On Sunday 13th February 8 Ramblers, in very wet and windy weather, set forth on Minchinhampton Common behind the Holy Trinity Church, which has a brass commemorating James Beckley, Astronomer-Royal, in 1742 ,who was the discoverer of the aberration of fixed stars.
Minchinhampton Common was used for grazing livestock as far back as Norman times, now in part a golf course. We take the path marked Private Road and following the stone wall on the left, after a short time the path petered out onto grass. With the wall remaining on our left , we reached a mound and sunken lane which feeds the main road. Crossing over this the wall still on our left, we headed forth. The wall turns quite sharply leftwards and now the common is fairly flat and has become a golf course.
The mounds you will see in this part of the common are called the Bulwarks. These are remains of the largest Iron Age hill fort in this part of England. Continuing ahead crossing a road skirting round the golf course on our right and parallel to the road on the left for half a mile, going under power lines, we came down to the road for Amberley.
Bearing right along the road, turning left at the fork to pass Rose Cottage, where Mrs Craik was staying when she wrote ‘John Halifax Gentleman’ in 1857, a true Victorian story of perseverance in the face of adversity.
Going a few yards along a drive onto a grass path, passing a graveyard wall before we headed right up on to the road. After a short distance we came to the junction near the Holy Trinity Church, Amberley crossing over with the monument to Queen Victoria on our right and heading up hill on the road until reaching the war memorial on the other side of the road, with lovely views of the valley on a good day.
After our refreshment break, we recrossed the road towards a large house and passed a little shelter with a weather vane. Walking back across the common on our right we saw the mound of the reservoir continuing onwards to reach the crossroads.
The decision ws made not to head down to Burleigh with the weather being so bad so we made our way back to the start
Very soggy weather today!
Walking across the common