Windrush valley

Explore rolling Cotswold country, with three idyllic villages and a grand estate.

Technical sheet

19221060
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.67 km
  • ◔
    Calculated time: 3h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 146 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 146 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 169 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 109 m

Description der Wandertour

(S/E) From The INN For All Seasons front door turn right and then right again past the residents’ entrance. Exit the car park into the garden and keep left through a gate into a wooded area.

(1) Bear right of the old quarry mounds to a stile into a scrubby area; keep to the right to reach a metal trough and a stile into open fields. Walk down the right-hand side of the field, ignoring a stone stile on the right (the return route). Follow the field edge as it bears left, then cross a grassy area to the left of some farm buildings to meet another hedge. Walk down the edge of the field until you meet a stile in the wall on your right.

(2) Turn left and cross the field, keeping left of a clump of trees. Cross a stile in the hedge and cross the next field to a stile by a gate, and continue along the bottom edge of the field beyond.

Pass behind a farm and continue in the same direction, passing through a further gateway and bearing slightly left as you approach the buildings of Windrush village. Go through a kissing gate into the road and turn left.

(3) Bear right by the church, then turn right by the phonebox and walk down a no-through road. When the road ends, follow the path beyond, passing to the left of Windrush Manor. Climb out of the small valley to the right of a small building built into the bank and cross a stone slab stile.

Ignoring a stile, follow the fence round to the left to a gate and another slab stile into a driveway. Turn right then immediately left on a new path down to a footbridge that affords a fine view of Windrush Mill.

(4) Turn left along the river then right through a gateway onto a path that curves right to another gate. Turn left and cross the field diagonally to a gate, and then aim slightly right towards a metal trough, beyond which go through a gate on the right to cross another arm of the Windrush.

Climb the bank beyond and follow the field edge until you reach a perpendicular farm track. Turn left here and follow the track towards the buildings of Manor Farm.

(5) Skirt to the right of the farm buildings, and turn left to continue on the farm track, passing to the right of an open-fronted barn with circular stone pillars, and then the fine gabled farmhouse. Follow the track as it descends then, when it bends left, follow a path to the right across the field, aiming to the right of a wood on the far side.

(6) Cross a stream and head for the far corner of the next field, uphill. Pass through a belt of trees then head across the next field, aiming for the left-hand end of a clump of trees. On meeting a track, turn right through the trees.

When you come to a crossroads of tracks, turn right and walk downhill, passing a ruined stone farm building before climbing again. Follow the track for some distance until you meet a road.

(7) Turn right (ignoring the no-through road on the right) and walk down the road, with good views into the deer park of Barrington Park.

(8) At the war memorial, turn left and then immediately right down a narrow road to the right of a fine Cotswold house (if you wish to explore Great and Little Barrington villages in more detail, stay on the main street and join the Barringtons walk at step 10). When the lane bends left, follow the drive straight ahead to Barrington Mill.

(9) Follow on-site signage through the mill surrounds and follow a fenced path beyond the last footbridge. As you approach Little Barrington, cross another footbridge then turn right along a path parallel to the river. This emerges into a lane that leads to the bottom of the village green in Little Barrington.

(10) Turn left and walk up either side of the village green. Beyond the last house on the main road, join a footpath over a stile on the right and walk up the field edge. Cross a wooden stile followed by a stone slab stile, then turn left and retrace your steps to the Inn for All Seasons. (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 163 m - The INN For All Seasons
  2. 1 : km 0.29 - alt. 162 m - Old quarry
  3. 2 : km 0.9 - alt. 121 m - Stiles - Farm
  4. 3 : km 1.99 - alt. 139 m - Windrush village - Windrush Manor
  5. 4 : km 2.56 - alt. 112 m - River - Windrush
  6. 5 : km 3.65 - alt. 128 m - Manor Farm
  7. 6 : km 4.07 - alt. 116 m - Stream - Ruined stone farm
  8. 7 : km 6.99 - alt. 160 m - Views into the deer park of Barrington Park
  9. 8 : km 7.56 - alt. 138 m - War memorial
  10. 9 : km 8.15 - alt. 109 m - Barrington Mill
  11. 10 : km 8.73 - alt. 115 m - Little Barrington
  12. S/E : km 9.67 - alt. 163 m - The INN For All Seasons

Practical information

Some modest climbs, and some paths may be muddy or under crops. Please keep dogs under control at all times.

Pdf link : http://walksfromthedoor.co.uk/i/walks/Gl...

The INN For All Seasons
The Barringtons, Burford
OX18 4TN
Tel: +44 (0)1451 844324
Website: www.innforallseasons.com
Email: sharp@innforallseasons.com

Reviews and comments

3.3 / 5
Based on 2 reviews

Reliability of the description
3 / 5
Clarity of route map
3 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
Walks from the Door
Walks from the Door
• Last modified:

Sorry you found my route description confusing. In my defence, I walked and wrote up this route in November 2015 and a lot can change on the grouund in 8 years. If there any details you can remember, I'm more than happy to update the route,

aardvarkkrill
aardvarkkrill
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of walk : 27/07/23
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

This is a lovely walk, and recommended. We went in late July and were treated to fields filled with flowers, including lots of scabious. And naturally, therefore, many many butterflies. There are some lovely views of rolling Cotswold hills, though often the hedges and walls are high, so you have to remember to stop to savour the scenery rather than being continuously immersed.
We didn't want to visit the Inn, so we started from Little Barrington, parking by the side of the road. It would also be possible to start from Great Barrington or Windrush.

Unfortunately we found quite a lot of the description confusing and hard to follow (which I prefer to do without GPS to distract me.) And in some places even the GPS data was too coarse to resolve the ambiguity, so we had to use initiative (which is fun, anyway!) I think that perhaps some things had changed since the route was made, or that the season was different and some paths were less obvious in the lush summer growth. Too many to suggest changes, because I didn't take notes.

GlynW
GlynW

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : 25/06/22
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A good walk. Lots of attractive stone-built houses.

There is a lay-by for parking just along from the pub.

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The GPS track and description are the property of the author.