Upper Swainswick Circular (Timsbury Walk 8)

1 TADWICK LANE, UPPER SWAINSWICK
Walk back along Tadwick Lane and turn right signposted Bath. Stay on the right side of the road, then cross the road and follow the pavement left under the bridge at the sign for Bath A46. Follow the road as it bends around to the left and then just before you meet the A46 take a right turn with the public bridleway sign to the right. Walk up the lane for 100 yards to a wooden kissing gate on your right. Go through the wooden kissing gate and walk straight ahead across the field to a metal kissing gate. Go through and go carefully down the steep steps. There are good views of the valley of Chilcombe Bottom.

Follow the well-defined path to the right of a metal/wooden post in the field and then pass through the metal field gate to the left of a gap in the hedge and a stone building in the hedge. Turn right and go through the gap between the two hedges, not up the hill and not following the fence line. Continue along the path between two hedges until you reach a metal bridle gate. Proceed in the same direction along the narrow path until you come out into the open with a house on your right, which is Waterworks House.

Walk down the lane a few yards to a wooden kissing gate on your left which is a permissive footpath through the Wessex Water nature reserve. Take this path which is a lovely stretch with wild flowers, butterflies and hints of the former reservoir with bull rushes and reeds. Continue on the well-worn path through the nature reserve to a wooden gate beside the Strainer Well. Go through the gate and down the steps past the Valve House to join the road.

2 CHILCOMBE BOTTOM
Directly in front of you, after passing the valve house, are a footpath marker post and a metal gate. Go through the small metal gate and continue ahead passing through a Christmas tree plantation. The beginning can be a little bit muddy, but the path soon goes on to higher ground and is drier. Go through a wooden kissing gate into a field and walk along the left hedge line. The area to the left was once a small reservoir. The path becomes more of a woodland path with a stream to your left and a pumping station to your right. Go through two more wooden kissing gates passing another pumping station on your right.

Follow the left hedge through this field past a large fallen tree to reach a gated bridge on the left. Cross over the bridge, by the multiple footpath sign. After the bridge, ignore the footpath going straight ahead and walk diagonally right and slightly uphill to reach a metal kissing gate. Go through into the next field and carry on in the same direction to reach a metal kissing gate in the far corner of the field. Go through the kissing gate into the lane and turn right. There are good views to the right over towards Little Solsbury Hill. Walk along the lane until you reach a junction of roads. Directly opposite is a grit bin with a public footpath sign to the right of it. Follow the direction of the public footpath sign to the path behind the hedge to the right of the wooden field gate. There are lovely views of St Catherine’s valley to the left. Follow the path as it turns left and drops down to a metal gate. Go through the gate and turn left walking past the entrance to Radford Farm. Continue walking along this quiet lane for 600 yards, passing interesting buildings and with further good views of St Catherine’s valley, until the road forks. Take the left fork signposted to St Catherine’s Church. The fork to the right leads to Wessex Water’s Washpool Water Treatment Centre.

Carry on walking along the lane, ignoring a lane joining on the left. After 300 yards you pass a tall stone wall and The Mead. Immediately after is a plaque on the right which marks the site of the former Mead Tea Gardens. Continue on the lane for 950 yards to reach St Catherine’s Court and Church. The church is open to the public and well worth a visit.

3 ST CATHERINE’S COURT
After visiting St Catherine’s Church, continue walking along the quiet lane enjoying views of the valley. Go past a right turn, and then pass first The Hermitage and then further on St Catherine’s End House on your right. At the end of the wall after St Catherine’s End House there is a kissing gate. Don’t go through it, but stop to admire the lovely view up the valley. Then continue on the lane passing Paper Mill Cottage; then as you start to drop down there are bollards and a public footpath sign on the left. Turn left up the footpath and through the wooden gate. Continue up the hill through another wooden gate and a metal gate to come out into a field with Monkswood Reservoir on your right. Pause for a while to enjoy the views.

