Stepping into spring
One of my more recent books was entitled Bristol & Bath Year Round Walks. This was a collection of walks, each based upon a certain season of the year. This walk, deep in the Southern Cotswolds, was in the spring section, just perfect for the time of year that lies ahead.
The Cotswolds provide excellent walking during any season of the year, but arguably spring is the best time to visit this much-loved area. The fields and hedgerows are bursting into life with a rich array of flora and fauna, while the woodlands are carpeted with bluebells and primroses. Overhead, the skylark will be impressing with its flight and song, while the good visibility at this time of year will mean fine views across the Severn Vale towards the Forest of Dean and the distant Welsh Hills.
It is not just natural history on this walk, however, but also human history. There is the Somerset Monument, commemorating Lord edward Somerset who led the British cavalry at the Battle of Waterloo. Somerset was the third son of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort, and was born at nearby Badminton. There is also Horton Fort, high on the hilltop above Horton Court and its neighbouring church. If the court looks familiar, it was one of the stately homes that featured in the television adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s best-selling Wolf Hall.
Horton Court, although still a national Trust property, is no longer open to the public. Instead, should you wish to visit this beautiful Grade I-listed manor house, it is available for holiday lets. A three-night stay, however, will set you back £1,215… but that is for ten people.
If you are more budget conscious, the Beaufort Arms in Hawkesbury Upton will no doubt hit the spot. Its Camra awards are too numerous to mention, as are its entries in the Good Beer Guide. With both large and small plates, all appetites are catered for. A particular favourite is faggots, peas and chips, £6.50 for a single or £9 for a double, with the faggots made in the village. An added bonus is that this is a dogfriendly pub.
Getting there
■ Follow the A46 north from Bath to Petty France and Dunkirk before taking a left turn signposted to Hawkesbury Upton. Having passed the Beaufort Arms, the village hall and its car park is on the right. Parking is free but there is a voluntary donations box.
■ 1. Turn left out of the car park to the Beaufort Arms before turning right into the pub’s car park. Pick up a footpath in the far right corner of the car park and continue ahead to an open field. Turn left, walk along to the corner of the field and turn right to follow the field boundary alongside a number of properties to a gate. Cross the next field to a gate opposite, cross a road and follow a track for 400 metres to a point where it bears right to a barn. At this point, keep ahead across an arable field to reach an old wooden stile. Continue ahead, with a field boundary on the left, to a gap in a wall. Continue ahead, walking up to and along the left edge of Bodkin Hazel Wood, to reach a track. All the while on this section of the walk, you will enjoy fine views across the undulating Cotswold Plateau.
■ 2. Turn right through a gateway and follow a path with Bodkin Hazel Wood on the right. Where the woodland ends, continue following the grassy path ahead for 0.8km to reach a lane. Turn left and, in 400 yards, pass through a gate on the right to enter the National Trust’s Horton Fort property. Walk across to a gap in the rampart before walking down to the bottom right corner of the hillfort enclosure. Turn right and follow a path – the Cotswold Way – along the left edge of a hilltop field to reach a handgate. Follow the path as it winds its way downhill through woodland to reach the next gate and a hillside field. Turn right and follow the path across the hillside to reach a gate in the corner of the field, all the while enjoying views of Horton Church and Horton Court below.
■ 3. Follow the path ahead for 40 metres through woodland to the second of two consecutive left turns, signposted the Cotswold Way. Beyond a gate at the edge of the woodland, continue across an area of scrubland before following the Cotswold Way across the right edges of three fields to reach a track. Follow this track to the left for 1.2km to a lane on the edge of Hawkesbury Upton, with fine views to the west across the Severn Vale. Turn right to a junction by the ancient Drovers’ Pool, now sadly often choked with weeds, before following the village’s High Street to the right for 300 metres back to the car park.