[1] From the car park, walk down Stamages Lane. It becomes Stepping Stones Lane and continues downhill to reach a bridge over a stream. Take the stone steps down to the right and walk with the stream on your right. Climb a stile into a field, then keep with the stream to cross another stile and weir beyond. Turn left onto the track, pass the splendid Kings Mill House and re-cross the watercourse, then continue to a tarmac lane. Turn right and head towards the houses, where you follow the gravel drive ahead through a cluster of beautiful Cotswold stone buildings known as Sheephouse, and continue through a kissing gate into a field. Cross the field, going slightly left of straight ahead, to the top of a steep bank, which you descend to reach a footbridge.
[2] Now climb to the top right of the next field to a stile, then in the following field go half-right towards a lone tree, a barn roof becoming visible as you progress. To the right of the tree, look for a stile in the fence, cross, then keep in the same direction down the hill towards houses. Climb the stile in the wooden fence, then descend to another between the houses. A few yards beyond the stile, take stone steps down to the right, then follow the path to reach a lane. Turn right, passing the lovely Weavers Mill.
(A) From the 14th century onwards, sheep farming played a significant part in shaping the landscape. There was even a specialised Longwool breed, the Cotswold Lion, yielding a heavy, lustrous fleece. The sheep remain, listed as ‘At Risk’ by The Rare Breeds Survival Trust, but there is little to see of the mills and factories that once lined the riverbanks and processed their wool.
Follow the lane for a short distance, then take the stile on the left and climb the field aiming for the electricity pole. Continue to the top of the hill where a stile by a gate gives access to the busy A46 road. Go left for a few paces, then cross with care and climb the stile, which can be overgrown in summer, into a field. Go up the field, keeping to the left boundary, then climb a stile to the right of the house and follow the footpath ahead to reach a driveway, where you continue to a road.
[3] Cross the road and take the lane ahead that climbs to the village of Pitchcombe. Walk all the way through the village and climb steeply to a crossroads, where you take the ‘No Through Road’ to the right. Follow the road to its end, go through the gate ahead and walk up the field, exiting at the top right corner. Ignore the stile and gate on the right, but follow the track up ahead, which peters out in the field. You have a long, steady climb through the field now, keeping roughly to the left boundary to reach a stile at the far end. Beyond, follow the enclosed path ahead to the road. Cross over and go left a short distance, then take the lane on the right signed ‘Randwick’. In just a few yards, climb a stile on the right and walk with woodland to your left. Ignore a waymarked stone stile on the left after about 200 yards and continue, keeping close to the left boundary for about 400 more yards. As soon as the path enters the trees turn left through a wide gap in the wall. If the gap in the wall is blocked by undergrowth during the summer, just keep straight ahead with the wall on your left to reach the car park.This path is a little rougher than the one on the left of the wall though.
[4] Once through, you come to a clear path, turn right and walk with the old wall on your right. Follow this path until you reach a car park. Immediately go left, leaving the parking area through a gate, and follow the ‘Cotswold Way’ sign. (You will now be following the Cotswold Way for a while.) Continue ahead on a level path until you reach the topograph. There are fine (if windswept) views from here.
[5] The walk continues half-back right along a path that contours around the hilltop above the woodland to your left. On reaching the far left field corner, you will spot waymark post with a kissing gate ahead. Do not go through, but turn left just in front, on a broad, descending path to reach a double-hinged gate. Go through and continue to a fork in the path where you climb up to the right, soon reaching steps and a road. Turn left and follow the path past the National Trust sign, going through a couple of gates to reach a hill fort; continue to the trig point.
(B) Haresfield Beacon, 700 feet above sea level, provides spectacular views over the Severn Vale. This 39-hectare Iron Age site is enclosed by a single rampart and ditch.
Now follow the ‘Cotswold Way’ signs on the path above the trees. Go through a gate then pick up the farm track and descend to a farm where you go through a gate to a lane.
[6] Walk left for a short distance, then go right, following the ‘Cotswold Way’ onto a track. Ignore paths left and right in this woodland, continuing to reach a monument commemorating the siege of Gloucester in 1643, now hidden by trees, and almost forgotten. There would have been splendid views over the city when these stones were erected.
