Badbury Hill - Great Coxwell - Coleshill - Badbury Hill

Sean Meek

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A historic circular walk in a quiet corner of Oxforshire with a few unexpected surprises to be seen.

Badbury Hill is an area of woodland that was the site of an Iron Age hill-fort that sat on top of the hill, strategically placed on the highest ground in the area. It was flattened in the 19th Century, with little evidence remaining. The area is now well-known for its beech trees and the bluebells that smother the woodland floor every spring.

The walk starts from the car park at Badbury Hill, descending to the unspoilt village of Great Coxwell and the Great Barn on the edge of the village. Built in the 13th Century, this is the finest medieval barn in the country, now owned by the National Trust. The barn is 144 feet long, built of Cotswold stone, with an impressive roof construction - it has been likened to a cathedral. Entry to the barn is free, with donations asked for in an honesty box and it is well worth a look inside as you go past.

From Great Coxwell, the walk heads off to Coleshill, passing through the Coleshill Esate. This was to be the headquarters of the secret Auxiliary Units, which were to provide resistance in the event of occupation by Nazi Germany. The house at the centre of the estate sadly burned down in the Fifties.

England - Central England - Oxfordshire - Countryside

Features

Ancient Monument, Church, Good for Kids, Woodland

10/17/2020 - Sean Meek

The problem has now been checked, and the electric fence is no longer there. There is a barbed wire fence to cross immediately after the stile at waymark 21, but a blue pipe has been put over it at the crossing point, so this can be done safely, and the field can be crossed without the need to walk around the edge.

9/17/2020 - Alan Parker

This is a lovely circular walk from Badbury Hill via Great Coxwell and Coleshill. Most of the way was easy and well signposted. However, we were concerned that the section through the field to Brimstone Farm seems very difficult and somewhat hazardous. Grid reference is (SU249949) On entering the field via the stile, the path has been diverted to run around the field edge. This guides you between an electric fence and the exposed barbed wire fence alongside the somewhat overgrown hedge. The ground between them had unkempt grass and brambles which made walking difficult and on occasions entangled feet causing stumbling. This resulted in contact with the legs against the electric fence and contact with the barbed wire which was the ground return for the electric circuit resulting in electric shocks. The width of the path varied between 20 and 40 cm and ran for two and a half sides of the field. The barbed wire would have been around eye height for a young child or dog. I can understand the farm wishing to have an electric fence to stop walkers and dogs from worrying the sheep. However, for the safety of walkers perhaps the path could be a little wider and away from the hedge more.