Painswick, Brookthorpe via Spoonbend hill 26th April 2010

Several times I have been to or very near to Painswick now without actually going in to the village.  I have decided to skirt around the village and visit some of the surrounds and will (I promise) take a trip into Painswick and do Pitchcombe and Edge at the same time.  Truth is, I know there is a sod of a climb out of Painswick whichever way you go and adds some distance to the ride.  However, in an attempt to avoid the village, I was rewarded with some of the most spectacular views and an equally spectacular oddity.  More of that later.

If there is an easier way to get to Painswick Beacon, it is the way I went today and have indeed ridden before.  Leaving Hucclecote, along Ermin Way and continuing up Painswick Road past Prinknash Abbey.  Carrying on, I pass the road to the Beacon passing Catbrain Quarry.  The next road on the right leads towards Painswick golf club, anyone who knows me knows that this will be of very little interest.  The imaginatively named Golf Club Lane is a narrow little road, yet Google Street View did take their car that way, and passes the cemetery with its own chapel.  This, unsurprisingly, is my first stop.  A curious little chapel sits on the West edge of a substantial cemetery.  I can see little information on the cemetery or the chapel although a glance around the site confirms that there have been burials there since the mid 19th century and is still in use; it appears to me that the chapel is from the same era and, I presume, is purpose built as a cemetery chapel rather than ever having performed any other church function.  A squint through the windows shows that the chapel in the southern part of the building (on the right in the second photo) is still in use, the third picture being a rare internal shot by my blog's standard was taken through the window that you can see my bike under.  The other half of the chapel seems to be occupied by builders and maintenance paraphernalia.  Leaving the cemetery grounds and continuing along Golf Club Lane, a reasonably flat section of road, I am on the other side of Painswick Beacon.  Turning right onto Stockley Way and the road takes a gradual uphill climb again to the entrance road back up to the top of the Beacon.


A few hundred yards further and I take a left turn into Sevenleaze Lane.  This is another single track road and a road with which I am unfamiliar.  This road passes through Cud Hill Common from where we have some of the most beautiful and panoramic views north over the east part of Gloucester, including Hucclecote from where the journey started, and further on with a good view of the Malverns on the left of this picture round to Cleeve Hill on the right; in the middle distance is Chosen Hill.

Slightly further on and we have the oddity I alluded to at the beginning.  Detmar Blow, who bought much of the land in this area in the 1920s chose to be buried a couple of hundred yards along the lane towards Edge.  He erected a folly which frames the view of the cathedral in Gloucester (although you can't see that in my photograph).  Apparently, a choir from the cathedral sang at his funeral atop the hill.  The top of the folly is inscribed with Psalm 121 v. 1 and reads "I lift up my eyes to the hills; where does my help come from" and, ignoring any religious beliefs you may or may not have, sit a while in the folly (although you'll have to crawl under the barbed wire if you come from the road) and just take it all in.





Carrying on along this road, you will find yourself on Stroud Road.  Turning right takes you back towards Gloucester.  A long downhill but with such a surface that you will find your teeth are rattling out if you go too quick.  A few patches of recent tarmac provide a couple of hundred yards of relief.  Soon you will find yourself in Brookthorpe heading towards Tuffley.  The road surface smooths and the ride still quick and far more pleasant.  However, we will cut this short and stop at Brookthorpe.  A very small wooden sign points into what appears to be a private drive.  On it is simply written 'Historic Church".  I can't pass that by.  Although I have travelled this road many times in the past unaware of its existence.  The church in question is St Swithun's, Brookthorpe, sitting behind Brookthorpe Court.  Dating back to around 1250, I think we can confirm its claim to being historic.  A notice in the church porch also informs us that there are records of incumbents dating back to 1260.  The church was extensively renovated in 1892 at which time the North Aisle was added.  The church is no longer in use but is still consecrated and is managed by the Churches Conservation Trust. As well as the church, there are a number of tombs in the grounds that are also listed.
I've also thrown in a picture of some of the etched graffiti around the doorway as well.  There are a number of other places of interest on or near this ride, as ever, but only so much time.  I notice today that it takes me near on two hours to do what is one hour in the saddle.  It's just too easy to be taken in by some of these churches or other buildings or even to simply sit in the sun and admire the view.

Still, time waits for no man and I have ten minutes to get back to Barnwood where Tina, my good lady wife, will be finishing work and we will take a casual bimble home together.  Is there a better way to spend your Monday Afternoon?  If there is, I don't think I know it.

