"Take this easy route from one of Gloucestershire’s medieval wool towns to return by the river’s edge."
Walk directions
From the car park turn right along Mill Lane, to the old mill and bridge. Beyond the bridge reach a small garden flanked on two sides by an ancient shelter consisting of a stone slate roof supported by weathered wooden pillars – these are restored ox-pens. Continue along the road, and after 150yds (137m) turn left over a stile into a meadow. Go straight across to the other side to reach the buildings of Fairford, pass through a gate and cross a stile to a road.
Cross the road and join Waterloo Lane, staying on this as it becomes a footpath. Avoid a path and bridge on the left and keep ahead. Where the football pitches come to an end, bear left along a footpath behind some houses. Stay on the path, cross a drive to pass beside a garden dotted with trees and a secluded bungalow, and soon reach a junction.
Turn left to enter a farmyard, and then turn right, aiming for a point to the left of a cottage. Pass the cottage and cross a double stile into a field. Bear left to the right of the river, to meet a stile at the edge of woodland. Cross onto a wide grassy track and continue close to the woodland, the river easing away to your left. Where the woods come to an end, pass beneath electricity cables and keep ahead to a gate and bridge in the far corner of the field, among bushes and trees. Enter the woodland, and beyond the trees follow the footpath across a marshy area to a bridge over the river.
Beyond the bridge is a conveniently placed seat. Follow the riverbank to the left for 40yds (37m), and cross a footbridge on the right. Now the route enters an area of former gravel pits, part of the Cotswold Water Park. Walk anti-clockwise around the first lake, approaching but avoiding a road just across a meadow. On reaching a path junction at its northwest corner, turn left. At the next junction keep left, avoiding a path running into a field. Follow the path to a bridge on the right, cross it and turn right.
Keep to the riverbank and make for the outskirts of Fairford. Houses can be seen near by. Follow the route into Gas Lane and then left into Back Lane. In the town centre, cross over the A417, passing The Bull Hotel on the left. St Mary’s Church and the car park where the walk began lie a short distance beyond.
Fairford, like so many other small towns in the Cotswolds, owes its original importance to the medieval wool trade, and to one family in particular – the Tames. They were wool merchants, and it was their money that embellished St Mary’s Church, one of the great Cotswold wool churches. The... 16th-century writer and antiquary John Leland wrote, ‘John Tame began the fair new chirche of Fairforde, and Edmund Tame finished it.’ John Tame bought the manor, and rebuilt the church on the foundations of its predecessor. The church’s best feature is the near-complete set of medieval stained-glass windows. They were made in the late 15th century, probably by the Flemish craftsman Barnard Flower (who also worked on Westminster Abbey and at King’s College, Cambridge.) The idea behind the windows in St Mary’s is to explain the Christian faith as if the onlooker were turning the pages of a picture book. They are arranged symmetrically. On one wall are windows depicting 12 prophets, opposite which are depicted the 12 Apostles. The journey around the church, bathed in the magical light thrown down by the windows, is memorable. There are other things to admire here: John Tame’s tomb, the amusing misericord seats in the chancel, and the gravestone of Tiddles the cat in the churchyard. The walk follows the Coln – one of Gloucestershire’s prettiest rivers – at different stages, and it provides the perfect setting for peaceful riverside strolling. Along this stretch you might spot swans, kingfishers, brown trout and possibly elusive water voles. While Fairford lies on the banks of the River Coln, where it meanders peacefully across a flat landscape of meadows and woodland, the town has an association with noise. Concorde was tested at the nearby airbase, and over recent decades it has served as a base for various military campaigns around the world. Every summer the Royal International Air Tatoo is held here.
Gloucestershire is home to a variety of landscapes, including the Cotswolds, a region of gentle hills, valleys and gem-like villages that roll through the county. To their west is the Severn Plain, watered by Britain’s longest river and characterised by orchards and farms marked out by hedgerows that blaze with mayflower in the spring; beyond the Severn are the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley.
"Take this easy route from one of Gloucestershire’s medieval wool towns to return by the river’s edge."
