Staying on-road
Where the main route described goes off-road, an on-road alternative is described in the margin and marked on the map with a dashed route line.
Warnings
Warnings, including comments about tricky terrain, are also highlighted in the margin on coloured panels to make them hard to miss.
Conventions and abbreviations
Routes on the Sustrans National Cycle Network are abbreviated to NCN followed by the route number, for example National Cycle Network Route 5 is NCN5. Long-distance cycle routes, such as the Avon Cycle Way, are also abbreviated to their acronyms (ACW).
‘Towards’ or ‘to’
Where a signpost or map direction takes you towards a place (such as Bibury), but you will turn off before getting there, it is described as ‘towards Bibury’. Where it takes you all the way there, it is written as ‘to Bibury’.
Key waypoints
Places and features are highlighted in bold in the route description if they are shown on the accompanying route map, giving you an at-a-glance checklist of key waypoints. OS Grid references are given in a few places where there is no other suitable landmark/map feature available.
Turnings and junctions
Generally, ‘bend’ is used to describe the course of the road, not a junction. For junctions, ‘bear’ or ‘fork’ means a deviation of noticeably less than 90°, whereas ‘turn’ means roughly 90° and a ‘sharp turn’ is more than 90°. ‘Dog-leg’ is used to describe a turn (with or without a junction) one way, closely followed by a turn in the opposite direction, to end up on roughly the original course.
Side-turns, minor, major and main roads and crossroads
In keeping with Bikeability conventions, this guidebook sometimes makes use of the terms ‘minor road’ and ‘major road’. These terms do not give any indication of size or traffic volume, but refer to the priority of traffic at a junction, with traffic (which includes bicycles) on a minor road having to give way to traffic on the major road.
Priorities are only mentioned where it is useful for navigational purposes or where they are deemed essential (for example a minor road meeting a major road on a steep descent or round a blind bend), but everybody will have a different opinion as to which priorities are important and which aren’t. It’s also worth bearing in mind that road layouts change over time.
I’ve also extended the terms to crossroads, so a ‘minor crossroads’ is one where you are on the major road and are crossing over minor roads, and a ‘major crossroads’ is one where you are on the minor road and have to give way to the major road.
A ‘main road’ is usually an A-road. I try to avoid these as much as possible, but the Cotswolds are riddled with them, and crossing over them, or using them for very short sections, is often unavoidable. In such cases these sections are kept as short as possible, and are ideally in areas of lower speed limits (for example within villages) or on a downhill stretch. There will, of course, always be the occasional exception to this – for example within Bath City Centre (Route 6).
Should you come across a junction that isn’t mentioned (these tend to be insignificant side-turns or a series of minor roads crossing over the major road in a short space of time), just remember the route will always take the major road (and usually continue straight ahead) if no other mention is made.
Sunset over the scarp edge looking down towards Winchcombe
ROUTE 1
Shipston-on-Stour Loop via Brailes Hill
| Start/Finish | The White Bear Inn, Shipston-on-Stour (SP 258 405) |
| Distance | 23km (14 miles) |
| Total ascent/descent | 260m |
| Grade | Easy |
| Terrain | 100% roads |
| Refreshments | On route: The George Inn (Lower Brailes); La Tradition Bakery (Upper Brailes); The Gate Inn (Upper Brailes); White Bear Inn (Shipston) Short detour: Cherington Arms PH (Cherington); various in Shipston |
| Parking | Car parks in Shipston (free) |
| Cycle hire | Chipping Campden or TY Cycles (mobile) |
| Road bikes? | Yes |
| Connecting routes | Route 2 |
This is a fairly gentle introduction to the rolling Cotswold hills. Sibford Lane feels steep, but is short in reality, with good views. There’s a choice of pubs and even a French bakery en-route.
Head S from the pub, then turn left onto the one-way West Street (a small gyratory system), following NCN5 signs. You can follow these signs all the way past Sutton-under-Brailes. Give way to incoming traffic from your right and use the right-hand lane at the next junction. Take the next left off the gyratory onto Mill Street (B4035) towards Brailes. Continue over a narrow bridge and gently uphill. Where the road bends left, turn right to Barcheston. As soon as you leave the B4035 you feel out in the quiet countryside, with good views, particularly of Brailes Hill on the left.
Turn right at a triangular T-junction and continue past the edge of Willington, initially heading towards Burmington and then towards Cherington. The road now rises steadily uphill to reach an incoming track just past Burmington Grange.
Turn right here and descend gently to a T-junction roughly 500m later. Turn left (effectively continuing straight ahead) towards Cherington. Take the next left to Sutton-under-Brailes, roughly contouring to the village. Bend right then left past a church and pass a large village green. Turn right just beyond this and descend towards Stourton.
Take the next left towards Sibford. This takes you around Mine Hill on the way to Brailes Hill.
Brailes Hill is one of the highest hills in the region, and at 232m is less than 30m lower than Ebrington Hill near Ilmington (the highest point in Warwickshire). It is the main hill that the route circumnavigates.
The road continues for roughly 2.5km before reaching the next junction. It rises, initially, for 600m on a sustained uphill. In reality you are barely gaining 50m – it just feels like a lot more! That said, the views to the right once you’ve gained some height are well worth the effort. It then levels out before descending past a sharp bend left to a T-junction.
Turn left towards Brailes and climb gently over another rounded shoulder of Mine Hill before descending, 1.8km later, to a road on the edge of Lower Brailes. Turn left here and enjoy the descent into the village, passing The George PH as the gradient levels. Now head uphill, staying on the major road and passing an excellent (if unexpected) French bakery on your left as you come into Upper Brailes. The road now rises, passing The Gate PH.
Roughly 400m beyond this, turn right onto Castle Hill. This is both easily missed and potentially dangerous; make sure you continue past the former spring to take the one-way entry lane to this road.
A former motte and bailey castle once stood proud above Upper Brailes. Only earthworks and buried remnants still