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Too steep for coach and horses; thankfully not for my Royal Enfield
I was motorcycling in the northern Cotswolds yesterday, heading westwards to Dover's Hill, near Chipping Campden, and Middle Littleton to see the great tithe barn; Dover's Hill for the expansive views over the Vale of Evesham, and Middle Littleton for the wondrous medieval architecture.
I entered the Cotswolds by riding westwards from Bloxham. Previously I have followed the old Banbury to Barcheston Turnpike, founded in 1802, these days the B4035, but for a change this time I chose to follow what on the map looked like an ancient ridgeway route. As previously, the road started from Bloxham, but differed by following the route through Milcombe, past the "Gate Hangs High" pub, and the villages of Whichford, Stourton, Cherington and Burmington, before joining the old Stratford to Long Compton Turnpike of 1730, now the A3400, and so into Shipston on Stour, and on to Chipping Campden.
What a wonderful road this was, being entirely suited to my type of motorcycling and the torquey plodding nature of the single cylinder Royal Enfield. This might well have been the oldest route between Banbury, Bloxham and Shipston on Stour, but it would have become unsuitable for the coaching era because of the steep gradients of the hills, hence the favoured turnpike route turned out to be the one passing through the Brailes villages, though it has to be said that this route must still have been challenging for the stage coach horses.
When riding on it, I could sense that my "new" road simply had to have some history; and indeed it did.
With some quick internet research on my return home, I discovered that it was an old drovers' road along which the Welsh drovers drove their cattle to markets in Banbury and Northampton, and perhaps beyond, to Aylesbury and London.
The "Gate Hangs High" pub held the clue. I quote from localdroversroads.co.uk (Check http://www.localdroveroads.co.uk/the-gate-hangs-high-to-banbury/ )
“The Gate Hangs High” is an old drovers' inn on a crossroads a mile due north of Hook Norton at SP 355349. The name is misleading as there was never a tollgate there, in fact the road remained un-turnpiked: a lonely road which was still untarmacked, with grass growing down the middle, in the 1930's.
The beer house lay at a crossroads on the old west to east drovers’ road sometimes known as ‘The Welsh Road’ or ‘Banbury Way’.
What a beautiful and interesting find, and what a great alternative way into the northern Cotswolds.
© John Dunn.
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By John DunnI was motorcycling in the northern Cotswolds yesterday, heading westwards to Dover's Hill, near Chipping Campden, and Middle Littleton to see the great tithe barn; Dover's Hill for the expansive views over the Vale of Evesham, and Middle Littleton for the wondrous medieval architecture.
I entered the Cotswolds by riding westwards from Bloxham. Previously I have followed the old Banbury to Barcheston Turnpike, founded in 1802, these days the B4035, but for a change this time I chose to follow what on the map looked like an ancient ridgeway route. As previously, the road started from Bloxham, but differed by following the route through Milcombe, past the "Gate Hangs High" pub, and the villages of Whichford, Stourton, Cherington and Burmington, before joining the old Stratford to Long Compton Turnpike of 1730, now the A3400, and so into Shipston on Stour, and on to Chipping Campden.
What a wonderful road this was, being entirely suited to my type of motorcycling and the torquey plodding nature of the single cylinder Royal Enfield. This might well have been the oldest route between Banbury, Bloxham and Shipston on Stour, but it would have become unsuitable for the coaching era because of the steep gradients of the hills, hence the favoured turnpike route turned out to be the one passing through the Brailes villages, though it has to be said that this route must still have been challenging for the stage coach horses.
When riding on it, I could sense that my "new" road simply had to have some history; and indeed it did.
With some quick internet research on my return home, I discovered that it was an old drovers' road along which the Welsh drovers drove their cattle to markets in Banbury and Northampton, and perhaps beyond, to Aylesbury and London.
The "Gate Hangs High" pub held the clue. I quote from localdroversroads.co.uk (Check http://www.localdroveroads.co.uk/the-gate-hangs-high-to-banbury/ )
“The Gate Hangs High” is an old drovers' inn on a crossroads a mile due north of Hook Norton at SP 355349. The name is misleading as there was never a tollgate there, in fact the road remained un-turnpiked: a lonely road which was still untarmacked, with grass growing down the middle, in the 1930's.
The beer house lay at a crossroads on the old west to east drovers’ road sometimes known as ‘The Welsh Road’ or ‘Banbury Way’.
What a beautiful and interesting find, and what a great alternative way into the northern Cotswolds.
© John Dunn.