Two Dogs and an Awning

Tag: Minchinhampton Common

  • Ice Cream on the Common

    Ice Cream on the Common

    It is another warm day with bright sunshine, so as far as Lynnie is concerned it is definitely a day for an ice cream.  Then again with Winstone’s Ice Cream parlour nearby Lynnie would describe most days as an ice cream day.

    Last summer we did a walk around a section of Rodborough Common, today’s walk is a slightly shorter version of that walk.  In this very warm weather we are avoiding walking up too many hills.

    We leave the caravan site by the footpath alongside the ménage and then head across paddocks to join another footpath close to the road.  Here we stay in the field and turn right to walk along the edge of the field with the wall on the left.  

    We cross a stone stile and continue into another field keeping the wall to our left hand side.  

    After crossing another stone stile the footpath forks.  We take the right fork to head through a meadow towards a gate.  Going over a stile on the gate we join a track and turn left.  

    The track soon opens out onto a small common and leads to a residential lane.  We stay with the lane to reach the Cirencester Road where we turn left and then quickly reach a crossroads and Minchinhampton Common.  We cross the road and head onto the Common.

    There are a patchwork of paths on the common, we keep to one running parallel to the main road and then cross a minor road leading into Minchinhampton and continue along the Bulwarks, this is an Iron Age earthworks sweeping around part of the common.

    After a couple of hundred yards we reach the main road and cross.  On the far side there is a minor road, we fork left away from this on a grassy path across the common heading towards the edge of Burleigh and soon pass a green on the Minchinhampton Golf Course.

    The path reaches a minor road and we cross and continue in the same direction over another area of the common.  As we near a cottage on the common we take a path on the right leading to a track which we follow to a minor road.

    At the road we turn left and follow this lane as it passes properties in Bownham.  To our right there are fine views across the Golden Valley.

    We stay with this lane until we reach Winstone’s Ice Cream Parlour.  Lynnie is a bit of connoisseur when it comes to ice creams and I know from our visit to this area last year she rates Winstone’s highly.

    According to their website this is a family business started in 1925 by Albert Winstone after he had been made redundant from his job in Stroud as a French polisher.  Initially selling ice creams the business grew and nearly 100 years later the 4th generation of the family continue the business.

    This is a popular spot and there are a constant stream of cars pulling up and folk descending on the parlour from all directions.  I have learnt over the years that Lynnie has to savour an ice cream, so we sit on the grass and enjoy the sunshine.

    Resuming our walk we head uphill to cross a road and then continue on the clear path heading in a northerly direction to reach a milestone beside the main Stroud to Cirencester road.

    We cross the road here and  follow a path which goes close to the wall of properties in a private housing estate on Rodborough Common.

    As we follow the wall around the estate we are treated to some far reaching views.

    On our trip to this area last year we walked up the hill from Rodborough Manor, it was a short steep ascent which still lives in the memory.  Today looking down towards Woodchester the gradient on the hill makes us realise why we struggled so much. 

    There are paths leading downhill but we stick with the one close to the wall.  It is a well-worn route popular with dog walkers and folk wandering out to take in the view.

    As we near the road we head towards the Bear of Rodborough Hotel.  Apparently this was built in the 17th century as a coaching inn and has been a popular watering hole for travellers ever since.

    We pass the hotel and follow the pavement for a short section until we reach the common once again where we veer to the right and follow a grassy path towards Amberley.

     After passing the War Memorial we cross the road and continue on another section of the common through part of Minchinhampton Golf Club.  The route now heads towards the golf course clubhouse.

    Minchinhampton Golf Club has three courses, two of which are near the village of Avening, but this is the original course, known as the “Old Course”.  This course was established in 1889 and although we have seen a few golfers about it is clearly not the most popular of the club’s courses.

    After passing the clubhouse we continue heading south beside more golf holes heading to the Halfway Cafe.  This cafe is a former pub which, despite a campaign by locals was closed in 2013 and allowed to re-open as a cafe. 

    We cross the road and then turn left to follow the Bulwarks earthworks heading north parallel to a road.

    After crossing a minor road we continue on to the point on the Bulwarks where we had turned towards Burleigh earlier in our walk.  From here it is a case of retracing our steps across the common.  Along the way we pass a large herd of cows who have settled to chew the cud.

