Familywalks - Malmesbury

Malmesbury is the oldest borough in England, having been granted its charter in AD 880 by King Alfred. It can lay claim to be the original capital of England and is built on the site of an Iron Age hill fort on a rocky promontory enclosed by two branches of the river Avon.

Need to know

Distance 4.5 miles Map OS Explorer 168 Stroud, Tetbury & Malmesbury Starting point Malmesbury long-stay car park (charge applies) GR 932875 Teashop Amanda’s in Oxford Street in the centre of Malmesbury offers a very good choice of cakes and other teatime treats, from toasted teacakes to afternoon tea, featuring smoked salmon sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream and cakes. Don’t worry if you are tempted by this; it isn’t far back to the start! Telephone 01666 829356.

Go to the far end of the car park and turn left. Almost immediately turn right through a kissing gate to the right of a private nature reserve car park, to walk through Conygre Mead Nature Reserve on a riverside path that leads to a road at a bridge.

  • Cross the road to a footpath between two branches of the river. When the branch on the left turns left, keep by the branch on the right to a stile by a gate. Over the stile, fork left over to the other branch to shortly cross it at a bridge to a lane.
  • Turn left. At a metal barrier keep ahead under a man road on a surfaced drive. When this ends, go over a stile to the right to continue in the same direction to a gate. Through the gate, press on along the right-hand side of the field to a stile at the end into a second field. Maintain the same line across this second field to a stile on to a drive.
  • Do not cross the stile but turn right, almost back on yourself, to a river. Walk beside it for a short distance then, as you approach the end of the field, bear away to find a stile about 30 yards to the right of a gate. Over the stile, go ahead to find a bridge over a branch of the river at a weir, that leads to a stile by a gate onto a surfaced drive. Go ahead along the drive with the river on the right to eventually arrive at a main road.
  • Cross the road and take a signed path opposite, again by the river. When the river bends left, bear slightly away from the river up to a stile in the corner of the field, followed immediately by a second. Over the second stile turn left to another double stile.
  • Over these, turn right and walk uphill along the right-hand side of two fields, joining a track. At the top continue along the track down the other side to reach a cross track just before a farm.
  • Turn right. When the track bends left, keep ahead over three stiles and a plank bridge into a field. Continue across the field, heading for a gate. In the next field bear left to a stile onto a main road in the far left corner.
  • Turn left, using the footway on the right-hand side, for 170 yards. Turn right on a signed path, possibly supporting a vigorous crop of nettles, which leads to a stile into a field. Turn left for 180 yards. Just as a fence starts, look for a possibly overgrown stile on the left and cross this into a small field. Go diagonally across the field to a stile in front of a converted barn.
  • Pass to the right of the barn along a track that soon becomes a surfaced drive. When the drive bends right at a farm, leave the drive to continue in the same direction, passing to the right of the farm to shortly pick up a track.
  • Some 100 yards after the end of the farm buildings, go over a stile on the right by a metal field gate and head over to another stile in the far right corner. Now press on along the right-hand side of a field. At the end of this field, turn left for 30 yards to a stile on the right. Cross this stile and walk along the left-hand side of a field. At the end of the field turn left through a small wooden gate and walk along the right-hand side of a field to cross a stone bridge over one branch of the river. Now follow a stone path to another bridge and on to a T-junction.
  • Turn right on a rising path, with a wall on the left and railing the right, for 50 yards then turn left up the steps. At the top go ahead along a road, passing the Market Cross, to the teashop on the left.
  • Turn right out of the teashop to return to the Market Cross and go through a gate into the abbey grounds. Walk across to a gate in front of the Old Bell. Turn right into Cloister Gardens and cross to the far left corner. Go down some steps. At the bottom, bear right across the river yet again to the car park where this walk started.