Broadway Tower – Chipping Campden – Broad Campden

Roy Davenport

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This excellent walk starts at the Broadway Tower, with its fantastic views over thirteen counties and continues along the edge of the Cotswold escarpment via the Cotswolds Way and Dovers Hill to the charming small town of Chipping Campden. It passes through Broad Campden and then along Monarch's Way, through fields and woods. There is a short distance along the B4081 before finishing along small byways.

Broadway Tower is one of England's outstanding viewpoints and at 1,024 feet (312m) above sea level, it is the second highest point on the Cotswold Ridge.

Built in 1799, it is a perfect example of an eighteenth century Gothic folly from which it is possible to survey an area which includes as many as thirteen counties. The views encompass the Vales of Evesham and Gloucester and on a clear day you may also see across the Severn Valley and as far as the Welsh Mountains. Today, the tower houses fascinating exhibitions connected with its past and the surrounding area. Notable occupants include Sir Thomas Phillips, renowned printer of his time and Pre-Raphaelite artists including designer, writer and craftsman William Morris, who used the tower as a country retreat. The Morris Room is furnished with some of his more famous designs.

Chipping Campden is an ancient town with many beautiful buildings, from St James' Church to Dover's Hill, all nestling in tranquil and beautiful countryside. The beautiful buildings include a plethora of architectural styles across the centuries. The town lies in both an area of outstanding natural beauty and a conservation area.

This walk has been rerouted to avoid any distance of road-walking.

England - South West England - Gloucestershire - Cotswolds

Features

Ancient Monument, Birds, Butterflies, Cafe, Castle, Church, Flowers, Food Shop, Gift Shop, Great Views, Hills or Fells, Museum, National Trust, Play Area, Pub, Restaurant, Tea Shop, Toilets, Wildlife, Woodland

7/31/2015 - Michael IAnson

I've completed this walk twice recently, once as a 'recce' on 20/7/15 and again, leading a group of Hinckley Ramblers, on 26/7/15. On both days, we had a delightful morning, as far as The Bakers Arms in Broad Campden, where we received a warm welcome and enjoyed a good selection of beers. The afternoon was more difficult however. On the 'recce' I walked the route as described and, as per the previous comment, encountered some problems at waypoint 15 where a 'solar farm' now stands. I couldn't find a gate or any signposts but climbed over the stile/fence there. This area has recently been planted out with various bushes and is becoming increasingly unpassable. After battling our way through the undergrowth we finally reached the B4081 which we followed to waypoint 16. I did not enjoy this section of road walking; there was some heavy traffic and only a very narrow grass verge. For this reason I re-routed my second walk with the group so that instead of turning right on the road to waypoint 15, we continued South for about 1/4 mile and then turned right along the track from Upton Wold farm . We then crossed the busy main road before following the footpath (offset about 100 yards to the right) to rejoin the B4081 (and the original route) at the hamlet of Seven Wells. This path was quite overgrown and difficult in parts, but in my view preferable to the road. My GPS recorded the original walk as 11.7 miles and my revision as 12.2 miles with an overall ascent of 1800 ft.

8/27/2013 - Derek Jones

We did this walk on 25.08.13 and thoroughly enjoyed it. The instructions are very clear but note that the field shown in the picture at waypoint 15 has been covered with solar panels. The footpath sign opposite the double gate is still there however, and there is a track through the field between the high green fences and security cameras, so we pressed on. We could see no obvious path at the bottom of the field but turned right to follow the tree line, wading through the undergrowth, and eventually found the large gap (this was preferable to walking along the very busy A road). The work seems to be recent so the path may be properly reinstated in due course, but at the moment it's a bit unpleasant; this is a shame as the rest of the walk is great.

6/30/2009 - Walkingworld Administrator

Thanks to Roy, for updating this walk, June 2009, alleviating the road walking on this route. Walkers should now feel much safer however it may now be a long walk for small for children at over 10 miles.

6/4/2009 - Adrian Fieldhouse

Walked on 29 May. This is a great walk with some stunning views. The walk is varied and the town of Chipping Campden is stunning. The only issue is that the road referenced between waypoints 12 and 13 (B4081) is a very busy and very fast B road. We walked this with 2 kids (aged 10 and 12) and due to the absence of a pavement, the uneven grass verge and the speed of the traffic we did not feel at all safe.

5/22/2008 - Walkingworld Administrator

This walk has been completely revised by Roy Davenport, May 2008 and the route is now away from the busy A road. Walkingworld would like to thank Roy for all his help. This walk was originally devised in 2000 for Walkingworld by John Stewart, late father of David Stewart of Walkingworld.