Total distance - 35

Average Speed - 26 KM/h

Weather - about 18C, Warm and dry, Gentle Easterly wind.

Staverton, Boddington, Barrow 15th April 2010

The three villages that we are looking at today are all within a loop of about 6Km so most of the riding was to get to and from this loop through familiar territory and without stops.  Seeing as how the terrain is largely flattish, this gave me a chance to stretch the legs a little.  I also feel I must apologise for the quality of the photos.  I don't know if it was a bit of a funny light, crap camera or crap photographer but they do largely seem a little washed out.

The outward leg leaves Hucclecote riding towards Churchdown along Churchdown Lane.  Churchdown hill here is just about the only climb for the day and that's no more than about 4% for a couple of Km.  A quick downhill takes us through the East of the village, exiting onto Badgeworth Lane.  A left here and we are heading towards Staverton and our first stop at Gloucestershire Airport.  When I was a kid, this was called Staverton airport and used to host an annual air display which must have finished in the 1980s from memory.  We would sit on the grass banks between the road and the airport, far too tight to pay to go in, lean backwards and exclaim 'Whoooooaa' every time an aircraft went overhead.  The airport is used as a museum for aircraft back to the Second World War, some of which were (still are?) serviceable and would have been a part of the display.  The airport served as a training base in the war and the in air refuelling technique was developed here.  Now much of the activity are pleasure flights although there is a significant helicopter centre used by the emergency services.

From the airport, crossing Cheltenham Road East into Old Gloucester Road leads us into the village of Staverton.  I'm guessing that for many centuries prior to the airport, Staverton was an inconspicuous farming village.  Based largely on the premise that it still is an inconspicuous farming village.  It is separated from the airport by about 1Km and isn't really on the road to anywhere.  Still, being me, I hunt out the local church.  And I have to say, the Parish Church of St. Catherine is one of the most unusual buildings I think I have seen. You have to hunt it down a bit.  It is in a lane that leads to nowhere but the church and you can't see the tower from the locale because the tower is barely higher than the roof of the main body of the church.  Indeed from a distance it looks sort of Lilliputian; a full grown chap could bump his head on that.   The church is 13th Century and is of cruciform shape although has quite obviously undergone some fairly serious modifications in successive years and even centuries.  Interestingly, in the porch, there is a list of the identified incumbents of the parish of Staverton with Boddington back to 1297.  The graveyard shows plenty of graves of just a couple of families and a couple of stones identifiable as early 17th century, although plenty I couldn't make out. The bottom picture here does seem to flatter the height of the tower.

Heading North out of Staverton, you soon come to Boddington, the parish of which incorporates Barrow where we shall go next.  It is also, curiously, home to an RAF base which, even more curiously, is rumoured to have underground links to nearby GCHQ.  The couple of kilometres between the two villages is dead straight between farmland on both sides.  I also noticed that it seemed to channel a fairly chilly Northerly wind.  At the end of the road, at a sort of unmarked junction, I am greeted by St. Mary Magdeline Church, naturally a member of the same Benefice as St. Catherine although a very different building.  Very few details to hand but it is 12th Century, which I reckon is just a bit older than its sister church in Staverton, although the tower, chancel and porch were rebuilt in the 14th century.  The entire church is of locally quarried stone.









This stone is set in the porch entrance.  I would love to think that the mark on it was from the original stonemason doing a 'this way up' but I strongly expect someone will shatter my illusions.







So, as promised to Barrow.  Fairly prominently, there is a large lump in the ground, I don't know for sure, but maybe this is the barrow from which the village gets it name.

Otherwise, the village is still largely agricultural although an ever increasing number of the buildings are being converted to dwelling properties.  That being said, it still has its fair share of quaint little thatched places.
Following a dead end dirt track (on purpose this time) there is a lake just off the road.  However, I am unable to get to it as it is across a footpath and it is a little rough so I will have to visit that walking some time.  However, at the end of the lane was my destination, a bridge to nowhere over the river Chelt which, at this place, seems much more attractive than it does in Cheltenham.

Back tracking along my dead end path, I rejoin the road and complete the Barrow loop back onto the road between Staverton and Boddington.  Back through Staverton and towards Cheltenham Road East where I turn right and, for the return journey, I pass through Churchdown along Parton Road and back onto Churchdown Hill before returning to Hucclecote.

