Places to visit

Round the block (keep turning right!)

A good short walk, with or without a dog, is to turn right at the road and walk to the crossroads. It is worth crossing the road to the left to walk to the gate of Grittleton House- an imposing stone pile dating from the mid-1800’s intended to compete with the nearby Duke of Beaufort’s Badminton House. The house and grounds are not generally open to the public. In its heyday the house was full of fine art and presided over a 10,000 acre estate. Built like a castle, the huge cellars housed valuable artefacts in the war, including the Magna Carta.

Back across the road and head north up the road until you have passed all the houses. Turn right through the gate and follow the path until you reach a kissing gate on the right. Go through that and follow a wooded path. You will reach a few former farm workers cottages- now much improved- and the former home of the village school teacher. Right at the end and past the former school.

You are now in “The Street”, which is the main road in the village. On the south side of the road there is a track leading to the Baptist Chapel- one of Grittleton’s many listed buildings. A little further on the north side of the road is the Neeld Arms pub ( www.neeldarms.co.uk) . Beyond that is the impressive Church House- which was considered suitable accommodation for the local vicar when it was built in about 1830. Through the churchyard- and back to the barn.

A longer local walk

Start as above but instead of going through the kissing gate, head north across the field, following the tractor tracks. This is an official path. Keep going across three fields and see if you can spot animals in Dunley Wood, to your right. At the end of the third field you can double back and return as per the above walk. Or you can keep going, following the field round to your left until you reach the road. Turn right along the road (which is usually not all that busy) and walk about 500 yards until you come to a turning on the left. Cross the road and take that. It is a track leading to a local farm- and also part of the Fosse Way. You are walking in the steps of the Romans. The track to the farm goes off to the right but you keep straight on, following the byway, the surface of which was probably much better 2000 years ago.

After about 800 yards there is a stile on your left. Go over that. The village is visible and you can head for it along the footpath which crosses three fields. Farm operations in the course of the year can make the path difficult to spot at times and it is unwise to tackle the fields in muddy conditions.

The Fosse Way byway starts about one mile from Grittleton - turn right on to the road and go straight across the crossroads. The byway starts at the first turning on the right- you can park under the tree next to the road. This is a good walking option when it is muddy.

There are plenty of other options - see the maps.

Favourite walk This takes a bit of finding and concentration on the route, but the effort is well worth it. Turn right at the road, then straight across the crossroads. After a couple of miles you reach crossroads next to the Salutation Inn. Go straight across and follow the road for about 1.4 miles. This is another part of the Fosse Way. Turn right at the sign post to West Kington and after about 0.4 of a mile  left. There is a signpost but the West Kington arm is missing. You will reach a sign for West Kington. There is a small layby on the right, next to it. Park there and go through the gate opposite.

Follow the footpath at the side of the wood-which contains wonderful bluebells in Spring. At the end of the fields next to the wood, take the footpath on your right down a rocky path through the woods. You emerge into a valley with a small stream. Follow the path to the right. The stream offers drinking opportunities for thirsty dogs. Cross the small stone bridge and climb the path up to a small country road (little traffic).

Turn right into the road. You now have several options:

For the shortest walk, carry straight on to the village- cross the bridge and take the fairly steep footpath up through the trees. At the top you emerge next to the church and a serious equine complex. Owned by a former Olympic gold medalist, this is among other things a serious stud farm. Expect to see plenty of foals in the summer months. Take care to follow the public footpath through the stable complex at the north end- i.e. away from the house. Once through there follow the access road to the road and turn left. After a couple of hundred yards you will be back at your car.

For a more extended walk, follow the small road until you reach a path going uphill to your left. Climb that (not the one into the field) and turn right into the small road at the top. This offers a pleasant walk past some impressive houses. At the end of that road you can turn right, down the hill and go back to the car as described above.

A rather longer walk involves turning left, not right and following the small road down a hill to a small hamlet. Cross the bridge and follow the path next to the stream (can get overgrown in high summer). At the end of the path cross the footbridge and follow the track and road to the left which will take you to the road bridge referred to above and back to the car.

This walk is uneven under foot in places and involves a couple of short climbs.