The Tytherington 5

The Tytherington Set

This group of walks based on the Y2C minibus was formerly known as the the Tytherington 5, but that rather undersells the possibilities. All the walks explore aspects of the ridge of Tytherington Hill and end with a descent into Thornbury with spectacular views across the Severn Vale behind. Most of them also offer views across the Ladden Vale towards the Cotswold escarpment. There are at least seven of them between 5K and 8K (or 3 miles to 5 miles.) This number can easily be increased by combining elements from different versions.

Four at 5K

Two from the Stowell Hill Road bus stop

These two basic routes are 5K or 3 miles. There is one stile on the route and some awkward steps.

Start from the Stowell Hill Road Y2C bus stop, which is on the left just after the mini bus goes under the motorway.

In both cases: follow the path by the bus stop between two gates. There is a private wood on the left and housing on the right.

At the end of the path, turn right through a cul de sac, then left up the hill, with more woodland on your right.

At the top, turn left under the motorway and then right on the other side.

Just before a farm gate, turn left through a Bristol Gate into a field. Follow the hedge on your right to the end and then turn right and then left over a stone stile (which you can avoid by diverting through a couple of gates).

The green security fence on the other side of the field conceals a flooded quarry.

Keep going with a hedge on your left, downhill, through a gateway and up the other side to a kissing gate leading to a path alongside a wood. Keep going to pass a house on the left and a water tower on the right to emerge through a gate onto the A38.

Cross the road carefully to the footpath that goes down some awkward steps, down the side of a wood and down some more steps to the Hackett.

Turn left up the road to a kissing gate on the right into Cleve Wood.

The Cleve Wood Version

Turn left to explore Cleve Wood. (There is more than one way to do this.) If you take the top path through the wood you will finish by going downhill to a rill or streamlet, where there is a potential shrine under a hazel tree.

Continue around to the right and up to a gap in the hedge. On the other side, go uphill to join the yellow path. Turn right and then left and follow the subsidiary path around the houses until you come to a spur leading through to the road.

Turn right and cross Morton Way. Turn left to cross Govesend Road then right and left into Avon Way. Cross Bockenem Close and cross the road at the bus stop.

Bockenem Close is named after Thornbury’s twin town in Lower Saxony, Germany.

Continue around the corner to a mini roundabout. Cross into Link Road and immediately right into the Railway Path.

At the end of the Railway Path cross Midland Way and then Cooper Road into the lower path next to the essilor factory. Turn right to the old railway tunnel under Midland Way. On the other side, turn left up Streamleaze then right along Rock Street to return to the bus stops.

The Crossways Wood (Or Hackett Wood) Version

From the kissing gate into Cleve Wood, go straight down the hill, through a shallow ford and up the other side. Through the hedge, keep right to join the yellow path and follow it to the right.

Keep straight on across a crosspath and keep left to find a footpath into Crossways Wood (which Willy Gray assures me should be called Hackett Wood. It is also known as the Bluebell Wood, but in the season, there are also bluebells in Cleve Wood.)

Keep straight on over another footbridge to emerge on Morton Way. Cross the road and turn left and right next to the post box. The paths under the oak trees lead to a major footbridge. Turn left on the other side and follow the path around to Malvern Drive.

Turn left and cross Grovesend Road. follow the paths between the houses opposite Malvern Drive. You will come out next to a new plantation. Turn right and follow the path alongside the far side of the Streamleaze Open Space.

You will pass some interesting trees including a baby Giant Sequoia and a Gingko and a couple of older plantations before you arrive at Streamleaze road.

Cross the road and turn left past an Italian Alder. Cross Hamble Close and turn right on a tarmac path. Just before the path bends to the right, turn left down a major path that comes out in Bath Road that in turn leads to Rock Street car park, where you caught the bus.

Two from the Swan – on the Jubilee Way

About 5K or 3 miles. There is one stile.

From the bus stop near the back entrance to the Swan, head up West Street between farms and houses on the left and a disused quarry on the right. When the tarmac runs out, bear left around a metal barrier and keep going to a stile into a field.

Head up the field shadowing the hedge on the left through some scrubby trees towards the motorway. In the top left corner, go through a kissing gate into the field.

Follow the path alongside the motorway through two more kissing gates the last of which leads to a path down to a road.

There is a lot of noise from the motorway, but it is worth it for the views across the Ladden Vale on the left.

Turn right on the road and head under the motorway. On the far side follow the footway around to the right and cross into the Jubilee Way opposite the Wolfridge secure dog field.

The track goes straight on across the field to join Abbey Lane. Continue up the hill to the A38. Cross carefully into the tarmac version of Abbey Lane.