Total distance - 26Km

Average Speed - 27 KM/h

Weather - about 12C, fine, bit overcast, North wind.

Witcombe, Leckhampton, Cowley, Hardwicke 8th April 2010

Anyone who knows the Gloucestershire area may think that there is very little link between the first three of today's destinations and the last.  You're right.  With scant regard to other's fears over my sanity (you know who you are), I had two rides today.  The first a little hilly, the second after getting home, deciding the weather was far too good and going out again, this time accompanied by Anthony on a shorter much gentler pootle.
So to the rides.  I spent a fair chunk of my Bank Holiday Monday cleaning and lubing my bike so I'm happy to report she was all shiny and made that very satisfying gentle rustling noise from the gears.
Leaving, as is often the case, from Hucclecote, I rode through Brockworth and on out to Witcombe, this time to visit the reservoirs that I mentioned here.  The reservoirs consist of three bodies of water formed by dams, originally built in the mid 19th century on the site of a mill.  Now the reservoirs are popular with fishermen and are also a prolific breeding ground for certain types of waterfowl.  The photograph is taken from a path running through the middle of the reservoirs looking roughly South towards the Roman remains and Cooper's Hill wood and farm.  A thoroughly pleasant 15 minutes or so were slightly marred as I left the site.  I cycled at near walking pace to avoid a large 4x4 approaching, the occupant flicking a discarded (though still smoking) cigarette end out of the window.  Sure the car had stopped, I made to leave.  As I did, the ageing rotund occupant leapt from the drivers door leaving it open and shouted at me "I say are you lost?" (sorry, can't write in a plumby accent, you'll have to imagine it).
"No, came here on purpose to have a bimble round the reservoirs.  Lovely aren't they?"
"Didn't you see the sign saying this is a private road.  There are young horses you know"
"Yes" I lied.  "But this is shown on Ordnance survey as a right of way so I guessed the sign is not legal nor binding"
"It's a private road, you can only cycle on bridleways and this isn't even a footpath"
"I am aware of the legal position, I am a sitting judge"  Not the whole truth.
"You might scare the young horses.  At least push your cycle or you'll scare them"
"Surely no more than a 4x4 or burning fag?"
"You're breaking the law"
"If you want to take it further, I'll happily settle it in court".
Frankly, I have no idea of the legal status of the sign, I do know the road is shown on the OS map though.  That being said, if you only have half truths sound convincing.

Leaving Great Witcombe, I head North to Bentham where I noticed a church on the OS map and was, in my narrow, Anglican way, surprised to see that it is a Greek Orthodox Church.  I would expect to see these in the City but seems a bit unusual in a small village.  I may be wrong.  The churchyard is still dedicated to St Peter in The Church of England but the church is now owned as St John Chtysotom Greek Orthodox Church of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain.  Catchy.  This is only a recent development, the Greek Orthodox assembly previously having shared the church building with St Luke's in Cheltenham.  I can find little information about the church but the graveyard and other evidence suggests that this is no older than early 19th century but I'm willing to be shot down in flames.  Unfortunately, my photographs were rubbish so here is one that I am allowed to use so long as I credit the originator, I reckon a link to where the photo came from should suffice.

Cycling north away from Bentham on Shurdington road, en route to Leckhampton, I am passed by Billy Bad Boy in his super souped Citroen Saxo (or similar), resplendant with exhaust the size of your head (you need that to get rid of all those gasses from a 1.1 engine.  Spotty youth mate leans out of the window and shouts "Nice arse".  Now, he isn't wrong, but surely that sends somewhat mixed messages about Billy's sexuality.


Next stop is a personal favourite of mine for many reasons.  We're off to Leckhampton, stopping at St Peter's church.  Not only was I privileged to be best man at a very good friend's wedding here in 2006 but it is one of the most peaceful and picturesque locations you can imagine, so long as you don't turn around to the rather ordinary looking row of houses not to mention the jolly ugly industrial units that house the auction house.  Looking East from the church, you can see right across to Leckhampton Hill although not quite a clear view of Devil's Chimney but there is an excellent walk to the old quarry where Devil's Chimney is located, maybe a mile or so each way from where you can get excellent views.  I shall just give a quick run down of the church because it has a massive history tied in with the now Sue Ryder Hospice at the neighbouring Leckhampton Court.  The earliest part of the church dates back to the 12th century although there has been some modification made, notably in the 19th Century.  I found plenty of inscriptions in the graveyard back to early 18th Century although I believe that there are older inscriptions.  There is also this rather grand monument (pic left) which, among others, suggests to me that there are also burials of some importance and certainly for high clergy.  If you want to know more about the church, they have an excellent website or you could buy the book.

