Painswick Beacon - Upton St Leonards - Painswick Beacon

Sean Meek

You need to log in as a member of Walkingworld to access the details for this walk and have an active subscription. Please join, or log in above if you are already a member.

At 283 metres above sea level, Painswick Beacon is one of the highest points for miles around and as you would expect, it offers stunning views across the Severn Valley and of Gloucester and Cheltenham.

The walk initially follows the Cotswold Way, skirting around the base of the beacon and then descends the Cotswold Edge, through woodland and across fields, many of which are occupied by horses. After reaching Upton St Leonards, a large village close to the city of Gloucester, the walk makes a gradual ascent back up the Cotswold Edge, becoming steeper towards the end as the top of the Painswick Beacon is gained.

The outlines of a large Iron Age fort sit on top of the beacon, which covers seven acres and is triangular in shape. Double banks and ditches on three sides provided defences to the fort, while the steep slope on the north-east side meant that a single ditch sufficed there. In the centre of the fort is a deep, circular depression. It was first thought that this was a well, but it seems more likely to have been for some ritual purpose.

England - South West England - Gloucestershire - Cotswolds