The Railway Version

When the lane bends to the left, go straight ahead to a kissing gate into a field. Continue down the hill to pick up another kissing gate next to a field gate. Follow the diagonal path down the field to a pair of gates into the next field. Go past the field gate to a kissing gate onto the road.

Cross the road to an enclosed path between the houses. Keep left up the slope onto the railway path and follow this to the end.

Cross the road using the pedestrian crossing. Go past Aldi and follow the path around to the middle of the St Mary Centre. Hawkes House is ahead, but to make this a Tale of Two Swans turn right past the computer shop to find the back entrance to the Swan.

The Filnore Woods Version

Just before the road bends around to the left, turn left on the path through the bushes, which is where the Jubilee Way goes.

Follow the hedge on your right until you reach a kissing gate. (if you have time you could extend the walk by following the hedge on the left after the kissing gate, but that would take you past the 5 K mark)

Through the gate, follow the Jubilee Way down the hill to another one. Continue down the hill past a magnificent Beech tree. At the bottom, turn right and then left to follow the Jubilee Way along the edge of the Industrial Estate.

Take the second turning on the right that takes you past Thornbury Farm Wood and the Tesco car park to the Railway Tunnel under Midland Way.

On the far side, turn left up Streamleaze then right on Rock Street to return to the bus stop where you started.

You have probably earned a visit to a pub on a cafe!

There are several to choose from in the town.

3 Ridge Walks from the Swan

From 6K (3.7miles) to 8K (5 miles)

These all start from the Y2C bus stop at the back of the Swan by going up Baden Hill Road, which is opposite the front entrance to the Swan.

After about 300m, go up the steps on the left. At the top, turn right and follow the green of Tytherington Hill until you come to a kissing gate into a wood.

1 The Milbury Heath Plantation Version

About 6K or 3.7 miles. There are two sets of steps with stone stiles.

Go through the kissing gate and follow the path along the top of the ridge beside the quarry before descending to the junction between Baden Hill Road and Cuttsheath Road.

Turn left up Cuttsheath Road. Continue past the hamlet of Baden Hill up to the junction of Cuttsheath Road with New Road and turn right.

Follow the road past the Tower Hill Solar Farm and over the motorway and look for a bridle path on the left.

Follow the bridle path past Milbury Heath Plantation and around to the right. The path becomes metalled and just as the road bends to the right, look for a kissing gate on the left.

Through the gate, turn right and follow the path past the farm buildings and across the fields to a kissing gate at the corner of a wood.

Through the gate and over a footbridge, follow the path to the left through the woods and along a ride that comes out through a Bristol gate onto the A38.

Turn left and immediately right to cross the road carefully to the footpath that goes down some steps to an avoidable stone stile, down the side of a wood to another stone stile and some more steps to the Hackett.

Turn left up the road to a kissing gate on the right into Cleve Wood. Go straight down the hill, through a shallow ford and up the other side. Through the hedge follow the path around to the right and then straight on alongside a hedge to emerge through a kissing gate onto Morton Way.

Cross the road and turn left and then right down Chiltern Park. At the junction, cross over into the left hand of the two paths through the houses opposite. Keep left to emerge on Malvern Drive.

Keep going on this path until you have to turn right and then left to the underpass beneath Streamleaze Road.

Follow the path uphill and round to the left then right and left again to follow the hedge around the housing. You will come to a turning on the right that leads past Gillingstool Primary School into Bath Road.

Continue straight ahead to join Rock Street.

2 The Hope Farm Version

Circa 8K. There are about 6 stiles.

Go through the kissing gate and follow the path along the top of the ridge beside the quarry before descending to the junction between Baden Hill Road and Cuttsheath Road.

From the junction of Cuttsheath Road and Baden Hill Road, go straight ahead through the pedestrian gate into an enclosed path past a house into a field.

Keep straight ahead to a stone stile into the edge of a wood. Keep going over another stone stile until you reach the end of the wood. Follow the path around the end of the wood. The definitive path goes around the far side of the wood to a wooden stile among the brambles, but most people seem to use the gap into the next field.

Go across the next field to a stile in the hedge. It is a bit to the left if you have gone through the gap. In the next field go diagonally left up the field. Your target is a kissing gate to the left of a ruined building beside a pylon. It leads to an enclosed path leading to another kissing gate.

In the next field, follow the right hand hedge down to a kissing gate and on to a wooden hunting gate that leads into the yard of Hope Farm.

The Donkey Pond Version joins here

Follow the farm road around the buildings until you come out onto Cromhall Lane.

Follow the lane to the left over the motorway and continue past Brinkmarsh Lane on the right and keep going straight ahead when Cuttsheath Road joins from the left. I don’t usually go for tarmac, but I think this route is to be preferred because of the views to the right every time you pass a gate. There is even a bench to help you enjoy the views, just before Green Lane joins from the left.

