A walk through the English Civil War battlefield at Edgehill

The Battle of Edgehill (23rd October 1642) was the first battle in the English Civil War, when Charles I went to war against the English Parliament.  They disagreed on matters of religion and on their rights to rule the country.  Charles raised his Standard on 22nd August in Nottingham and the first major encounter between the two sides was at Edgehill in the midlands.

The battle lasted around 4 hours and each side had about 15,000 fighting men.  1,500 men were killed and both sides claimed victory in this indecisive battle, the first of many encounters over the next 4 years.

Although there is not much evidence of the battle on the ground today we were able to walk over the Royalist positions on the southern part of the battleground.

Dragoons and musketeers from both sides hid in the hedges on the flanks of the battlefield

The trees on the slope at Edgehill were planted 100 years after the battle

Royalist Pikemen, Musketeers, Cavalry and canon ... 

had to make their way down this slope to the battle line 

 Looking from the battlefield towards Avon Dassett

Ridge and furrow, as seen here, covered the battlefield

Effigy of Captain Henry Kingsmill in St Peters, Radway, a Royalist officer killed during the battle

 

 Princes Charles and James (our future kings) stayed here in Arlescote 

on the night before the battle

The memorial to the Battle of Edgehill 

on the B4086, south of Kineton, Warwickshire

A good walk on a cool sunny day.

Best
Anne
Walk The Landscape

A walk around Chedworth

Chedworth is an attractive Cotswold village 7 miles from Cirencester, 5 miles from Northleach.  It lies in a steep sided valley along a tributary of the River Coln.

The village remains unspoilt and off the beaten track, with old and modern Cotswold stone houses hugging the steep sides of the valley which extends for almost 2 miles – and perhaps the longest village in England!

It is close to the Fosse Way, a Roman road which originally ran from Exeter to Lincoln and about a mile from Chedworth Roman Villa, which was one of the largest Romano-British villas in Britain and home to some of the richest people in the country in the 4th century.

The 'Seven Tuns' pub dates back to 1610, has a great old world atmosphere and good food.  A 'tun' is the name of a beer barrel holding 240 Imperial gallons (1091 litres).

Contact us for a 7 miles (11 km) circular walk from Chedworth village, to the Roman Villa and the Fosse Way, with pub stop.  Very convenient if you are staying in Cirencester, Cheltenham, Bibury or Barnsley House Hotel.

Happy hiking

Anne

Walkthelandscape.co.uk

New born calves on Easter Day

Easter Day , freezing temperatures and new born calves on the Ditchley Estate, Oxfordshire.
Mum looks to have had a hard time.

Happy walking
Anne
Walk the Landscape

A perfect walk for a Monday morning

The Edgehill Battlefield from the Castle Inn, the spot where the Royal Standard was displayed before the battle. A perfect walk for a Monday morning in August!

Walk the Landscape

Best

A Walk Through Blenheim Park

John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722), the aristocrat, politician and above all military commander, was a national hero.

In reward for his service to the country and for victories at the Battle of Blenheim (1702) and other battles in the War of Spanish Succession(1701 – 1714), Queen Anne and the Nation awarded him the manor of Woodstock, a Royal deer park, on which to build a palace.

The result was a sumptuous palace designed by the architect, Sir John Vanbrugh and a park designed by the landscape gardener, Capability Brown.

Ancient Rights of Way still pass through the Park allowing an impressive circular walk of 7 miles, with magnificent views across the Great Lake to the Grand Bridge and the Palace itself.

Blenheim Palace from Queen Pool

A cloudy and overcast start to the walk

Cycling towards the Column of Victory

Dappled shade

Sheep pastures under blue skies

Backwater reflections

The Grand Bridge

Blenheim Palace on a gorgeous summer afternoon

Best

Anne

walkthelandscape.co.uk

A great chance to walk from Lark Rise to Candleford

Join us on Sunday 14th November to walk from Lark Rise to Candleford and back.

This 10 mile walk will take in the villages where the author Flora Thompson grew up and went to school, and we'll see the real post office where Flora first started work.

For more information check out Lark Rise to Candleford or Contact Us.

Photo: The End House, Flora Thompson's family home.

Best wishes