{"id":348,"date":"2011-03-26T01:06:52","date_gmt":"2011-03-26T01:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=348"},"modified":"2011-04-02T08:38:09","modified_gmt":"2011-04-02T08:38:09","slug":"chedworth-gloucestershire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=348","title":{"rendered":"Chedworth, Gloucestershire"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A golden afternoon after rain, with the sun spread like a layer of butter across the rich Cotswold stone of Chedworth&#8217;s houses.<br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">window.onload = setupZoom; function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk; var walkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=700,width=800,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script>First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('Chedworth.gpx');\" rel=\"nozoom\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\nFacebook Link: <script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=348\" layout=\"button_count\" show_faces=\"true\" width=\"200\" colorscheme=\"dark\"><\/fb:like><br \/>\nOld and new together, they huddled along the lane, sending columns of sweet-smelling applewood smoke vertically into the still air in the hollow. Up in Chedworth Woods above the village we turned down through ancient hazel coppice and came by Chedworth Roman Villa.<\/p>\n<p>What a moment that must have been on a workaday afternoon in 1864 when a gamekeeper, digging out his hideaway ferret from a rabbit burrow, unearthed fragments of ancient pottery and faded mosaic tiles. He told his employers, they passed on news of the find, and piece by piece the remains of one of the largest and finest Roman villas in Britain were excavated from the skirts of the wood \u2013 hot sauna, cold plunge pool, sacred spring, servants\u2019 quarters, latrines, corridors. Also a dining room with a glorious mosaic floor celebrating the Four Seasons \u2013 Winter cloaked, hooded and clutching a bare tree, Spring plump and comely with a bird in the hand.<\/p>\n<p>Jane\u2019s sharp eyes noticed a big edible snail inching through the leaves, its canary-yellow foot wrinkled like an old man\u2019s lips. These snails have been living here for 2,000 years, ever since the conquerors introduced them as delicacies for the pot. What a fabulous quality of life those Roman law-givers and road-builders enjoyed. Were they insecure in their luxury houses, aware of being envied and hated by the locals? Or were they like popular uncles, jolly and sybaritic, givers of great parties?  Did they give a damn either way? Musing on that, we followed the wood edge down to the lovely cluster of buildings at Yanworth Mill, then swung up again through the trees. <\/p>\n<p>Out onto the roof of the Cotswolds, tramping enormous fields of winter wheat; a steep descent by hedges hung with withered bryony berries into the roadless valley of Listercombe Bottom; up again by a wonderful old stone barn at Greenhill Farm, filled with the winter\u2019s firewood. On across a field where a rangy wire-haired lurcher crouched, furtively eating a young rabbit. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018A lovely afternoon you\u2019ve picked for it,\u2019 smiled the rider of a skittish glossy black hunter in the paddock at New Barn. \u2018Go across, he won\u2019t hurt you.\u2019  Nor did he. Huge wild weather clouds were building on the southern skyline, but we beat them back to Chedworth by a short head. Old Winter from the mosaic in his cloak and stout leggings would have outfaced the blast, for sure.<\/p>\n<p><U>Start &amp; finish<\/U>: Seven Tuns PH, Chedworth GL54 4AE (OS ref SP 052121)<br \/>\n<U>Getting there<\/U>: Bus &#8211; 864 (Cotswold Green: 01453-835153) Tue, Wed, Fri.<br \/>\nRoad: signed from A429 (Northleach-Cirencester).<br \/>\n<U>Walk<\/U><br \/>\n(7 miles, easy\/moderate, OS Explorer OL45): From Seven Tuns, right<br \/>\nalong road. In 100m, left by Corner Cottage. At top of slope, right<br \/>\n(\u2018Roman Villa, footpath only\u2019), over stile. Bear left to cross<br \/>\nstile; through plantation (053125, yellow arrow\/YA, Macmillan<br \/>\nWay\/MW). Ahead through gate at top; on into Chedworth Woods. In \u00bc<br \/>\nmile, right at post (051132, MW, \u2018Roman Villa\u2019). Pass Roman Villa<br \/>\n(053134); continue to \u2018Give Way\u2019 at crossroads (056135). Right<br \/>\nthrough green gates; continue for just over a mile. Through gates at<br \/>\nYanworth Mill; in 30m, right up footpath (072130, fingerpost) through<br \/>\nwoods (YAs, fingerposts). At edge of trees (066127), aim half left<br \/>\nfor pole; on to 3-finger post; don\u2019t turn right, but keep ahead to<br \/>\npole by gate. Cross road (065123, fingerpost); ahead into Listercombe<br \/>\nBottom. Through hedge on descending path to bottom of dip (064120).<br \/>\nOver crossroads of paths, and look for YA; make for fingerpost on<br \/>\nskyline. Diagonally left across field; over stile (YA); cross next<br \/>\nwall; right (066117) along broad walled ride to join Monarch\u2019s Way<br \/>\n(MoW) at crossroads (065115). Ahead downhill, following lane down and<br \/>\nthen up to cross road at Bleakmoor (063110). Right up lane by Emma\u2019s<br \/>\nCottage; in 50m, ahead; then swing left across disused railway. Track<br \/>\nbends right to cross Fields Road (058109, fingerpost). On across<br \/>\npaddocks (MoW), round New Barn (MoW) to cross road (049108). Aim half<br \/>\nleft (fingerpost, MoW); follow blue arrows\/MoW across 4 fields. At<br \/>\nend of 4th field (037103), right on Macmillan Way; follow it for 1<br \/>\nmile past Setts Farm to cross road (050117). Follow track opposite<br \/>\ninto Chedworth. <\/p>\n<p>Online map, more walks: <FONT COLOR=\"#0000ff\"><U><A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/\">www.christophersomerville.co.uk<\/A><\/U><\/FONT><\/p>\n<p><U>Lunch<\/U>:<br \/>\nSeven Tuns PH, Chedworth (01285-720242;<br \/>\n<FONT COLOR=\"#0000ff\"><U><A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.youngs.co.uk\/pubs-more.asp\">http:\/\/www.youngs.co.uk\/pubs-more.asp<\/A><\/U><\/FONT>) \u2013 wonderful gem of a characterful country pub<br \/>\n<U>Chedworth Roman Villa<\/U> (NT): 01242-890256;<br \/>\n<FONT COLOR=\"#0000ff\"><U><A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.nationaltrust.org.uk\/main\/w-chedworthromanvilla\">www.nationaltrust.org.uk\/main\/w-chedworthromanvilla<\/A><\/U><\/FONT>;<br \/>\n<FONT COLOR=\"#0000ff\"><U><A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.chedworthromanvilla.com\/\">www.chedworthromanvilla.com<\/A><\/U><\/FONT><br \/>\n<U>More info<\/U>: Cirencester TIC (01285-654180); <FONT COLOR=\"#0000ff\"><U><A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.visitcotswolds.co.uk\/\">www.visitcotswolds.co.uk<\/A><\/U><\/FONT><br \/>\n<FONT COLOR=\"#0000ff\"><U><A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.ramblers.org.uk\/\">www.ramblers.org.uk<\/A><\/U><\/FONT>;<br \/>\n<FONT COLOR=\"#0000ff\"><U><A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.satmap.com\/\">www.satmap.com<\/A><\/U><\/FONT><br \/>\n<FONT COLOR=\"#0000ff\"><U><A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.LogMyTrip.co.uk\/\">www.LogMyTrip.co.uk<\/A><\/U><\/FONT><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A golden afternoon after rain, with the sun spread like a layer of butter across the rich Cotswold stone of Chedworth&#8217;s houses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}