SWC 288: The Grand Moreton-in-Marsh Circular via the Escarpment t=swc.288
Distance: Various options:
For the whole Grand Circular: 26.5 miles or 42.6 km for those more metrically minded – with options to shorten with taxi assists described below and in walk notes to 19 miles/30km and 16 miles/27 km
For shorter route via Longborough: 12 miles/20 km which can be further shortened by 3 miles/5km by catching a bus in Blockley back to Moreton, buses at 16:35 and 18:15 from the Blockley Village Green
Difficulty: 12 out of 10 for the Grand Circular (10 out of 10 for the taxi-assist options and 8 out of 10 for the shorter circular)
Train: Take the 8:50 AM Great Western Great Malvern train from London Paddington, arriving at Moreton-in-Marsh at 10:18 AM. Return trains from Moreton-in-Marsh are at approximately 54 past the hour until 21:54. Buy a day return to Moreton-in-Marsh. For those taking a taxi to Longborough or doing the shorter circuit, the 9:50 train would be better.
The full main walk is a long and demanding journey – but well worth the effort – as you cover vast and interesting territory in an area little explored by other SWC walks. The route begins gently crossing fields to Longborough where the tempo increases with the first gentle climbs and descents to reveal stunning views far and wide. After lunch, our adventure takes us out to the Cotswold escarpment with even more grand views and passes through three classically bucolic Cotswold villages – Stanway (with Stanway Manor), Stanton and Snowshill. In addition to the great views and charming villages, the walk also captures some of the “working” side of the Cotswold by passing through a race horse training facility and by a Cotswold stone mine and lavender fields. There is a slightly shorter alternate ending in Broadway via Broadway Tower, but this will require arranging a taxi to meet you in Broadway to return to Moreton-in-Marsh. More information and the walk instructions can be found here.
Do keep an eye on the time. As a rough guide – you should plan to be leaving the following places at the following times (or consider calling a taxi to meet you in Blockley in the evening): Ford – 15:00; Stanton – 17:00; Snowshill – 18:30; Blockely – 20:30.
A great option for a shorter more relaxed outing, would be to take a taxi to Longborough (ask to be dropped at the pub and pick-up the instructions at point 13.a or ask to be dropped at the top of the hill past the pub and pick up at the “small triangular green” reference in the same instruction point) and arrange for a taxi to meet you in Blockley at the Great Western Arms at 20:00 or 20:30. This would give a total walk of 19 miles/30.57 km and includes all of the highlights of the walk. The walk instructions include some other taxi-assist options, as well as, numbers for various taxis services in the area. If planning to use a taxi for any part of the trip – book ahead.
The recommended lunch pub is the Plough Inn (01488 668 326) in Ford (10 miles/16.09 km into the walk), a 16th century inn serving traditional home-cooked food. For those doing the Shorter Circular Walk, you should plan to eat at the Coach and Horses in Longborough.
If arriving in Snowshill before 17:00 with enough energy for a 500-meter (there and back) diversion, tea can be had at the tea room at Snowshill Manor (entrance to the tea room requires either NT membership or the purchase of a garden ticket). If arriving at Snowshill at 18:00 – you could make a brief stop at the Snowshill Arms before continuing on your way. Do keep an eye on the clock as you will need to leave Snowshill by 18:30ish to return to Moreton-in-Marsh for the last train – unless you have arranged a taxi at Blockely or elsewhere!
Enjoy the walk!
2 comments:
Missed the 8:50 and caught the 9:50 train :(...
Hope to catch up with any fellow walkers around lunchtime.
- John N
In short, a full fab day out in good company on a w=picture-perfect-late-spring-day. Kudos to all participants for completing the full marathon!
In more detail, 4 alighted from the designated train in bright sunshine which stayed with us for the day...In fact, all 4 ended up in shorts by the end of the day! The going went swiftly in the morning and we arrived at the lovely (and very efficient) pub in Ford at 1:30pm where 3 spent a leisurely hour in the garden enjoying a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and various local asparagus inspired dishes....Eventually, we set off for the spectacular afternoon section of this walk with fabulous views from the escarpment punctuated with charming Cotswold villages. Although the Mount Inn in Stanton has an afternoon closure, we took a break at one of their outdoor garden tables before re-ascending the escarpment. On top, we caught-up with the picnicker having lunch number 2 and all carried on to Snowshill, arriving just before the pub opened at 6pm.... 3 opted to stop and were first in line for a refreshing beverage when the bar opened.....As we were leaving the pub, we bumped into a late starter from the 9:50am train who had done the whole route, including a brief lunch stop at the pub in Ford, making for n=5 in total. This foursome finished up the walk in the soft evening light....negotiating a VERY inquisitive herd of young bulls...We arrived back in the Marsh about 9:20pm in the fading light with just enough time to gather some hot take-outs and beverages before meeting on the platform with our earlier companion for the 9:54pm back to London. Really a great time of year for this walk with loads of rapeseed at their brightest yellow; pockets of bluebells still looking fresh; good stretches of wild garlic and even a few lingering wood anemones! Also spotted were purple orchids and a few butterflies (1 orange tip, a few brimstones and various others).
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