Bredon Hill (299m) and Cleeve Hill (330m) 7th April 2009

The tower on the top of Bredon Hill

On the way to Hampshire to get married I decided to take the opportunity to bag the two Marilyns in the Cotswolds, Bredon Hill and Cleeve Hill.

Bredon Hill (299m)

I parked the car in the village of Bredon’s Norton, in Worcestershire and followed the bridleway which climbed up the hillside of Bredon Hill. It was a sunny and pleasant day, although a little breezy. There were attractive views to the Malvern Hills and the clear air promised further views higher up. I lost the bridleway at one point but a bit of perseverance brought me back on to it. The bridleway went through a pretty area of woodland, which looked ready to sprout bluebells anytime soon. Once through the wood the summit tower came into view and it wasn’t long before I stood on the top of the Banbury Stone and the view indicator which marks the top. The view was tremendous. Apart from the Malverns, I could also see Cleeve Hill, the Clent Hills,the Clee Hills of Shropshire, Worcester, Tewkesbury, the Sugar Loaf, the Black Mountains, May Hill, Coventry, and a large part of Warwickshire. The descent involved a retracing of my upward steps, except I saw where I had gone wrong on the ascent, allowing me to keep to the bridleway all the way to the car. The whole walk occupied one and half hours and I thought Bredon Hill to be rather charming.

The lovely wood below the summit of Bredon Hill

The Malvern Hills from Bredon Hill

Cleeve Hill (330m)

I parked in the village of Southam, near Cheltenham and followed the bridleway which went through Queens Wood. Once through the wood the path climbed steeply up the escarpment and I followed the path along the edge to the trig point on The Cloud. The views were almost as good as those from Bredon Hill. I could see Cheltenham spread out below, the Severn Bridge, May Hill, the Malverns, the Sugar Loaf, the Black Mountains, Bredon Hill and much of the Cotswolds. The radio mast near the summit towered above, and it was too this that I headed for. This involved retracing my steps along the escarpment edge, and then following a path once I was clear of the golf course, which took a direct line for the mast area. From the mast a level walk on close cropped grass followed until I reac hed the trig point. There was an area near the trig that I thought looked higher but the summit was so level it was difficult to tell. From the trig I walked back to the escarpment edge and followed my route of ascent back to the car. The walk took a total of 1 hour and 50 minutes, and despite not being a high summit, I felt that Cleeve Hill had been an enjoyable ascent

Cleeve Hill from Bredon Hill

Looking towards the summit of Cleeve Hill from The Cloud

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