A circular walk following the Windrush Way along the Sudeley Valley before returning via the Wardens Way with elevated views.
Distance: 8.25 miles/ 13.3 kms
Duration: 4 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Start/finish: Back Lane car park – £1.00 all day. Toilets 20p in car park.
Refreshments: Sudeley Castle Visitor Centre and Winchcombe
Ascent: 970 feet/295 metres
OS maps: Outdoor leisure 45
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 and after 50 metres cross the road and enter Castle Street opposite.
Walk down Castle Street and over a bridge spanning the river and take the footpath on your right immediately after the entrance to Sudeley Castle holiday cottages signposted Windrush Way A. You will be following Windrush Way signs until point D.
Go up the steps, through the gate and across the field keeping parallel to the right hand boundary fence (ignore fieldgate) following the clear path on the ground to the kissing-gate. Go through the gate and turn left, ignoring the path sign. Follow the path alongside the fence on your left for 100 metres to meet a drive.. Cross and go through the gate or field gate opposite, set back. Walk alongside the adventure playfort on your left towards the castle and go through a metal gate beside a fieldgate.
Go through and the path forks, take the right hand path to the far corner of the field to another gate. Go through and turn right over a bridge B. After 20 metres and before the lane, turn left and go through another gate. Follow the path diagonally across the field through a large gap in the hedge and cross the next field to a gate in the top right hand corner adjacent to a wood (No Mans Patch).
Continue on along the path over several stiles and then down to another gate. Go through the gate and up the short slope and then head across the large field to meet a track. Bear left along the track, signposted Windrush Way down to another gate. Follow the track as it turns left and goes through an abandoned farm C. Continue on the stony track as it bears right and cross two stiles/fieldgates as the track climbs steadily for one mile (1.6km) up Coles Hill until you reach the road. Turn right along the road and turn left at the crossroads (Roel Gate), walk 300 metres uphill D.
Turn left, leaving the ‘Windrush Way’ and follow the drive past Roel Hill Farm, go through two farm gates and follow the right hand field boundary across the field and go through a gate. Continue across the next field with the field boundary on your left. Just beyond a gate take the path to your left at the first waymarked post, signposted ‘Wardens Way’. E
Turn left and join the Wardens Way and continue along the path until you reach the lane, Salt Way. Turn left and carefully walk along the lane for 50 metres (cars tend to be driving quickly) and turn right along a private tarmac lane, through a field gate and follow the lane downhill. Continue downhill and near the bottom turn right above Park’s Farm F along a stony track.
Go through a field gate to rejoin the private lane, turn right and follow the lane for approx ½ mile (0.8km).
Before farm buildings turn right along a track and continue until you meet a lane. Turn right and after 20 metres turn left G through a gate and follow the path downhill to a footbridge and gate. Go through and turn right to follow the right hand field boundary for approx 200 metres to the corner of the field, turn left and follow the field boundary down to a gate in the corner.
Continue ahead along a track for approx 30 metres and look for a gate on your right slightly hidden by the hedge; go through the gate to enter pasture land H.
Follow the path towards the castle, go through a gate and keep the adventure playground fence on your right continue to the gate by a driveway. Turn left and follow the driveway to enter Vineyard Street. Continue straight on to the T-junction with Abbey Terrace. Turn right and follow the pavement to the start of the shops and Cowl Lane to return to the car park.
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.