Withington Woods West

Nearest town:
Cheltenham (12km WNW)
OS reference:
SP02811438
OS sheet:
163
Latitude:
51° 49' 39.21 N
Longitude:
1° 57' 33.19 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Withington Woods West (Round Barrow(s)) by thesweetcheat

Towards the western end of the cross-dyke, crossing the photo from bottom right to centre left.

Image credit: A. Brookes (30.8.2020)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 21, 2020
Image of Withington Woods West (Round Barrow(s)) by thesweetcheat

Looking downhill along the cross-dyke to its eastern end. The low bank can be seen heading away from the viewpoint, just left of centre, with a ditch running alongside on its right.

Image credit: A. Brookes (30.8.2020)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 21, 2020
Image of Withington Woods West (Round Barrow(s)) by thesweetcheat

Beneath the vegetation, the top of the barrow is level and doesn’t appear to have the usual central crater or hollow.

Image credit: A. Brookes (30.8.2020)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 21, 2020
Image of Withington Woods West (Round Barrow(s)) by thesweetcheat

Seen from the path to the south, the barrow is more obvious than I’d hoped.

Image credit: A. Brookes (30.8.2020)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 21, 2020

Articles

Withington Woods West

thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 21, 2020

Visited 30 August 2020 after leaving Withington long barrow. I thought this one might be harder to find in August vegetation, but it proves to be easy. It’s visible next to one of the main paths running through the woods, prominent above the immediate surroundings and sporting a fine crown of ferns.

It’s pretty big and appears to be well-preserved, although the vegetation makes it difficult to properly see the extent of the mound. On its top, beneath the ferns and brambles, it appears to be constructed of limestone rather than being an earthen mound.

One word of warning – even in pleasant summer weather, the tracks through the woods are very muddy. I pass a couple who have come to pick blackberries, and white trainers maybe weren’t the ideal footwear.

From here I head northwest to seek out the multiple banks of a cross-dyke shown on the OS map. It proves to be a very reduced monument, struggling to be seen above calf-height undergrowth. Still, it’s a pretty spot and I stop for lunch.

I leave the woods to the northeast and drop down to the pretty villlage Withington, where the cool interior of the church is open for visitors, the first I’ve been inside this year. From there it’s an easy stroll back to Colesbourne and the bus home. The monuments in Withington Woods aren’t of the first rank, but in this strange summer of limited travel and adventures close to home, I’m delighted to have visited some new-to-me sites in such a lovely woodland setting.

Sites within 20km of Withington Woods West

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