View across the churchyard to Leckhampton Hill.








Leaving the church, I cycled to the end of the imaginatively named Church Road which the church sits on.  If you turn left, it will take you towards the centre of Cheltenham.  Right will take you up Leckhampton hill.  I turned right.  This hill is a bit of a slog, 5 kilometres uphill although I still maintain that on the whole it isn't a terribly difficult climb except for the first 1/2 Km or so where it is quite steep and does take it out of you a bit.  A couple of kilometres up, I opt to take a left and head towards Cowley.  Unfortunately, I don't have time to stop at the villages en route - we'll leave that for another day.  I do, however, stop briefly to admire the views across to the Malvern hills in the distance.

Somehow or other, the road I follow drops me off at Birdlip, where I also haven't stopped for pictures, and I return to Hucclecote downhill through Witcombe.  The road here offers good views across the reservoirs where we started today.  If you look really hard to the left of the photo, you can just about make out the Roman Villa where we were last year.

Total distance - 32Km

Average Speed - 26 KM/h

Weather - about 16C, dry and sunny, No noticeable wind.

After going home, we decide the weather is far too good to waste so Anthony and I decide to take a bimble.  A much more leisurely ride on the more or less flat.  We leave Gloucester, head out to Quedgeley and cross the canal on Rea bridge, this was right at the start of my driving instructor part two test when I passed.   Although, I also came this way on the first attempt when I failed.  Apparently, there are sixteen bridges along the length of the Gloucester-Sharpness canal the length of which does now supposedly have usable tow path, and I reckon that one day it would be a cracking idea to do the lot.  

After crossing the bridge, the road takes us towards the river which we follow for a while, sharing the road with a significant number of learner drivers and those taking their test.  We only take the road as far as Sellars Bridge, the next crossing.  From Sellars Bridge, we head towards Hardwicke which of late has become sort of joined to Quedgeley, both having grown out of all proportion since the 1980s.  

We, however are heading for the old bit.  And, for those who know me, no surprises, means the parish church.  In this case, it is the parish church of St Nicholas; one of the three churches of the Benefice of Hardwicke and Elmore (St Laurence) with Longney (St John The Baptist).  The other two of which we visited here.

A church has been recorded in Hardwicke since the 11th century, the earliest evidence though at the current buiding dating from lateish in the 12th century and came under the curacy of Standish (where we must go sometime as well).   The church has undergone many changes since this time and was restored in the mid 19th century.  The lych gate was erected in 1921 as a monument to those that lost their lives in the First World War and the role has been maintained sadly showing local losses right up to the current conflict in Afghanistan.  Again, there is much more information on  the three churches of the Benefice on their website.

The return journey from here takes us through the newer part of Hardwicke, through Quedgeley and home.

Total distance - 15Km

Average Speed - 28 KM/h

Weather - about 16C, dry and sunny, No noticeable wind.

Painswick Beacon, Cranham 29th March 2010

You'd have thought I would have learnt my lesson by now.  Or, more accurately, several lessons.  Don't completely ignore the weatherman when he says it will rain all afternoon.  They aren't always wrong.  Ordnance Survey and the road signs that tell you a hill is steep probably aren't lying.  Photographs from a mobile phone aren't as good.
Starting from the last lesson, sadly, I left the proper camera at home before leaving so pictures are, again, from the mobile phone so no zooming and dodgy light.  At least the latter can be altered afterwards.

I left the office in Hucclecote and the weather wasn't too bad.  A little overcast and a slight chill in the air but OK.  Now, trying to shake the tail end of a cold, a little unsure of how I'm going to get on I head out on Green Lane, through the walkway and onto Lobley's Drive, through Abbeymead and onto Painswick Road.  The thgeory being, if I am struggling here I can do a flat route; if I'm feeling good, a left turn will take me up to Painswick Beacon.  Feeling reasonably strong, I opt for the latter option.  Just a few hundred yards in, I notice the milestone here just outside the King's Head pub.  I presume that is a Roman numerals 3 not Arabic 111.  Harks back to a time when this was a major trade route, particularly if one happened to be a wool trader or miller on their way to and from Stroud valleys.  I am neither.