    After crossing the road and following the lane to the small common we choose not to cross the gate with the stile, but instead stay with the track until we reach the Cirencester Road where we turn right and follow the wide verge to Burnt Ash Farm.

    You can view this 8 mile walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here

    To follow our walk you will need Ordnance Survey Outdoor Explorer – 168 Stroud, Tetbury & Malmesbury

    20th June 2023

    © Two Dogs and an Awning (2023)

    All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it.  To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
    Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk.  It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.

  • Returning to Burnt Ash Farm CL

    Returning to Burnt Ash Farm CL

    Last year we spent an enjoyable week at Burnt Ash Farm CL on the outskirts of Minchinhampton exploring areas of the Cotswolds we had not previously visited.  There was plenty of good walking and an added bonus for Lynnie was the opportunity to visit Winston’s Ice Cream Parlour on the edge of Rodborough Common.  So when looking for a convenient spot for a week away at short notice it ticked all the boxes.

    We are dogless this trip, Crosby is staying at home with our son who is back for a couple of months.  It feels very odd to be packing the car and not including Crosby, this will be our first trip away without a dog since we started caravanning.

    On arrival we quickly get pitched up and are soon out for a short walk to stretch our legs after the journey.  We leave the caravan site by the footpath running beside the ménage and then heading across paddocks to join another footpath close to the road.  Here we stay in the field and turn right to walk along the edge of the field with a wall on the left.  

    After crossing a stone stile we continue into another field and keep walking with the wall to our left.  After crossing another stone stile the footpath forks.  

    We take the right fork to head through a meadow towards a gate.  Crossing a stile on the gate we join a track and turn left.  The track soon opens out onto a small common which leads to a residential lane.  We stay with the lane to reach the Cirencester Road where we turn left and then quickly reach a crossroads and Minchinhampton Common.

    We cross the road and head onto Minchinhampton Common.

    This is only a small part of the common which covers 580 acres of open access land which is grazed by cattle and has a couple of golf courses crossing it.  Our route heads west with old earthworks and the road running parallel on our right.

    On reaching a minor road, Dr Brown’s Road, we turn left to leave the common and walk into Minchinhampton.  At a T-junction in the town we turn left to walk along West End leading into the old part of the town.

    After passing the Fish and Chip Shop and the Butchers we turn left into the High Street and wander past the recently refurbished Crown Inn and the fine old Market House.  Like many Cotswold towns Minchinhampton was built up around the wool market and the Market House with cattle barriers in the lower part would have been at the hub of the community.

    From the Market House we join Butt Street and head uphill away from the centre of town.  At a cattle grid with white gates beside it we turn right into Summerfield Road and walk through houses to reach another cattle grid where we turn right to rejoin the lane heading back to the common.

    From the common we retrace our steps over the gate and through the meadows back to the caravan. 

    You can view this 3 mile walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here

    To follow our walk you will need Ordnance Survey Outdoor Explorer – 168 Stroud, Tetbury & Malmesbury

    19th June 2023

    © Two Dogs and an Awning (2023)

    All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it.  To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
    Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk.  It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.

  • Minchinhampton Common and Rodborough Common

    Minchinhampton Common and Rodborough Common

    Since becoming caravanners we have sought to do most of our walking from, or near, the site we are staying on.  In part because we like to get to know the local area well and also because I dislike driving.  When younger I enjoyed a long car trip, in those days I never tired of being behind the wheel.  Nowadays I go to all possible lengths to avoid driving and view it as a necessity in order to get to and from our adventures.  

    Added to my dislike of driving is the recent dramatic increase in fuel prices.  I can hardly believe that before we set off I felt fortunate to be able to fill up with diesel at £1.95 per litre.  I am old enough to remember people saying petrol would never be more than £1 per gallon!

    It is therefore no surprise that today’s walk is from our pitch at Burnt Ash Farm CL and we are heading towards the wide expanse of Minchinhampton and Rodborough Commons.  We leave the site by the footpath which runs besides the ménage and then heads across paddocks to join another footpath close to the road.  Here we stay in the field and turn right to walk along the edge of the field with the wall on the left.  After crossing a stone stile we continue into another field and keep walking with the wall to our left.  

    After crossing another stone stile the footpath forks.  We take the left fork to walk through a meadow and then cross the wall via a stone stile and enter an arable field.

