turns up right, continue on this line. You come to a fork at some trees.
Go ahead around the headland and up sharp right to a bench.
Now walk with the bench behind you, and pass, in succession, a stone memorial bench, Cotswold Way fingerpost, trig point, topograph and way-marker, still with woods on left and golf course on right.
Come to a stone shelter. You can pass behind or in front of this, then follow Cotswold Way signs until you come to a stony track beside which is a mounting stone where riders would remount their horses after leading them up the track you will now descend, on your left.
3
This track, which is rough and can be muddy, leads down to a road. Once there turn left and cross carefully where the pavement ends before the bend.After the lane signposted to Stinchcombe are the gates to Piers Court. Go through the pedestrian gate and walk along the drive, over the cattle grid, and just after the low stone wall on your left ends, turn right across the grass slope towards a stile.
After the stile, go straight down through two fields into the churchyard. If you are not visiting the church, go down through the churchyard, left of the church, and turn right onto Wick Lane up to the road junction.
4
Turn left and walk down Echo Lane for 80 yards and then turn right through the gap in the wall to head for a stile and gate and go up the field beyond.The route is now more or less straight ahead, parallel to the motorway, over five stiles to a main road.
At the road go up right and cross carefully to a metal gate and stile by a fingerpost. This leads to a track. Go down the track, through a kissing gate, then slightly right across the next field to a stile.
Now go directly up to a kissing gate, then a stile. The path bends around some trees on your left, then past a sheet metal gate in a conifer hedge, to reach a road.
5
Across the road follow the field edge for 40 yards then turn left to follow a path between fences to a kissing gate.Go ahead down the field, through the kissing gate, to a road (Spark Hill). Go down left, then turn right and cross the road to descend a short path leading to another road.
Turn right and follow this road as it bends left down to a main road. Here turn right and cross at the pedestrian crossing to go straight ahead by the fingerpost pointing to Upthorpe.
6
The route goes straight through Rackleaze Nature Reserve, crossing the River Cam and exiting at a stile.Take the obvious path slightly left to a stile and continue ahead to a larger opening. Here you turn right up to a steel gate. Carry on through five more gates to a road. This is Upthorpe.
7
Turn right and after 50 yards, opposite Upper Upthorpe Farm, turn left up the wooden steps between houses, leading into a field which you cross to a gate.Turn right, cross the stile and go half left, first towards the obvious large trees, then make for the field gate. Once through the gate bear slightly left to the first of two stiles that take you across the corner of a field.
Go ahead down the next field, aiming left of the line of telegraph poles, to find, in the bushes, some steps leading down to a footbridge over Delkin Brook.
When you emerge from this little cutting follow the obvious way ahead across two fields to a kissing gate beside a house leading to a road.
8
Cross the road and go right to enter the churchyard via the gate in the wall. On your right you will see a former National School building.Keeping the Church on your left, follow the path around, passing to the left of a large oak tree.
Exit along the drive and cross the road to the footpath at the Dursley fingerpost.
Keep the houses on your right until you turn left over the wooden bridge after the play area. At the road turn right and cross by the Vale Hospital.
At the road junction go up left, then immediately left again to take the footpath. Follow this as it leads up-hill to a gate onto a road.
Go along the road and after the junction of The Knapp, enter Dursley Recreation Ground through a pedestrian gate on the left.
Continue ahead to Dursley centre. The exit gate is at the right-hand end of the swimming pool in front of you. Go down the side of the swimming pool and through the car park to the road.
To return to the start of the walk you can go down this road past Sainsbury’s or cross into the pedestrianised town centre and turn left.
Enjoy your walk!
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