Maybe a kilometre or two further up and I learn the other two lessons.  The road is going up and the rain starts coming down.  The climb is a good 5Km.  About half way up, a brace of horseriders are coming down the hill and we cross.  They give me a cheery 'Good luck'.  I reply with what was supposed to be a cheery smile and wave although I fear may have appeared more like a grimace and flailing to stop myself falling off.  I opt not to speak favouring saving as much breath as possible.  After climbing some more, the road briefly levels off and offers some good views to the top of Painswick Beacon. Painswick is unusual in as much as the road runs more or less to the top of the hill and the top you can see is where we are heading.  You may also be able to see a the river of rainwater running down the road off the hill.  The road to the right you can see is the route we need, this is a shallow spiral to the top.

Cresting the hill takes you back down onto the Stroud Road passing the appealingly named Catbrain quarry, source of stone for many ecclesiastical buildings right up to, I believe, some of the more recent restoration work at the Cathedral and home to reclamation and stonemasons.  The other side of the beacon is a much flatter road heading towards Cranham and offering views across the valley.  I also notice that, thankfully, it has stopped raining.  The sun isn't shining but at least it is dry.



Another five minutes and we turn right into the village of Cranham.  I did intend to do the Cranham thing when I was in Sheepscombe but ran out of time.  And, in a way, I'm glad I did because this gave me a better opportunity to have a longer mooch around the village.  I may be making a lot of this up but in my imagination and the affects of watching too much TV, Cranham struck me as an extremely evocative village.  Let's start with some fact and pictures.  Cranham is home to the 17th Century Black Horse Inn which is constantly receiving excellent reviews as a country pub, ideally suited to its location on the Cotswold Way and a number of other walking routes.  I was unaware of this at the time, so no pictures, but opposite the Black Horse is Midwinter Cottage where Holst wrote the tune to 'In The Bleak Midwinter'.  Felt decidedly apt despite being the end of March.

Cranham Church is at the end of a narrow road across open grass land with a few houses dotted around.  It appears to be everything you would expect of a parish church.  Part of a united group of parishes that also includes Harescombe, Sheepscombe and Edge among others.  The church isn't as old as first appearances suggested, most of it having been built in the Victorian era, this is borne out by the tombstones and sarcophagi dating back no later than the 1860s.  The lych gate, indeed being even more recent having been built to honour the veterans and the dead from the Great War.

So to my theories and supposition.  The Painswick valleys and surrounding areas, are full of myth and superstition and I reckon Cranham and Sheepscombe epitomise this.  Cast your minds back a few hundred years if you will.  There is no religious representation and the churches are way ahead in the future.  The average person will live to maybe his mid 30s.  The witchfinder general is revered as authority.  And in a way, with only a little imagination, you can understand why.  The whole area is still surrounded by woods that with only a little suggestion could be construed as a bit spooky, how much more so when the populace is, at best, poorly educated and whose religion is based on superstition.  The woods would have been thicker, there would have been no roads and no lighting.  The whole area is surrounded by Iron Age remnants, including mounds and burial sites.  It doesn't take much imagination to see why this area by rumour became a haven for witchcraft and ghoulies.

The road out of Cranham and back on to the ridge is one of them nasty 1 in 8 uphills that I really shouldn't ignore.  On this ocassion, however, it is the mini oil tanker coming down the hill on a bend just wide enough for mu bike let alone him that causes me to get off my bike and push into the hedge.

Once on the ridge, an undulating road takes me back up towards Birdlip.  I choose to take the very downhill through The Witcombes.  Downhill should be OK you might think.  This downhill can easily get you up to 70KM/h without pedalling but with mud and less savoury deposits on the roads and some nasty twists you would have to be a braver man than me.  Witcombe drops you in to Brockworth and I decide to amble back through the trading estate.  In my memory, this estate was filled with heavy industry, indeed my step dad worked at Sauro building fire engines until he retired in the 90s.  Before that, it was the Gloucester Aircraft Company and airfield where Frank Whittle developed the jet engine.  Now it appears as a sprawling expanse with a mixed use of housing, supermarket, warehouses and offices that ties Brockworth and Abbeymead together.  Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the estate, it has been done, in my opinion, quite well and that's a sign of the times that we don't have the call for heavy industry.  This here picture shows a view North across the estate with Chosen Hill/Churchdown Hill in the background.

Total distance - 25

Average Speed - 23 KM/h

Weather - about 10C, Rain, South Westerly wind.