A stile-free walk from the Cotswolds Conservation Board. This walk links the pretty and much visited villages of Bibury and Coln St. Aldwyns.

Distance:

8 kilometres/5 miles (3 hours)

Start:

Crossroads in Coln St Aldwyns.

Car parking in village

Route:

At the crossroads take the road beside the post office and turn left into the road to the church, passing the almshouses on your left and the church on your right. The road becomes a walled lane and descends to a wooden bridge over a mill-race. Turn left onto a road and at the end right over the bridge crossing the Coln.

Turn right through the gates to the Manor Gatehouse and follow the bridle-path half left up hill along an old coach road lined with trees. The path continues through several fields and gates across a farm track and between farm buildings and a pair of cottages. 50 yards short of the end of the next field go left through a gate out onto a road and turn right. After 150 yards turn right at a signpost onto a wide track. This is an ancient ridgeway which you follow for 11/4 miles.

At a crossing of bridle-paths turn right towards Arlington and Bibury. Keep on to go through 2 gates onto a road.

Turn left to visit the Catherine Wheel Inn but otherwise go right down Awkward Hill to Arlington Row. It was built as a sheephouse in about 1380 and later converted to weavers cottages. Arlington Mill Museum and the Trout Farm are along the path opposite the row.

Pass Arlington Row, cross the Coln and turn right along the river. Keep right to go to Bibury church which is rich in Saxon work. At the church go left up

hill through the centre of Bibury village. Go through the gap in the wall at the

top and turn right and right again along the Coln St. Aldwyns road.

In 50 yards turn right downhill. Pass the front of the Tudor Bibury Court and cross the river to go through some old mill buildings. At the top of the rise go through a gate and down into a shallow valley. At the top of the next rise go through a gate and take the track to the left into a copse. Ignore a track going right and go through a gate out of the copse.

At the next copse go through a gate and downhill to another gate out into a water meadow. Follow this path along the Coln valley back to the Manor Gatehouse. Go out to the road, turn left. Pass the New Inn on your right on your way back to the start point;