(C) The Cotswolds have always been strategically important, particularly during the Civil War when forces loyal to the King took on the Parliamentarians. Battles and skirmishes were regular events here during the seven years of conflict.
Continue on your way now, passing an old well just before reaching a lane. Turn right, then almost immediately fork left down a dirt track.
[7] We leave the Cotswold Way here for a while, for a much prettier route.
Head down to Tump Farm. At the gate to the farm go right, along a fenced footpath with fields to the left and woods to the right. At the end of the path go through a new metal kissing gate. Go steeply downhill, angling right, to pass through two further kissing gates, and then head towards the woods. Go left before reaching them, over a stile by a wooden gate and over a second stile immediately beyond. Then walk straight ahead through two more fields to reach a tarmac lane. Turn right along the lane to reach the gate to Randall's Farm. Go through the gate and turn right immediately. Walk up track, and when it ends keep straight on to a metal gate leading into woodland. Go ahead a few steps, then up to the left through the trees, the path becoming more obvious as you progress. At the top of the wood with houses ahead, go through a gate and follow the path up to the right of the house to reach a broad track.
[8] Turn left and walk past the house, then continue until you approach further houses on the left. Look right for the ‘Cotswold Way’ sign. (You will be following the ‘Way’ back to Painswick.) The path climbs steeply through woodland to reach a road. Cross over and follow the waymarks leading you into a disused quarry. Go through a gate and keep to the wire fence, climbing steps leading to an open area and following the waymarks ahead, then right, and descending to cross a broad path. Keep in the same direction following the narrow, waymarked path and crossing another broad path, beyond which you continue your descent into a silver birch wood followed by a third broad path that you cross half-right. Continue your waymarked descent, eventually picking up a wire fence on the left and reaching a road opposite the Edgemoor Inn.
[9] Cross the road with care, and walk right alongside the car park, then take the lane on the left, walking down to a kissing gate on the left. Pass through and walk down the field to a gate on the right that leads into the next field. Go ahead now, down the meadow and aiming for the lower corner, passing a ‘Cotswold Way’ milestone. Fortunately, we don’t have so far to walk! At the bottom of the field, go through a gate and descend to a footbridge. Beyond, go right, through a kissing gate to enter a meadow. Walk ahead, with the stream down to the right, and go through another kissing gate in the fence on the left. Proceed now in the same direction with the fence on your right and heading for a barn that you pass on your right, then continuing to a house.
[10] Turn right immediately after the house, passing in front of it, then crossing a stream and climbing the track ahead. Pass through a kissing gate and walk ahead, keeping left as far as a protruding corner. Here, strike out across the field towards the distant spire of Painswick church. Turn left at the far boundary, ignoring a kissing gate accessing playing fields, and walk with the hedge to go through a further gate. Now follow the fence on the left, climbing the hill to a gate.
[11] Take the narrow path between gardens to reach a driveway. Immediately turn right here, along another narrow path, then through a kissing gate into a field. Go ahead, following the right boundary to the far corner.
(D) The tall black metal post in the field corner here is a memorial to Tony Drake. Tony, who died in 2012, was a long standing Ramblers volunteer, who gave many decades of fine service. He helped create the Cotswold Way in the 1960s, and without his efforts we would not being enjoying walks like this today.
Cross the stile, turn right and walk into the town, reaching the main road opposite the church.
(E) Painswick, known as the ‘Queen of the Cotswolds’ was largely built on income from the wool trade. Using mellow Cotswold stone from local quarries, it has many fine buildings clustered around quaint, narrow streets.
The church of St. Mary’s , originally of Norman origin, was extended around 1480 in the English perpendicular style. In 1883, the spire was struck by lightning, causing great damage as it crashed through the roof. The churchyard is famous for its 100 yew trees and its lychgate entrance, made from timbers from the old belfry, complete with carved bells.
Go right, passing the churchyard, to reach the car park a short distance down the road on the left.