ramblers routes ramblers routes Britain’s best walks from the experts Britain’s best walks from the experts Central

Central England 07/02/2013 11:14 07 Broadway, Worcestershire 08 Newland, l Distance 9km/5½ miles l Time 3½hrs l Type Hill l Distance 12km/7½ miles l Time 3hrs l Type Country and woodland NAVIGATION LEvEL FITNESS LEvEL NAVIGATION LEvEL FITNESS LEvEL walk magazine spring 2013 walk magazine spring 2013 plan your walk plan your walk l

Birmingham l Worcester Brecon

l NEWLAND

BROADWAy l Hereford GWENT l

WORCS Cardiff GLOS l l l Gloucester Bristol GLOS

Bristol l

l Swindon

Where: Circular walk from Where: Circular walk in the Broadway via St Eadburgha’s and Forest of P fiona barltro PhotograPhy: Church and Broadway Tower. Dean, south of Monmouth. neil coates PhotograPhy: Start/end: Broadway, war Start/end: , Broadway has been dubbed the 1. START The first part of this For centuries, the take the steeper option ahead-L, memorial by the Green, Gloucestershire (SO536099). jewel of the Cotswolds, and it walk follows the well-signed was exploited for its , iron ore commencing a long, steady climb near the bottom of High terrain: Field and does indeed epitomise this most Cotswold Way National Trail and ochre. Some of the wealth through woods. In time this levels Street (SP096375). woodland tracks, paths and attractive of quintessentially southwards. Very near the war created found its way into local beside the small concreted cap of terrain: Field paths and quiet lanes, with two steady English regions. (‘Wold’ is an Old memorial you’ll see a large villages by way of buildings – a water pump. Bear R here on a tracks, some in woodland. climbs. It’s often muddy on English word meaning upland, wooden signpost indicating the the most remarkable of which gentler, wider forest road that’s The first and last sections the approach to Newland. while ‘cots’ may either come from way. Head on down the L-hand is Newland’s ‘Cathedral of the great for wild flowers and offers of the route follow MapS: OS Explorer OL14; the word for a sheep enclosure or side of the Green and turn L along Forest’, All Saints Church, a a good chance of seeing fallow well-signed stretches Landranger 162. derive from ‘cod’, a Saxon farmer/ Church Street, passing the Crown medieval church filled with deer. This track tops out at a of the Cotswold Way. GettinG there: Bus service landowner.) The village is named & Trumpet pub and Church of fascinating memorials. The village small clearing just beyond a MapS: OS Explorer OL45; 69 between Monmouth and after its wide central street, St Michael & All Angels. This was also hosts pretty almshouses and waymarked post (ignore this). Landranger 150. (where there are which is lined with handsome built in the 19th century as a the quaint Ostrich Inn. This walk Turn half-L into a sunken lane GettinG there: Trains connections to mainline rail honey-coloured buildings. Not more central church for Broadway starts from the old river port of and follow this (often very to Moreton-in-Marsh; services) stops at Redbrook surprisingly, it attracts a high village, which had gradually Redbrook, rising via Newland to muddy) route down to a tarred Johnsons bus 21 from (✆ 0871 200 2233, www. number of visitors, especially in moved away from the older pastures at the edge of Dean. lane. Keep ahead past the house Moreton-in-Marsh to traveline.info). Parking is summer. However, there’s some church situated 1km/½ mile further Narrow roads lead to the ancient to a junction in 250m. Go L up Broadway (✆ 01564 797070, available in the village. good walking to be had nearby, along the road (and passed later in Coxbury and Wyegate Lane, with Savage Hill to find Newland www.johnsonscoaches.co.uk); eatinG & drinkinG: enabling you to escape the tourists the walk). Just beyond the church, sublime views across the Marches, Church and walk through the also Castleways bus 606 The Ostrich Inn, Newland and enjoy some excellent views, turn R along a track, then keep before joining the Offa’s Dyke churchyard to The Ostrich Inn. to Cheltenham railway (✆ 01594 833260, www. notably from Broadway Tower to the R-hand path across a field Path through remarkable woods station (✆ 0871 200 2233, theostrichinn.com); The Boat (above), atop the Cotswold to a footbridge and continue clinging to the Wye’s gorge-side. 2. Turn downhill to the bollards www.traveline.info). Inn, (✆ 01600 712615, escarpment. Though relatively ahead across the next field to at the village limits. 100m beyond eatinG & drinkinG: www.theboatpenallt.co.uk). short, this is quite a strenuous West End Lane. 1. START Locate the village hall these, turn R onto an old, narrow Lots of choice in Broadway – SleepinG: The Bell Inn, route, with a moderate ascent opposite the sports ground track that rises beneath holly and Morris & Brown at Broadway Redbrook (✆ 01600 713612, near the start, followed by a 2. Cross the road and carry on (SO536099) and pass immediately cobnut trees. The sunken lane

Tower Country Park is a smart www.thebellinnredbrook. corresponding descent, then a up the footpath ahead (with L on the tarred lane. As this bends eventually breaks free of the

new café/restaurant (✆ 01386 co.uk); Tan House Farm, longer climb up to the Tower, and good views back over Broadway), L, keep ahead on the roughening, overgrowth onto Dean Plateau,