4 MONKSWOOD RESERVOIR
Continue walking along the side of the reservoir keeping it on your right. Follow the fence around to a metal kissing gate. Carry on close to the fence through the next field. Follow the path as it continues past the reservoir, keeping the trees on your right. Go through a gap in the hedge. Walk for 60 yards then turn right and walk into the trees (the path is not very obvious) to a wooden bridge with stiles at each end crossing the stream. After the bridge turn left and continue walking up the valley keeping the stream on your left and the hillside on your right. This is a delightful valley with wildflowers.

As you go into some trees there is a metal kissing gate on your left. Go through this and walk up the hill on the obvious path to the next metal kissing gate at the top. Go through the metal kissing gate into the next field and walk ahead keeping the hedge on your left. Head for the wide gap in the hedge ahead, ignoring the kissing gate in the left hand corner of the field. Walk straight ahead towards a wooden kissing gate. CAREFULLY CROSS the very busy A46 to the wooden kissing gate directly opposite. Go down the steps and follow the white footpath arrow ahead. Beckford’s Tower can be seen in the distance to the left over the top of the house. Walk down a narrow path between a hedge on your right and a disused building on your left. There are good views to your right.

Walk down to a wooden kissing gate; there further good views down the valley. Walk down keeping the hedge on your right. About half way down you can see a fenced structure in the field on your right. This marks Tadwick Reservoir. As you get closer to the buildings, ignore the metal kissing gate directly ahead, but go through the metal gate to the right of the metal field gate. Keep the hedge and buildings on your left and take the metal kissing gate in the hedge on the left. Go down the steps and then continue straight ahead down the drive to reach what is Tadwick Lane in the hamlet of Tadwick.

5 TADWICK
Turn left, then right down the side of Periwinkle Cottage and pass through the metal kissing gate into the field. Go to the right of the water trough and aim diagonally right for the farmhouse in the distance. Drop down the field keeping close to the right-hand hedge. As you near the bottom of the field, come in from the right hand hedge until you see a metal foot bridge in the trees. Cross this and head straight up the hill towards the farm which is in the top right hand corner of the field. Once you are in line with the kissing gate on the right turn left and head for the kissing gate in the left hedge line. Go through and head straight across the field towards the Bristol Gate ahead, not the wooden field gate to the right. Continue along the top edge of the field to another Bristol Gate and go into the next field.

Continue along the top edge of the field keeping the stone wall on your right. Ashcombe House can be seen in the distance to your left. Follow the hedge line round to the right and keeping the barn on your left. Go through a Bristol Gate into the lane. Turn left and walk 450 yards down to a T-junction. Turn right and pass The Cottage and then a metal kissing gate on your left. The walk continues through this kissing gate, but it is well worth going a 100 yards up the hill to St Mary Magdalene Church in Langridge. It is a lovely little church and well worth a visit.

6 LANGRIDGE
After visiting the church, walk back down the hill and go through the metal kissing gate on your right. At the footpath sign shortly after, walk over the gated bridge on your left. Turn right and walk upwards to the brow of the hill. At the brow of the hill follow a marker post towards a metal kissing gate. Go through and walk straight across the top of the field to a metal gate beside a metal field gate. Go through into the next field and follow the well-worn path sloping slightly down to the left. The path bends around to the right. Continue along this line through the field. Go through a small metal gate into the next field. Follow the contours along until you get to another metal gate. Go into the next field keeping the hedge on your right. Pass through a metal field gate keeping the hedge on your right. Woolley Church comes into view ahead of you. Go through a metal kissing gate onto a track. Continue on then turn right when you join the lane and then left down to Woolley Church.

7 WOOLLEY
Go over the stone stile to the right of the church and walk down the narrow path between fence and wall. Go through the metal kissing gate into the field. Keep the hedge line close on your left as you walk down the hill. Go through a metal gate beside wooden field gate. The village of Upper Swainswick is ahead of you. Walk down the field bearing right to the bottom right corner of the field. Go over the gated bridge into the field and turn right keeping the stream on your right. Go through the metal kissing gate, cross the bridge and go through the metal gate.

Follow the direction of the yellow footpath arrow up the hill. You approach a cottage with a white conservatory. The footpath goes through the garden and out into the lane. Then walk straight ahead up the lane with the church on your left. At the T-junction at the top, turn right and walk past a small green with a water trough on your left and an oak tree in the middle. Continue on to the start of the walk.

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