    This leads us to another stile where we enter a field divided into horse paddocks and on the far side is a caravan park.  The path is clearly fenced and well-marked.

    We cross a stone stile over a wall under the close attention of one of the horses and then continue to the entrance to Tobacconist Farm campsite, turning left to pass well-maintained allotments.

    At a junction we turn right into Tetbury Street and head into the town centre.  Nearing the High Street there are a number of interesting old properties.

    At a crossroads we continue straight on and pass the butcher’s and then at a junction we go left into Cuckoo Row and follow this until we reach a junction with Box Lane where we turn left.

    We stay with the lane until we reach Box where we pass St Barnabas church.  It was originally built in 1880 as the village school and at the time was constructed of corrugated iron.  From 1918 it was used by the church as a Sunday school and for the occasional service.  At the time it also doubled as a village hall.  It was not until 1952, after restoration, that the building was dedicated as a church.  

    We continue through Box, keeping right at a fork in the road, passing the village hall and keeping with the road as it sweeps to the right and goes uphill.  At a junction close to the Halfway Cafe we cross the road onto Minchinhampton Common.  The cafe is a former pub which, despite a campaign by locals was closed in 2013 and allowed to re-open as a cafe.

    We head in a north westerly direction across the common towards the clubhouse of Minchinhampton Golf Club.  This is open access land but we follow a footpath besides holes on the golf course.  

    Minchinhampton Golf Club has three courses, two of which are near the village of Avening, but this is the original course, known as the “Old Course”.  This course was established in 1889 and is clearly not the most popular of the club’s courses. It is a Saturday afternoon and we can’t spot a golfer on it.

    After passing the Old Course clubhouse we keep with the footpath going north across the common crossing a minor road and then keeping in the same direction to reach the Amberley War Memorial.

    From the War Memorial we take a road heading north west that goes downhill towards Littleworth.

    At a fork in the road we go downhill to the right to a junction where we cross the road and take a footpath opposite which goes steeply downhill to reach a junction of paths where we turn right and follow a footpath through trees. This is an attractive bit of woodland and we stay with the path towards the southern edge.

    We reach a minor road and turn right and then after going through a gate beside a cattle grid take a path on the left that goes steadily uphill onto Rodborough Common.

    There are cracking views from here, we follow a path around the common close to a wall.  This protects the gardens of Rodborough’s houses from the cattle that roam on the common.

    We stay reasonably close to the wall  to come to a road, which we follow briefly heading south east crossing a common on a clear cut path towards a crossroads where we take a minor road downhill towards Winstones Ice Cream Parlour.  Unfortunately for Lynnie it is closed but I assure her we will be visiting here again in the next few days.

    We now follow a road which tracks a wall to the east of the walled estate of Bownham.  There are some cracking views over the Golden Valley from this lane.  I am looking forward to walking in the valley, it is part of my planned routes for our stay in the area.

    We reach a track that forks to the right from the lane and follow this steadily uphill and after passing cottages keep going onto Minchinhampton Common.  There are a number of well-worn paths cut through the long grass on this section of the common.  We turn to the left and follow a path heading south easterly above the houses of Burleigh.

    After crossing the road we continue on and meet cattle enjoying the afternoon sunshine besides a fenced green on the golf course.

    We cross a road on the common and continue along the Bulwarks, this is an Iron Age earthworks sweeping around part of the common. After crossing another road we continue walking over the common and then turn to the right so that we can pay a visit to Holy Trinity church with its unusual tower.

    Apparently the original spire of Holy Trinity church was pulled down in 1563 because the arches in the nave were failing under the weight.  The stub of the pair was retained and surmounted with a coronet structure.

    We leave the church by the main entrance and arrive in Minchinhampton in the Market Square with its raised Market House with cattle barriers in the lower part.

    From the Market Square we follow Butt Street and then turn right at a cattle grid and pass through a gate to follow a road through housing.  After going besides another cattle grid we join a lane and turn right.  At the end of the lane we reach a small common.

    Where the common becomes a track we take a footpath on the right and cross a gate stile to enter a meadow and walk towards trees.

    We then cross a stone stile into another field and follow the path along the wall to reach a second stone stile and take the footpath as it head towards the road and then as we near the road we turn left to follow the path diagonally across the field to return to Burnt Ash Farm.

