Last February’s walk, we started out on the Wardens Way and returned via the Windrush Way. This year we do the same, but this time on the higher reaches of the Windrush, up to its watershed, on the far side of which tributaries rise and flow to the mighty Sabrina (the River Severn).

Leaving Guiting Power along the Wardens Way, we make our way gradually uphill through Guiting Wood and the Farmcote Estate to Deadmanbury Gate. From here, we follow the watershed to connect with the Windrush Way and the site of the medieval village of Hawling. A particularly attractive path then takes us down through the Hawling Lodge Estate, where we leave the Windrush Way to return to our starting point.

We finish with the option of a swift beverage at the Farmer’s Arms, or tea and cake at the Post Office tea room, provided we return before it closes.

Notes:

Guiting Power is a village in the north Cotswolds of Gloucestershire, located in a valley near the upper reaches of the River Windrush, between Cheltenham and Stow-on-the-Wold. The area has been settled since at least the Anglo-Saxon period, when it was known as Gyting Broc. The name “Power” is thought to derive from a medieval lord of the manor.

The village developed around agriculture and remained primarily farming-based for centuries. The parish church of St Michael and All Angels has Norman origins and reflects the village’s long history.

Guiting Power is largely built from Cotswold stone and retains a small range of local amenities, including a shop and post office, bakery, village hall, nursery, church, and two public houses. Many properties are managed by the Guiting Manor Amenity Trust, which supports permanent local residency.

The village is surrounded by open countryside and remains a well-preserved example of a traditional Cotswold settlement.