Cotswold villages of Doynton and Dyrham

(S/E) With your back to the church (ST 721 741), turn ½ right and walk ahead to the start of Toghill Lane. Continue along the lane until it starts to curve to the right; look for a footpath finger-post on your left, at an entrance to a field.

(1) Enter the field, and cross diagonally to a gate in the far left-hand corner. Pass through the gate into a 2nd field. Follow the left-hand boundary hedge to a gate, pass through this gate into a green lane, walk forward (approx.20m) to a stile on your right (ST 725 738) leading into a field. Enter the field, and turn left.

(2) Follow the left-hand boundary hedge across 4 fields via gates, stiles and a small water splash stream. Exit the 4th field (ST 734 737) through 2 wooden kissing gates into the 5th field. Here, the ground rises steeply, the Cotswold escarpment.

Note: - the footpath, as shown on the map, has been diverted. From the bottom of the field, use a small wood outcrop, on the left of the skyline of the hill, as a directional marker for the next style (ST736 736). It is well worth pausing at this stile to look back across the Severn Vale, towards the River Severn, and the Welsh hills beyond.

Cross over the stile into a small fenced-off area. Follow a rough path (approx. 10m) to another stile. Cross the stile into the next field. Continue ahead. As you reach the top of the hill, aim for a large field gate in the boundary hedge at the far side of the field (ST 738 735). Go through both of these gates to a road – Gorse Lane.

Note: - Caution. Gorse Lane can be very busy with traffic travelling to and from Bath.

(3) Cross directly over Gorse Lane to a kissing gate, leading into a field. Follow the right-hand hedge line to a 1m high waypoint marker post, where two footpaths form a 'T' junction (ST 741 733). Take the left-hand footpath and continue ahead, past some farm buildings on your right, to a gate in a boundary wall (ST 744 733). Pass through the gate, and turn left. Continue ahead, past Cornflake Cottage on your right, and onto the Cotswold Way. The Cotswold Way is a National Trail and is well-waymarked with posts bearing an acorn symbol.

(4) After leaving Cornflake Cottage, follow the left-hand field boundary wall, passing three fields on your right, to the end of the pathway. Here, turn left through a kissing gate, into a 2nd field, continue ahead, parallel with the field boundary hedge, to a kissing gate (approx. 100m), turn right, and pass through the gate onto a road – Gorse Lane (ST 740 736).

Note: - Caution. Gorse Lane can be very busy with traffic travelling to and from Bath.

Cross directly over the road, with caution, to a 2nd kissing gate. Pass through the gate, and follow a well-used track to – Dyrham Wood. Follow a broad earth footpath down through the woods.

On exiting the wood, continue ahead, following a well-used track that parallels the woods on your right, for approx. 200m, before descending the hill to a kissing gate, at the bottom of the valley. Pass through the gate, and continue down, through a small wood, to a bridge over a stream. Cross the bridge.

On exiting the wood, turn ¼ left, and follow a track to the top of a hill to a field gate. Pass through the gate. Continue ahead along the track, passing open fields, through two coppices, to reach a road – Sands Hill (ST 740 755). Turn left and follow the road down to the outskirts of Dyrham village (approx. 150m) to a green triangle (ST 738 756).

(5) At the triangle, follow the road around to the right into - Upper Street (Dyrham Village). Continue to follow the road, past an impressive set of entrance gates on your right – an entrance into Dyrham House grounds. Continue ahead, and downhill to a road T junction (approx. 400m).

At the junction turn left, and continue ahead (approx. 35m) to a footpath finger-post (ST 736 759) on the right. Cross over the stile into a large field.

(6) Walk forward, following a track over 2 fields. At the boundary hedge of the 2nd field, pass through a field gate into the 3rd field, continue forward to this field's boundary hedge, look to your right, look for a stile in a boundary hedge (ST728 761). Cross over the stile, and walk forward over a patch of rough ground - Back Lane (approx. 35m) to a kissing gate. Pass through the gate, into a field, then turn left. Continue forward, (roughly parallel with the left-hand boundary hedge), to a small metal bridge over the River Boyd (ST 723 762).

(7) Cross the bridge and turn left onto the Monarch’s Way. Continue ahead following the Monarchs Way path, over 6 fields, to a metal farm gate opening onto a road – Doynton Lane (ST 724 749). Turn right, and continue ahead (approx. 200m) to a footpath sign, with a kissing gate, on your right. Pass through the kissing gate into the field, and turn left. Continue ahead over this field.

At the field boundary, cross over a field ditch into a 2nd field (ST 724 750). Turn ¼ right and continue to a gate in the right-hand corner of this field (ST 721 746). Pass through the gate, continue ahead, passing a small pond on your right. Turn slight right, and follow the boundary hedge line to a gate, pass through the gate, and continue ahead over a large field. Look for a stone bridge over a field channel.

(8) At the bridge – Boyd Bridge (ST 719 743), turn ¼ right to face farm buildings at the top left corner of this field, continue ahead, aiming for the right-hand side of the nearest building. To exit the field, follow this wall to a gate (ST 723 749) in a boundary hedge. Pass through the gate onto a road – High Street, and turn left.

Continue along the High Street, passed the Cross House Pub. At the village cross, turn left onto Bury Lane, continue along the lane back to the start point - Holy Trinity Church (approx. 125m).(S/E)

1. This route follows two sections of the UK's Long Distance Walking Routes - the Cotswold Way and the Monarch's Way.
2. There are no facilities on this walk.
3. On-road parking.
4. No special equipment is required.
5. Post Walk - pub 'Cross House', High St, Doynton, Bristol BS30 5TF. Phone: 0117 937 4849.
6. Walk from OS Map 155.

Doynton Village
Doynton's history can be traced back to the Dooms Day Book (1086). The village is mentioned as having two mills, one a corn mill and the other a tucking, or fulling mill, connected with the Cotswold woollen cloth industry. Both mills were important to the survival of the village and were referred to in historical records 500 years later. The tuck mill, however, is not mentioned after the middle of the 17th century. The corn mill continued in use until the 1950s when the mill wheel and machinery were removed. More recently, a light engineering firm has taken over the site.

The Holy Trinity Church (grade 2 listed) is at the centre of the village. It was largely rebuilt between 1864 and 1867 but dates back to Saxon times. Its features include 12th-century herringbone masonry on the south wall - a style almost unique in this part of the country. The church also features a 12th-century leper window in the south wall of the 13th-century Lady Chapel.
Info Source: - Wikipedia

Dyrham Park
Dyrham Park is a baroque country house near the village of Dyrham, in South Gloucestershire. The house was built for William Blathwayt, during the 17th and early 18th centuries and contains many artworks, including a collection of Dutch Masters and furniture.

The house is surrounded by 274 acres of formal gardens, and parkland which supports a herd of fallow deer. The grounds were originally laid out by George London, an English nurseryman and garden designer who inspired and helped develop the baroque style, later developed further by Charles Harcourt Masters.

The house and estate are now owned by the National Trust and underwent extensive renovation in 2014 and 2015. The house and grounds are open to the public and often host events and attractions, including open-air concerts.
Info Source: - Wikipedia