    Our walk has covered nine-miles and it has been interesting to explore a part of the Cotswolds we have not previously visited.  We are now looking forward to exploring more of the local area and Lynnie has a visit to the Winstones Ice Cream Parlour high on her list of activities.

    You can view this 9 mile walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here

    To follow our walk you will need Ordnance Survey Outdoor Explorer – 168 Stroud, Tetbury & Malmesbury

    2nd July 2022

    © Two Dogs and an Awning (2022)

    All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it.  To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
    Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk.  It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.

  • Arriving at Burnt Ash Farm CL

    Arriving at Burnt Ash Farm CL

    After a couple of weeks at home we are away again, this time for a short stay in the Cotswolds.  The spell at home has given us the opportunity to make progress on the work we are having done to our house, but it is always good to hitch up the van and head off again.  

    We chose the Cotswolds for this trip because we like to find new areas to explore on our travels and the south west corner of the Cotswolds is not a place we have walked before, we did visit Tetbury on our honeymoon thirty-nine years ago, but in those days walking did not feature in our plans.

    Our pitch for this stay is on Burnt Ash Farm CL, located on the outskirts of Minchinhampton.  It is very easy to access with no narrow lanes and soon after our arrival we are warmly greeted by Adrian the owner.  As soon as we are pitched and the awning is up I am lacing up my walking shoes and heading out for a short stroll from the site.

    Our previous caravan trip to Scotland and the Peak District was cut short by my picking up an ankle injury.  I have had some treatment on it and can now walk shortish distances with slight pain, this is an improvement on the severe pain that was stopping me walking anything further than a mile.  I have been advised to wear trainers for a month to assist in the recovery.  I own numerous pairs of walking boots, but did not have a pair of trainers so had to endure an hour trying to identify some that would be comfortable enough to walk in.

    Needless to say two weeks after purchasing them the trainers look about six months old.  I think they were designed for leisure wear, not trudging around the countryside.  However if it means my leg gets better quicker I am willing to sacrifice a bit of credibility in the walking fraternity.

    I leave the caravan site by the footpath which runs beside the ménage and then heads across paddocks to join another footpath close to the road.  Here I stay in the field and turn right to walk along the edge of the field with the wall on the left.  

    After crossing a stone stile I continue into another field and keep walking with the wall on my left hand side.  

    After crossing another stone stile the footpath forks.  I take the right fork to head through a meadow towards a gate.

    After crossing a stile over the gate I join a track and turn left.  The track soon opens out onto a small common.

    I am soon across the common and carry on into Minchinhampton along a quiet residential street. This road leads to the Cirencester Road where I turn left and then quickly reach a crossroads where I turn left and head into Minchinhampton town centre.

    Like many Cotswold towns Minchinhampton was built up around the wool market and it has a fine Market House with cattle barriers in the lower part.

    I continue down the High Street and then turn right and pass the butchers and fish and chip shop and continue along the road heading west out of the town.

    At a fork in the road I keep right and then take the next right into Dr Brown’s Road and follow this heading steadily uphill to reach Minchinhampton Common where I turn right to walk across the common.

    This is only a small part of the common which covers 580 acres of open access land which is grazed by cattle and has a couple of golf courses crossing it.  It is a pleasant evening so on spotting the church spire in the distance I decide to head across the common to have a closer look at the unusual structure.

    Apparently the original spire of Holy Trinity church was pulled down in 1563 because the arches in the nave were failing under its weight.  The stub of the pair was retained and surmounted with a coronet structure.

    I stay on the common and turn to the left to walk back in a north easterly direction to reach the crossroads on the Cirencester Road.

    From here I retrace my route back to the caravan through the town and along the road to reach the small common and then cross the stiles.

    The stone stiles across the walls between fields are an interesting feature for Crosby.  He hopped over them at the start of our walk, but has now decided he would prefer to be lifted over.

    Back at the caravan my walk has covered just over three miles.  So far so good, my ankle feels okay.  It has been a pleasant walk to acquaint myself with part of the local area.  

    I think tomorrow will see us venturing a bit further.

    You can view this 3.5 mile walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here

    To follow our walk you will need Ordnance Survey Outdoor Explorer – 168 Stroud, Tetbury & Malmesbury

    1st July 2022

    © Two Dogs and an Awning (2022)

    All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it.  To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
    Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk.  It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.