Walk August.qxp_Layout 1 21/07/2022 11:08 Page 1
THE | WALK
A Wiltshire Cotswolds walk
Andrew Swift walks from the picturesque village of Biddestone, taking in ducks, pigs, a ruined fulling mill, a church once sacked by Parliamentary soldiers, packhorse trails, hidden valleys and dark woods
B
iddestone is one of the most picturesque villages in Wiltshire, yet, despite being only a couple of miles from Castle Combe, gets only a fraction of its visitors. Much of it is ranged around one of the finest greens in England, where a reedy pond, loud with ducks, is overlooked by a 17th-century farmhouse with a gazebo perched on its garden wall. Nestling alongside it is the resolutely traditional White Horse, while, on the far side of the green, grand houses are set back between rows of cottages, all built – and tiled – with local stone. Biddestone is also the starting point for an exploration of one of the most glorious – and at times strangest – parts of Wiltshire, where packhorse trails wind along hidden valleys and climb through dark woods. To get to the starting point, head east from Bath along the A4 for 10 miles, and, after passing Pickwick, turn left at traffic lights following a sign for Biddestone. When you reach the village, there should be parking just past the White Horse on the Green (although not on the grass) (ST844736: SN14 7DG). If there isn’t, carry on and turn left into Church Road. The walk starts by heading along Church Road, where the Church of St Nicholas boasts a remarkable medieval bell turret. Inside, the church is a delight, low-roofed, with box pews and a gallery. Carry on along The Butts, where the run of splendid buildings continues with 18th-century Mountjoy Farm and thatched cottages. When the road swings left to Hartham, carry straight on along Weavern Lane, with blackberries ripening in the hedgerows and a rich variety of plants in the verges. After 1100m, as the land starts dropping gently downhill, the views ahead, down the By Brook Valley to Bath, open up. After another 750m, when the lane divides, take the left fork to carry straight on (ST849718). Go through a gate as the lane, growing ever rougher, continues downhill for 225m, before coming to another fork, just before some impressive log piles Turn left to head steeply downhill, continuing over a cross track and heading into woodland. At the bottom, carry on along the bridleway, ignoring a footpath on the left. Soon the track starts curving uphill, its high banks indicating that it was once a packhorse trail. When it meets another track by a large stone, turn right downhill (ST844715). After 125m, cross another track and carry straight on through a gate to emerge into a glorious hidden valley. After another 300m, when you come to a couple of gates – a farm gate and a handgate – in the valley bottom, don’t go through either but turn right The Green at Biddestone
The By Brook near Slaughterford
alongside the fence to follow an almost imperceptible track which becomes clearer as it enters the woods (ST842717). This narrow, rutted bridleway – which appears on old maps as a wide packhorse trail – climbs to a gate leading back onto Weavern Lane, along which you turn left. In contrast to the section you walked along earlier, the next 1300m is heavily rutted and notoriously muddy, even in the dry season. Eventually, however, after passing a farm turning on the right, tarmac returns. Another 250m further on, when a lane swings in from the right, carry straight on, and, after 300m, turn down a byway on the left (ST843737). This leads through Chapps Mill, originally a fulling mill, which was converted to produce paper in 1790, and, apart from a hiatus between 1805 and 1827, continued to do so until 1994. Some of the buildings are now home to a variety of studios and workshops, but parts of the site remain derelict. Follow byway signs to the right and then left through the site, and, on leaving it, turn right, following a Heritage Trail waymark. Turn right at a T junction, cross the By Brook and turn left. This is the village of Slaughterford, so called, it was once believed, because King Alfred scored a victory over Danish forces here. Today, however, its name is thought to have had a less violent genesis, as ‘sloe-tree ford’. After 75m, when the lane swings right. carry straight on along a footpath into Rag Mill Wood. To the left of the path is a dried-up leat, leading to the ruins of Rag Mill. This was a fulling mill until 1890, when it was converted to process rags for paper-making at Chapps Mill. It was demolished in 1964, although the remains of an overshot waterwheel and a boiler can still be seen in the undergrowth. Just Dropping down to the By Brook Valley
