Farmcote to Hailes Abbey (Cotswold Gateway Winchcombe Walk 6) - Circular Walk

Leave Back Lane car park via the far corner access into Cowl Lane. Turn right and follow the road to the High Street. Turn left and carefully cross the main street to the other side. Continue along to Castle Street on your right by the White Hart pub. Turn right into Castle Street and continue down the street to reach a finger post situated on your left between some houses. Turn left to follow the footpath to a gate. Go through the gate and bear right diagonally across the field (noting the medieval ridge and furrow undulations) to another gate (1).

Go through the gate and turn right along a lane for approx 120 metres, turn left at the Winchcombe Way finger post opposite a cottage. Enter the field
aiming for the telegraph post. From there towards a bridge on the right hand side hedge. Cross the bridge and bear left to a gate. Go through the gate and proceed straight ahead across the field to a gap in the field boundary on your right. Go through the gap and bear 45° left towards the external corner of the fence. Follow the fence to a stile, climb the stile and head uphill keeping to the left of the knoll of the hill. Look for a waymarked
post on the skyline and upon reaching, look back at the lovely view of Winchcombe and Sudeley valley.

Continue on to a stile on your left, go over the stile and follow the fence line
on your left uphill towards another stile (Stiles soon to be replaced with gates). Go across the stile, through a small sapling plantation and across another stile. Keep straight on towards the field boundary ahead. Keeping the boundary on your left and proceed to a gate. (At this point avoid following the farm track bearing right towards a gate to leave the route).

Go through and follow the path along the top of the pig enclosure to a gate.
Turn left following the fence to a gate in a dry stone wall. Go through the gate and continue straight ahead along the field boundary with a wall on your right.

Note the landscape now changes from a pastural valley to a more exposed upland agricultural setting.

After 200 metres a track appears from the left, ignore this and continue straight on to a field gate by a lane. At the lane turn left and follow until you reach a gate/cattle grid next to a sign, Little Farmcote Farm (2).

Turn right along a track towards the farm from where there are lovely views of Hayles Fruit farm and beyond to Evesham. Go through a gate and follow the way-marked signs between the farm buildings towards a large barn. Before the barn turn left to cross a stile then turn right and follow the fence. The path curves uphill to a gate with Farmcote valley coming into view.

Go through the gate and continue along the path following the contours of the land with a dry stone wall on your right. Eventually you meet a gate, go through the gate and follow the footpath straight on through a wooded area and another gate into a field. Follow the field right hand boundary to a stile and gate. Head straight on past a barn and follow the track to a gate by the road (3).

Cross the stile and turn left along the road for 25 metres to a finger post. Turn left and cross the stile back into the same field! The road section can be avoided. Diagonally cross the field, aiming left of the copse, over a small knoll down to a stile. Continue straight across the field to another stile.

Cross the stile and continue straight on towards a house. Here you will see the Malvern Hills in the distance on your left. Cross the stile and bear right
uphill towards a gate leading onto a lane. Go through the gate and turn left along the lane past St Faith’s Church, Farmcote and Farmcote Herb  Garden on your left. The surfaced road becomes a track descending slightly with lovely views ahead.

You will meet the Cotswold Way joining from your right via a gate. Following the Cotswold Way way markers continue straight on down the track until you reach a road (4).

Here the road to your left leads to Hayles Fruit Farm approx 200 metres with a farm shop and tearooms (for refreshments). Continue straight ahead along the road to Hailes Abbey (ruins) on your left with Hailes Church opposite, which has medieval wall paintings.

On your left is a finger post signposted Cotswold Way, turn left through the gate and head across the field to another gate. Go through the gate along a track to a lane. Turn right and follow the lane for approximately 100 metres to a finger post, turn left along a track signposted the Cotswold Way.

Continue along the track (ignoring the first footpath on your right after 200 metres) until the track begins to gently climb (5). Here there is a junction of footpaths, turn right along a grassy track signposted the Cotswold Way (045/298).

After approximately 150 metres bear left by a way-marked post, across a field to a stile. Cross the stile and turn left following the field boundary to a gate (no longer in use). Pass by the gate and follow the fence on the left, through another gate and views of Winchcombe will start to appear ahead of you. Go straight across the field and over a small bridge, bear right downhill towards a stile. Cross the stile/footbridge and continue along
the track until you reach the main road B4632.

Carefully cross the road and turn left along the pavement into Winchcombe. At the junction with North Street you can either turn right into North Street or continue ahead into High Street.

If you enter North Street, after approx 250 metres turn left at the crossroads and Back Lane car park is 100 metres on your left.

If you continue along the High Street turn right into Cowl Lane and follow this to Back Lane car park.

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