Cotswold Way, places of interest Part 2
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Today we continue on from our previous blog, about Cotswold Way places of interest. Here is the second part of our blog on The Cotswold Way from the Town of Winchcombe to the village of Birdlip.
As The Cotswold Way route reaches the town of Winchcombe, it is a short stroll to reach Sudelely Castle www.sudeleycastle.co.uk . The castle was thought to have existed here from the 12th Century but the present structure dates from the 15 Century. It was the home and burial place of King Henry VIII’s 6th and last wife, Catherine Parr. The Castle and gardens are open from March to December and entrance fees apply. See website link above for more details.
Heading south out of Winchcombe the route climbs to its highest point of Cleeve Hill at 314 metres. Before reaching he top the Cleeve Hill, there is an interesting ancient burial site. It is a Neolithic long barrow called ‘Belas Knap’ http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/belas-knap-long-barrow/ Dating to around 3000 BC it was excavated in 1863 and 1865 and excavated and restored in 1923 to 1925. In total the remains of 31 people were discovered at the site.
Further along the route, our next Cotswold Way, places of interest is Crickley Hill. Situated on The Cotswold Way route before you get to the pretty Cotswold village of Birdlip. Crickley Hill Park https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/crickley-hill is the site of an Iron Age Hill Fort and dates back to 3500 – 2500 BC. Situated on a high escarpment, today it affords magnificent views of the surrounding countryside.
In the next blog we shall be travelling south and looking at more Cotswold Way, places of interest. If you would like to walk The Cotswold Way here is a link to our webpage www.cotswoldwalkingco.com/the-cotswold-way/ If you have any questions about this blog then do get in touch with us [email protected] we look forward to hearing from you.
