A walk from Ilmington to Ebrington - 8 miles
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Coffee shop to coffee shop this time!
Parking up at the Ilmington Community Shop and Cafe, we started the walk by climbing up the steep Foxcote Hill which passes the impressive gates of the Foxcote estate and continuing on this road for over two and a half miles. At the T junction, turn right towards Ebrington, passing through the little hamlet of Charingworth.
Once you reach the Ebrington Arms, turn left and, after about half a mile of walking, 'Vegetable Matters' can be found on the right hand side.
Simple!
But, of course, there's far more to it than that - beautiful scenery, quiet roads and interesting places to find out about.
Ilmington Community Shop and Cafe
The building, which now houses the shop and cafe, started life in 1867 as St Philip's Catholic Church and school for Catholic children.
The school closed in 1931 and the premises were then used as a Church. from 1935 to 2013 when it closed.
In 2015, the building was bought by the Village Co-operative for use as a community shop and cafe, staffed mainly by volunteers.
The Walk
Walk out of the village up Foxcote Hill, which is quite a stiff climb in places. Continue up until you get to the gates of the Foxcote estate. Here you have two options, either to continue along the road to Ebrington or to take the public footpath through the grounds of the estate.
http://www.gps-routes.co.uk/routes/home.nsf/osmapdisp?openform&route=ebrington-and-the-foxcote-estate-walking-route
We chose to take the road route which passes the gates of the estate and continues along the ridge. The views from the top are definitely worth it.
There's a fairly easy walk now for just over two and a half miles with equally pretty views all along the way.
Walking this road, you will eventually reach a T junction. Turn right towards Ebrington, passing through Charingworth with Charingworth Manor on the left.
This mansion dates back to the 14th century and is mentioned in the Domesday
Book. Nowadays, it functions as a luxury hotel.
The walk descends into Ebrington, giving you the opportunity of a bird's eye view of the pretty Cotswolds cottages as you approach. It's a quiet little place which also dates back to the Domesday Book and is very typical of a traditional Cotswolds village. It has a church, a school, a village hall and a pub, as well as the honey coloured cottages with their thatched roofs. The village pub, the Ebrington Arms, is almost 400 years old.
Take a left here onto May Lane and an easy half mile walk takes you to the second cafe of our walk, Vegetable Matters.
As well as selling fresh fruit and veg in the farm shop, the cafe produces tasty fresh meals, snacks and drinks.
Although this is one of the longer walks we have done, it?s generally straightforward, though challenging in places. As said earlier, the views are stunning and with the opportunity for refreshments at the beginning, half way and at the end it's certainly worth giving it a go!
Sue McGreal
Photos ©2022 Sue McGreal
Last updated: 30 July 2024 - Please note: This blog was first written over a year old and things may have changed since the blog was written.
