Wednesday 11th May 2011 Wistley Hill, Charlton Kings, Glos

This was a solo walk of some 6 miles done in 2 hours and 15 minutes on a blustery spring morning.

I parked the car at the Clock Tower pub and crossed over to Timbercombe Lane, passing a few houses before joining the track up Wistley Hill. There is a gentle incline up the hill with woods to the right and occasional views of Cheltenham to the left as you climb. Once at the main farm gate, you continue upwards through a field usually occupied by cows and sheep. Towards the top of the hill I joined a track through gorse and with bushes either side, until I emerged at the top with a great view of the Cotswold Way towards Cleeve to my left and woodlands straight ahead. At this point I crossed the Cotswold Way (and the conveniently located bench), through a gate into a short stretch of woodlands known as Wistley Plantation, before crossing a field and then crossing the busy Andoversford/Oxford road (A436).


Opposite the field there is the entrance to the Ian Coley shooting centre. I followed the track, hearing the repeated bangs of clay pigeon shooting. I passed the centre, following the track through Chatcombe Woods with woods to my right and fields to the left. I continued for some time until the woods gave way to open fields where I crossed, following a well worn path which joined the Gloucestershire Way for a while before coming out at a rough track which could even be called a road. I followed the road passing farmland, until I arrived at the busy Seven Springs road where I crossed and took the road parallel with the main Cirencester Road (A435) and which heads towards Hartley Farm. At the turn for the farm, I kept straight and followed the track which merges once again with the Cotswold Way for a short stretch. I followed the track with the escarpment to my left and eventually dropped down into the Lilley Brook golf course, before joining the A435 again (not nice walking by the road!) for a short time, passing the golf club house and Cheltenham Park hotel on the left), quickly arriving once again at the Clock Tower.




An OS view of the walk is below, courtesy of QUO digital mapping/OS