Walk details
1hr 30min
Difficulty:
Easy
Gradient:
Flat
Distance:
3.75 miles (6kms)
Ascent:
15ft (5m)
Walk directions
From the car park turn right along Mill Lane, to the old mill and bridge. Beyond the bridge reach a small garden flanked on two sides by an ancient shelter consisting of a stone slate roof supported by weathered wooden pillars – these are restored ox-pens. Continue along the road, and after 150yds (137m) turn left over a stile into a meadow. Go straight across to the other side to reach the buildings of Fairford, pass through a gate and cross a stile to a road.
1 of 5
Cross the road and join Waterloo Lane, staying on this as it becomes a footpath. Avoid a path and bridge on the left and keep ahead. Where the football pitches come to an end, bear left along a footpath behind some houses. Stay on the path, cross a drive to pass beside a garden dotted with trees and a secluded bungalow, and soon reach a junction.
2 of 5
Turn left to enter a farmyard, and then turn right, aiming for a point to the left of a cottage. Pass the cottage and cross a double stile into a field. Bear left to the right of the river, to meet a stile at the edge of woodland. Cross onto a wide grassy track and continue close to the woodland, the river easing away to your left. Where the woods come to an end, pass beneath electricity cables and keep ahead to a gate and bridge in the far corner of the field, among bushes and trees. Enter the woodland, and beyond the trees follow the footpath across a marshy area to a bridge over the river.
3 of 5
Beyond the bridge is a conveniently placed seat. Follow the riverbank to the left for 40yds (37m), and cross a footbridge on the right. Now the route enters an area of former gravel pits, part of the Cotswold Water Park. Walk anti-clockwise around the first lake, approaching but avoiding a road just across a meadow. On reaching a path junction at its northwest corner, turn left. At the next junction keep left, avoiding a path running into a field. Follow the path to a bridge on the right, cross it and turn right.
4 of 5
Keep to the riverbank and make for the outskirts of Fairford. Houses can be seen near by. Follow the route into Gas Lane and then left into Back Lane. In the town centre, cross over the A417, passing The Bull Hotel on the left. St Mary’s Church and the car park where the walk began lie a short distance beyond.
Fairford, like so many other small towns in the Cotswolds, owes its original importance to the medieval wool trade, and to one family in particular – the Tames. They were wool merchants, and it was their money that embellished St Mary’s Church, one of the great Cotswold wool churches. The... 16th-century writer and antiquary John Leland wrote, ‘John Tame began the fair new chirche of Fairforde, and Edmund Tame finished it.’ John Tame bought the manor, and rebuilt the church on the foundations of its predecessor. The church’s best feature is the near-complete set of medieval stained-glass windows. They were made in the late 15th century, probably by the Flemish craftsman Barnard Flower (who also worked on Westminster Abbey and at King’s College, Cambridge.) The idea behind the windows in St Mary’s is to explain the Christian faith as if the onlooker were turning the pages of a picture book. They are arranged symmetrically. On one wall are windows depicting 12 prophets, opposite which are depicted the 12 Apostles. The journey around the church, bathed in the magical light thrown down by the windows, is memorable. There are other things to admire here: John Tame’s tomb, the amusing misericord seats in the chancel, and the gravestone of Tiddles the cat in the churchyard. The walk follows the Coln – one of Gloucestershire’s prettiest rivers – at different stages, and it provides the perfect setting for peaceful riverside strolling. Along this stretch you might spot swans, kingfishers, brown trout and possibly elusive water voles. While Fairford lies on the banks of the River Coln, where it meanders peacefully across a flat landscape of meadows and woodland, the town has an association with noise. Concorde was tested at the nearby airbase, and over recent decades it has served as a base for various military campaigns around the world. Every summer the Royal International Air Tatoo is held here.
Gloucestershire is home to a variety of landscapes, including the Cotswolds, a region of gentle hills, valleys and gem-like villages that roll through the county. To their west is the Severn Plain, watered by Britain’s longest river and characterised by orchards and farms marked out by hedgerows that blaze with mayflower in the spring; beyond the Severn are the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley.
