Blockley Walk, Cotswolds

There is a “private road to Warren House public footpath” sign that we’re going to follow. The road here is hard surfaced.

At a fork with a waymarker keep right, towards a substantial house. We reach a gate/stile and continue past it, along a well-used path that rises steadily through the diverse woodland of the Warren.

At the junction we bear right, staying with the main track as it continues to rise upwards. Towards the top of this is the steepest section of the walk. Bear right, ignoring the track on the right and we carry on straight through the woodland of Shalees Coppice. We bear left, through a much broader section of woodland and to a gate that takes us on to a public road.

Go straight across and to another gate and a signposted footpath. We head on another broad track running between high hedges of beech and ash. The track takes us round to the left, along the top edge of the side of the valley and into Norcombe Wood. Heading downhill from here to a T junction, we turn right and then fork left, rising gently to the top of the valley side. At another fork we keep to the main track, going straight ahead, downwards towards a gate beside a stream.

Here’s where we may meet a bull (the sign of the gate says he’s friendly). The path across this meadow isn’t particularly well defined but we’re going diagonally up the slope towards the right. We’re heading towards the horse chestnut tree at the top of the slope. By the tree is a junction of paths (it’s not that obvious) – we’re bearing right, rising a little over grass to a stile in the corner of the meadow.

Crossing over the stile, we cross a track to continue on a well worn path across a cultivated field, heading back towards the fringes of Blockley. We go over a waymarked stile (part of a long distance footpath), cross a public road and follow “Backends, leading to Chapel Lane”. At the village green we turn left and head down Bell Bank and back onto the main street of Bell Lane where we began.