Turn right down Chapel Lane to the A38. Cross carefully to a stile a little to the right and head diagonally left down the field to a mini gate and some steps down to a lane called Hobbs Path.

Turn left to Whitewall Lane, then turn right to find steps up to the field on your left. The path heads straight across the field for about half a kilometre to a gate. Bear right down the track to a stile onto the Hackett. Turn right and follow the road down to the corner, where there is a kissing gate into a field. Follow the right hand hedge down to a yellow path and follow it down the side of Crossways Wood to Morton Way (unless it is the bluebell season, in which case you will want to make your way through the wood.)

Cross the road and turn right and left next to the post box. The paths under the oak trees lead to a major footbridge. Turn left on the other side and follow the path around to Malvern Drive.

Turn left and cross Grovesend Road. Follow the paths between the houses opposite Malvern Drive. You will come out next to a new plantation. Turn right and follow the path alongside the far side of the Streamleaze Open Space.

You will pass some interesting trees including a baby Giant Sequoia and a Gingko and a couple of older plantations before you arrive at Streamleaze road.

3 The Tower Hill Farm Versions

Main route 6.5 K or 4 miles with 8 or 9 stiles.

These versions cut the corners of the other two, allowing us to add some other possibilities. There are some challenging stiles.

Do not go through the gate into the wood. Instead look to the right where there is a stone stile between the gate and Tower Hill Farm.

Over the stile, head diagonally left down the hill where you will find a narrow metal stile made out of tramlines and cross pieces. If you are shorter than my five foot eleven, you may find this uncomfortable!

Carry on, on the same line to a similar stile concealed in the hedge. The path continues on the diagonal to the far corner of the field, where there are a pair of stone stiles that lead to a path past a house that lead across Baden Hill Common to Cuttsheath Road.

Turn left. (This is where you cut across the Milbury Heath Plantation route.)

The Donkey Pond Version

7K or 4.4 miles. 7 stiles in total.

Turn right past a group of three cottages to a sturdily intimidating wooden gate, beyond which is a kissing gate into a donkey paddock. Go through the paddock to another kissing gate.

Head down the hill to a Bristol gate that leads to a a path past a pond, where duck were formerly kept for shooting. The path is prone to being overgrown with brambles and leads to field gate into pasture that often supports sheep and/or goats and a beached rowing boat.

Go past a pair of splendid pollarded sycamore trees to a wooden gate into a farm yard.

This is Hope Farm so follow the Hope Farm Version from here.

The Cuttsheath Versions

From Baden Hill Common – continue along Cuttsheath Road until it is joined by New Road from the left. This is Cuttsheath according to the OS Map.

Keep going along the road to the right. You are following the Thornbury Parish Boundary past the Tower Hill Solar Farm on the left with its grazing sheep and the valley or hope on the right, which gives its name to Hope Farm.

After you cross the motorway, you will come across a bridle way on the left. If you wanted to, you could turn down here to join the Milbury Heath Plantation Version (About 6K) . But we will go on.

You are looking for a kissing gate up the slope on your left, opposite the farm house. If you look carefully, you may see a badger’s set in the bushes just before you come to the kissing gate.

Through the kissing gate head diagonally right up the hill to a well made stile two thirds of the way along a post and rail fence.

Continue along the same diagonal to a stile and kissing gate next to a stable.

Inexorably, the path keeps to the established diagonal to a kissing gate in a hedge and on to a stone stile and rail hidden over to the left. These are arable fields, and, at some times of the year, you may want to follow the adjacent and opposite sides rather than the legally correct hypotenuse.

If you have successfully kept to the correct line, you should emerge through a kissing gate onto Green Lane. Turn right and then left to join the Hope Farm Version.

If conditions underfoot have been particularly tiresome in the arable fields, you will probably want to reward yourself with a visit to Dobbies, the Garden Centre instead.

In which case, keep left past the pond with the Goat Willow growing next to it and follow the road round to the Garden Centre.

When you emerge, turn left and head down to the A 38.

Cross the road when safe and turn left to find Hackett Hill on your right. This is a single track road with very little traffic and even vegetation in the middle, but be careful. It is not traffic free.

At the junction, turn left and then right through a kissing gate into the top of Cleve Wood.

Head down the hill to a ford over a little stream. Head up the hill on the other side to gap/kissing gate into the Cleve Wood estate. Follow the right hand hedge across an estate road and out onto Morton Way.

Cross the road and turn left and then right into Chiltern Park, then left and then right again on the second footpath between the houses. Follow the path around to the left to emerge in Malvern Drive. Turn left, then cross Grovesend Road.

Turn right and then left between the houses. Turn right at a mini plantation and follow the left hand side of a long green space past individual trees and spinneys to emerge on Streamleaze road.