Walking in the Cotswolds: the Painswick Beacon Circular Walk
The Rundown:
An energetic walk through a gorgeous village of ancient buildings and one of the most beautiful and atmospheric cemeteries we’ve been through.
Length: approx 5 miles, 2 ½-ish hours depending on your pace.
Terrain: some roads, fields, rolling hills and a steep but short ascent up the hill to the beacon
All Trails guide link: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/england/gloucestershire/painswick-beacon-circular
Painswick is a real hidden gem in the Cotswolds. Although you won’t find much to do in this historic wool town, it is full of beautiful and unique medieval architecture, with views of the surrounding Cotswolds hills peeking through the buildings. There are Roccoco Gardens near by, which we did not visit on this occasion, but are meant to be gorgeous as well.
Getting There:
The easiest way to get to Painswick, if you can, is driving in. There is a free (yes free!) car park with toilets on Stamage’s Lane on the south end of the town. It is a small car park and does fill quickly during the day.
Alternatively, if you get the train or bus into Gloucester or Stroud, you can catch the bus to get into Painswick.
Painswick:
From the car park, we turned right and headed towards the Parish Church of St. Mary. The churchyard is probably the most unique we’ve seen with it’s 99 yew trees and ornate tombs. Yes, there are 99 yew trees and legend states that if a 100th were to be planted, the devil would destroy it. No matter what you believe, it’s a beautiful place to walk through! Afterwards, we thoroughly explored the streets of Painswick. Each is full of magnificent homes and buildings. Make sure to take a walk down Bisley Street, which is home to the oldest buildings in Painswick – dating back to the 14th century.
Painswick Beacon and Return:
After exploring the town, we headed out to the beacon, passing by the Rococo Gardens. We were too early in the day to stop and see the gardens, but photos on the web suggest they are beautiful and worth a visit!
The way out to the beacon starts out through fields and rolling hills. I feel like I have said this about every walk we have taken so far this year, but it was a quite muddy and slippy in places due to all the rain, so boots or wellies are suggested if the weather has been wet recently! The fields are soon replaced by single track roads and the walk takes you past some lovely farmlands and large homes. There is a short wooded path before you emerge at the bottom of the beacon’s hill and are faced with a few choices of paths to the top. Some are steeper than others. We chose a direct route, which was steep, but mercifully short.
At the top of the hill, the trig is unmissable, as is the Painswick Golf Course. However, with your back to the golf course, there are rewarding views and benches to stop and have a snack and a drink.
We headed back along the golf course, past a quarry and shortly were back in Painswick!
To Sum it Up:
This was a pleasant walk with nice views. The town was beautiful, definitely worth having a look around. If you want coffee or a meal, your choices are very limited. You may want to stop in Stroud or Gloucester if you want more options.
Extra, Extra!
You can have a look at our walk around Painswick and to the beacon here:
If you’ve done this walk, let me know what you thought! Have you been somewhere else in the Cotswolds that you want to recommend? Leave a comment below!