On The Cotswold Way
Continuing on our journey along the Cotswold Way we arrive at Dursley and then Wotton Under Edge.
In this blog, we are continuing our Cotswold Way National Trail journey. We are looking at the main towns and villages along the Cotswold Way route heading south. We will provide this document free for all our guests who take a Cotswold Walking Co Holiday with us. For more information, you can contact us at [email protected]
Dursley
The market town of Dursley has a long history dating back to Neolithic times. There is a nearby iron age fort and long barrow with the fantastic name of ‘Hetty Pegler’s Tump’. Dursley is situated on the edge of The Cotswold escarpment where it descends to the Severn Vale and River Severn. In more recent times it became a hub of manufacturing. From the 19th Century Dursley was a large-scale manufacturing town.
Around 1496, the famous translator, writer and martyr, William Tyndale was born in or near Dursley. There is a big monument to him on a nearby hill.
Dursley’s most famous building is the pillared market house. It has a statue of Queen Anne and bell turret. The building was erected in 1738. It became a popular destination for farmers and traders from surrounding towns & villages.
Dursley has the parish church of St. James the Great. This church dates from the 13th century. The modern building is largely of 14th and 15th century construction. It is believed to have been funded by The Tudor royals. There is a Tudor coat of arms on the outside of the church.
Wotton Under Edge
The historic town of Wotton-under-Edge is on The Cotswold Way. It is in the Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty. The ‘edge’ refers to the Cotswold escarpment, under which the town nestles, overlooking the Severn Valley. The first record of Wotton Under Edge is in an Anglo-Saxon Royal Charter. King Edmund I in AD 940 leased four hides of land in Wudetun to Eadric. The original town was burnt down during the reign of King John, 1199-1216 and it was rebuilt in 1252.
Wotton is a town that offers a wide range of services for visitors with a good choice of places to eat. It is a lively working town with a variety of historic listed buildings. It embodies many of the features of small town life that sadly have disappeared from bigger places. There are lots of walks around Wotton under Edge including a walk to North Nibley and the Tyndale Monument.
Would you like to contact us about hiking The Cotswold Way? You can find the link to our contact form here or you can use our email address [email protected]
Further reading. Here you can find more information about Dursley and Wotton Under Edge:
http://www.dursleyglos.org.uk/
https://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=1731
https://www.cotswolds.com/plan-your-trip/towns-and-villages/wotton-under-edge-p1137303
