An easy stroll up from the bus stop at Rendcomb on a warm August day, the sun playing hide and seek behind billows of Cotswolds clouds.
The tree-covered barrow is prominent in a field next to the minor road east of Woodmancote. It's at the top of steeper slopes dropping down to the picturesque River Churn, hidden by woodland from the barrow itself. There are neither crops nor livestock on my visit.
The trees make the barrow an obvious landmark and appear to have saved it from the plough, although the mound extends outwards into the field from the wooden fence surrounding the trees. The drawback with my summer visit is that the trees conceal the barrow beneath a deep covering of nettles, which also guard the site with a knee-high barrier. Clad in shorts, I make a half-hearted foray but am quickly stung in multiple places and retreat from closer inspection.
Vegetation aside, it's heartening to find a Cotswold round barrow that hasn't been ploughed down to nothing. The situation is pleasant, but the lack of longer views and the proximity of houses on the edge of the village stops it from really being a place to spend very much time. Worth the visit though, especially as I haven't been here before.
I head off to Woodmancote itself, then on to Cotswold Park long barrow. A good start to the day.
Log in |
Register
0 discussions
Show map (inline Google Map)
Add an image 
Posted by thesweetcheat
Top of page