852390, Newland (✆ 01594 832222, ▲ ▲ ▼

which leads up to and through rising track. At a parting of ways, with grand views across to the ▼ another descent to Broadway. 59-60 walk 38 ramblers route CENTRAL.indd 1 59-60 walk 38 ramblersrouteCENTRAL_rev1.indd 2 Ordnance Surveymapping©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 Ordnance Surveymapping©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 Continued... Continued... START www.tanhousenewland.co.uk). FINISH www.morrisandbrown.co.uk). VISITOR INFORMATION: 1 SLEEPING: There’s a wide Coleford TIC, High Street selection of hotels, B&Bs and (✆ 01594 812388, www. 2 START guest houses in Broadway FINISH visitforestofdean.co.uk). (see www.visit-broadway. GUIDEBOOKS: Exploring Historic co.uk); also a good choice of 1 Dean (£9.95, Forest of Dean self-catering accommodation Ramblers); Wye Valley: 40 in the area – see www. Town & Country Walks by Ben cotswoldcottagesonline.com. 2 Giles (£6.99, Pocket Mountains, VISITOR INFORMATION: ISBN 978 1907025013). Broadway TIC, Russell LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP: Square (✆ 01386 852937; Forest of Dean Ramblers www.cotswolds.com). (✆ 01531 820354, www. GUIDEBOOKS: The Cotswold fodramblers.org.uk). Way by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone, £12.95, ISBN 978 1852845520); Pathfi nder 4 Black Mountains. At the farm, 5 5 Guide: The Cotswolds – the track becomes a tarred lane. Walks by Brian Conduit Keep ahead on this and R at the et al (Crimson, £11.99, junction with Margery Lane. ISBN 978 1854585370). LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP: 3. When you reach the hamlet North Cotswold Ramblers of Stowe Green, take the (✆ 01386 700847, www. no-through-road on your R just 3 ramblers.co.uk/groups). before the road junction and a barn, winding with this old lane 3 Map not to scale. Representation of between pastures. To your L, a coppice. Exit the woodland and OS Landranger Map not to scale. 4 across the deep side-valley, you continue along the L-hand side of MAP 150 1:50,000 Representation of www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk may be able to glimpse the OS Landranger the fi eld, then go round the L of a village church at , next MAP 162 1:50,000 barn and join a track. From along www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk to the imposing castle here. Stay here there are good views east on the lane past a grass airstrip across the valley to Broadway Hill, to a T-junction at secluded with the tower clearly visible. To download this route and hundreds of others, Wyegate Green. To download this route and hundreds of others, visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes 3. After passing Manor Farm – 4. Turn R and amble along this and just before a rather unkempt (Coneygree Lane on the map), 5. Situated on the second-highest ridgetop way to a point where 5. Here, turn sharp-R with the of gnarled, ancient yews line this farmyard area, where the signed for Broadway Tower. point in the Cotswolds, Broadway it forks. Bear L on the hedged ODP, putting deer fencing on extremely atmospheric woodland Cotswold Way turns R – turn After about 1km/½ mile, turn Tower provides superb views lane to walk directly above your immediate L. At the path. Leave the woods via another L along an enclosed path by R at a T-junction to shortly go across the Vale of Evesham. precipitously steep woodland. waymarked corner, turn L beside tall gate and head left with the Buckland Wood, which can be through a gate, then bear The Malvern Hills can be picked Once past these woods, there’s the fencing and continue for ODP waymarks, trusting these quite muddy initially. The path half-L up the fi eld to the house out and, on a clear day, the a grand panoramic view L down a further 350m to a tall metal to bring you to a long fl ight of leads down, turning L and R at the top. Continue along the mountains of South as into the Wye’s wooded chasm. kissing gate on the L (continuing steps into Redbrook, near The past Lydbrook Plantation, then track to a junction and turn L well. Built for the sixth Earl of At the gateway into a meadow on the ODP). Use this and join Bell Inn. Turn R to the car park. L and R again, and down the through the gate up another Coventry, the tower was completed (Coxbury Farm’s drive), bear R on the path through thicker woods. Alternatively, cross the Millennium fi eld to cross a stream to the track, which leads past Rookery in 1799 and is now open to the the lesser path through a veneer This is Highbury Wood NNR, a Green and skirt the football road. (It can be boggy at this Hall. Carry on until you reach a public. From here, go through of trees. Great views soon open magnifi cent ancient woodland of ground to fi nd the old railway point, but there’s an alternative kissing gate on the L. Go through the nearby gate and turn L to out into the deep abandoned beech, oak and coppiced hazel. bridge over the Wye to the footbridge a short distance to this, pass the new café, then follow the Cotswold Way back meander of the Wye down to The structure of Offa’s Dyke is sublime little riverside Boat Inn. the south.) Turn L along the through another gate and across down to Broadway. your R. The way becomes a discernible in places, and strands Route devised by Neil Coates road, past the churchyard to the grass towards the tower. Route devised by Fiona Barltrop superb, holly-embowered St Eadburgha’s Church. This sunken track within the edge beautiful 12th-century building of a wood, which undulates to is well worth a look inside. IN ASSOCIATION reach a point where the Offa’s IN ASSOCIATION WITH WITH 11/02/2013 12:44 Dyke Path (ODP) crosses, soon 4. Thereafter, turn up the track HILLMASTER II GTX SUPALITE II GTX after a tumbled ruin. on the opposite side of the road