Charlton Abbots Walk
A gentle ascent of the Sudeley Valley to a small village nestling at the top of the valley. The return route meanders along the side of the valley with a different aspect of Winchcombe and beyond, before dropping into the valley.
Distance: 7 miles / 11.3 km
Duration: 3.5 hours
Difficulty: A gradual incline until you reach the upper section of the valley with a short steep ascent to Charlton Abbots. The return hugs the valley before descending to Waterhatch across pastures and tracks.
Start/finish: Back Lane car park – £1 all day. Toilets 20p in car park.
OS maps: Outdoor Leisure 45
Refreshments: None on route.
Ascent: 560 feet/170 metres
Leave Back Lane car park via the far corner access into Cowl Lane. Turn right and follow the road to the High Street. Turn left, carefully cross the road and enter Castle Street beside the White Hart Inn. Follow the road down, over the River Isbourne and opposite the last cottage on the left, cross the road and take the path on the right, sign posted ‘Windrush Way’.
Follow the Windrush Way up the slope, through a gate, cross the field keeping parallel to the right hand field boundary, to the far side to meet a gate on your right. Go through and turn immediately left by the fence towards the castle and a driveway. Cross the driveway and go along the track through the gate/field set back A.
Walk alongside the play fort area on your left before bearing right to a metal gate by the field gate, ignore the redundant wooden gate to the right. Go through a gate and bear left, the path splits, cross the field following the waymarked posts (Wardens Way) to the far left hand corner.
Go up the ramp, through the gate and turn left across a track. Immediately before the gate opposite, turn right and follow the left hand field boundary. Go through another gate until you meet a stone track on your left. Join the track and continue in the same direction. Continue on the main track ignoring side turnings, go down a slope and up again to a junction of tracks. Here turn left into the field and then turn right B.
The path bears slightly left, head for the trees on the far side, aim for a quarter of the way up from the far right hand corner. A metal gate comes into view, go through the gate and narrow band of trees to another gate. Cross the field to the opposite side to meet a gate.
Enter a grassy area and continue straight on for approximately 50m to a fork. Here turn right and follow the track to a field gate and stile. Head across the field towards the left hand farm buildings, aim left to meet a field gate with a stile on a stoney track. Turn right (Windrush Way) and follow the track down past farm buildings. (Approximately 40m after the building on your left is a narrow path to Waterhatch, with its abandoned mill wheel should you wish to visit. Retrace your footsteps).
Harvest time in the Sudeley Valley
Continue along the track to a marker post and turn left, leaving the Windrush Way C. (If you reach the corner where the track turns right, you have gone too far). Follow the track to a field gate on your left. Go through and follow the right hand field boundary to another field gate. Enter the next field and follow the path beside the right hand field boundary to a field gate.
Continue ahead following the right hand fence until you meet a field gate on your right. Turn right through the field gate and then turn left. The path follows the electricity posts, go through two fields before passing under some overhead electricity cables, continue ahead to a stile and over a small stream. Continue up the valley.
When you are opposite Holt Farm on your left, look for a stile on your right by a muddy area fed by a spring D. (It may be less muddy to walk past and return to the stile by the fence). Go over the stile and enter woodland, go past a pond on your left to emerge into a field via another stile. Bear left up the hill towards the church to cross two more stiles. After the second stile continue up along the path to meet a lane.
Turn right past the manor house on your left and follow the lane to the end to a house aptly named ‘Lane End Cottage’. Go through the field gate and follow the grassy track up and around to your right to meet a field gate. Continue straight on following the right hand field boundary to a stile before Goldwell Farm.
Cross the stile and continue straight on through the property to a marker post before turning right. Follow the grassy track down and alongside a copse before rising to meet a redundant field gate on a track E. Pass to the left of the field gate and go through a gate opposite into the field. Bear slightly left to a stile, cross and head down the slope and across the field and look for two stiles ahead.
At the first stile (redundant) bear right and head downhill to the far end. There is a rise up to another stile. Cross and follow the right hand field boundary to reach a stile by a track. Follow the track downhill to a junction with another track.
Turn left, go through a gate beside a field gate and follow the track up to where the track turns left F. Here continue straight on along a path (Windrush Way) to the far side and go through two gates to follow the right hand field boundary.
Cross three stiles before going through a gate to emerge in a large field. Follow the path across to a footbridge and head to the far corner to meet a gate. Go through and meet a track.
Turn right over a concrete bridge spanning Beesmoor Brook and turn left through a gate. Follow the path as it rises and Sudeley Castle comes into view. Go through a gate/field gate and then bear left before a play fort. Follow the path to a gate before a drive.
A Turn left to follow the driveway down past a castellated gatehouse to meet a road. Continue straight on over the River Isbourne and up to the centre of Winchcombe.
© Winchcombe Walkers are Welcome 02/2025
WWaW hope you enjoy the walk, however the walk is undertaken at your sole risk and WWaW have no responsibility for loss, damage, injury or interpretation. Every possible care has been taken to ensure the information given was accurate at the time of creation.