Leaving Painswick
We have got into a nice rhythm now with the Cotswold Way and we picked up the route in Painswick, which we reached a month ago. You walk down a lane opposite the church and turn left into a field to be met by the delightful view above.
We admired these snowdrops - the first of many thick clumps seen on the walk - as we crossed a pretty stream.
The nearby cottage had some extraordinary stonework on its outside walls. A plaque seemed to have Tudor roses in the corners and below it was what seemed to be a fireplace surround covered in ornate carving. Over the door of the house was the date 1691. It would have been interesting to know its story.
We then climbed to reach the Edgemoor Inn and crossed over Rough Hill, a nature reserve on the site of a former quarry. Soon there was a good view back towards Painswick, with the church spire a clear landmark.
We now followed the edge of the scarp through woodland (Halliday's Wood, then Cliff Wood) to reach the badly weathered Cromwell Stone, which commemorates the raising of the siege of Gloucester in 1643.
We are at this point just a few miles due south of Gloucester. It was a Parliamentarian stronghold during the Civil War and was besieged by the Royalist army for a month.
The path continues through further woodland with glimpses of the River Severn to the north.
Eventually you emerge onto open land (Ring Hill, an extension of Haresfield Hill) and enjoy marvelous views in all directions, especially to the west and south. (Well, they would be marvelous on a better day.)
A little further on, on another corner of Haresfield Hill, there is a lovely contoured toposcope.
We now followed a pleasant woodland track through Standish Wood to reach the end point of today's leg at Randwick.
Map: Explorer 179 (Gloucester, Cheltenham and Stroud.
Conditions: cool, cloudy, misty (obviously). Quite muddy underfoot.
Distance: 6.5 miles.
Rating: four stars.
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