DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Blockley and Batsford Park
A 4.9-mile (7.9km) circular walk from Bell Lane in Blockley, about two and a quarter hours of moderate walking with two climbs and deep mud in winter. It goes up Pasture Lane, down to Batsford's church, through Batsford Park past the arboretum, and back over the hill.
- Distance
- 7.9 km (4.9 mi)
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- 2 hrs, 15 mins
- Ascent
- 223 m
- Circular
- Circular
The route
Starts at Bell Lane, Blockley, by the village shop and café Muddy in winterLivestock in fieldsDogs on lead near sheepSteep sectionRoad walkingCafé on route Download GPX
Step by step
-
Step 1: Blockley to Pasture Lane
From Bell Lane by the post office, walk down to Lower Street, cross Blockley Brook and turn up Pasture Lane, a bridleway, east out of the village.
- Muddy in winter
-
Step 2: Over the hill
Follow the bridleway past the farm buildings and up on to the hill for about 1.4km to the top, at about 230m. Walkers report the stretch past the cattle shed as the muddiest of the walk in winter. Then follow the lane down for about 1.4km to Batsford, where a short lane leads to St Mary’s Church.
- Muddy in winter
- Steep section
- Dogs on lead
-
Step 3: Through Batsford Park
From the village, take the footpaths south and west through Batsford Park for about 2.4km, by Sally Beds wood, past the arboretum’s coach park and Seven Leys lake, and climb to about 250m on the far side.
- Café
- Dogs on lead
-
Step 4: Back to Blockley
Follow the public footpaths north-west across the fields and down for about 1.5km to Lower Street, and walk back up to Bell Lane.
- Steep section
- Muddy in winter
Sights on the way
The sights this walk passes, numbered as on the map.
-
St Peter and St Paul, Blockley
Sight · Church · Blockley
St Peter and St Paul is Blockley's church by the square, founded about 800 by its own account: a late twelfth-century chancel, medieval brasses, Childe and Rushout monuments and a tower of 1725 to 1727 attributed to the Woodwards. Grade II*, open daily and Father Brown's church.
-
St Mary's Church, Batsford
Sight · Church · Moreton-in-Marsh
St Mary's is the estate church of Batsford, near Moreton-in-Marsh: rebuilt in 1861 and 1862 for the Mitford family in a neo-Norman style, with a spired tower, an apsidal chancel, Kempe glass and monuments to the Freemans and Mitfords. Grade II*.
The walk in detail
The Blockley and Batsford Park walk is a 4.9-mile (7.9km) circular route from Bell Lane in Blockley, over the hill to the Batsford estate near Moreton-in-Marsh. It is moderate, with two climbs of 223m in all, and takes about two and a quarter hours. Batsford Arboretum's café, free to enter, is halfway, and Blockley's village shop café is at the start.
The walk is in the North Cotswolds, and allow longer if you stop at the arboretum.
Blockley
Blockley is an old silk village, and the walk starts close to its church. Blockley was a detached part of Worcestershire until 1931. Its first silk mill was built by Henry Whatcot, who died in 1718, and five were working by 1780. The parish church of St Peter and St Paul, by the start, has a late twelfth-century chancel and a west tower of 1725 to 1727, and is listed Grade II*. In the BBC's Father Brown it plays Kembleford's St Mary's, as our story on Cotswold film and TV locations explains.
Pasture Lane and the hill
The first climb is Pasture Lane, a bridleway that runs east from Lower Street past farm buildings and on to the top of the hill at about 230m. It is also the muddiest part of the walk. A quiet lane then takes you down to Batsford, a hamlet of estate houses below the park.
Batsford
Batsford's church and the lodge to the big house are the sights at the far end of the walk. St Mary's Church, a short detour along a lane, was rebuilt in 1861 and 1862 by W. F. Poulton and Woodman of Reading, in a neo-Norman style with a south-west tower and spire and an apse at the east end. It is listed Grade II*. The front lodge to Batsford Park, by Sir Ernest George and Peto for Lord Redesdale in the late nineteenth century, stands near the church. The same architects built the house itself, Batsford Park, in 1888 to 1892 in what its listing calls Cotswold Elizabethan style, about 260m from the line. The National Landscape's walk from Moreton-in-Marsh to Batsford goes past it.
Batsford Park and the arboretum
You can walk through Batsford Park free on public footpaths, but the arboretum itself charges. From Batsford the route follows footpaths for about 2.4km through the park, by Sally Beds wood and Seven Leys lake and past the arboretum's coach park, then climbs to the highest point of the walk, about 254m. In 2026 an adult ticket to Batsford Arboretum was £12 with Gift Aid (£10.90 without), open from 9.30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sunday, with last entry at 4pm. Its visitor centre, with the café, garden centre and gift shop, is free to enter, and dogs go on a short fixed lead, with no extending leads. The Cotswold Falconry Centre is close by, and walkers report deer, stags among them, in the grounds. Our guide to the great Cotswold gardens has more on Batsford.
What walkers report
Mud is the thing most walkers mention. Through the winter of 2025 to 2026, from October to March, they reported deep mud on the first climb out of Blockley, worst past the cattle shed on Pasture Lane, while walkers in September and October 2026 found good conditions. They also report two short, steep climbs, sheep and cattle in the fields, and some quiet road; AllTrails puts the road walking at about half a mile (0.8km) and says it needs care.
Walkers describe the route as well signposted and easy to follow.
The Cotswolds Info newsletter
Events, new places and the best of the season, about once a month. Unsubscribe at any time.
Parking, buses and food
Park on the street in Blockley, because there is no council car park; walkers report free street parking in the village. Stagecoach buses 1, 1A, 2 and 2A link Blockley with Moreton-in-Marsh station and Chipping Campden about six times a day each way, Sundays included.
Walkers start and finish at the café in Blockley's community-owned village shop, and report toilets there too. Halfway round, the arboretum's visitor centre, free to enter, has the Garden Terrace Café. The Great Western Arms, a Hook Norton pub on Station Road, is about 200m from the route. For somewhere to stay nearby, see places to stay in Moreton-in-Marsh.
Nearby walks
Blockley has a shorter loop and a longer one. Blockley and Norcombe Wood goes north into the woods and back beside the brook in 3 miles. Chipping Campden to Blockley is the National Landscape's 9-mile walk between the two places.
Places on the way
-
Batsford Arboretum
Parks and gardens · Moreton-in-Marsh
A 60-acre arboretum on the Batsford estate near Moreton-in-Marsh, with a free visitor centre, café and garden centre, open every day and best in spring and autumn.
Dog-friendly · Walker-friendly · Car-free
Verified Oct 2026
-
Great Western Arms
Pubs · Blockley
A Hook Norton Brewery pub on Station Road, Blockley, with a large patio, a car park, Hooky ales and dogs welcome.
Dog-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
Stay near the start
Inns, cottages and hotels within a short drive of where the walk begins, so you can set off early.
Where to stay in Blockley-
Old Farm, Dorn
Self-catering · Moreton-in-Marsh
A working regenerative farm at Dorn, about a mile from Moreton-in-Marsh, with a holiday let in its shearing shed, a studio and a ten-pitch campsite.
Verified Oct 2026
-
The Noel Arms Hotel
Inn · Chipping Campden
A Grade II listed inn with 27 rooms on Chipping Campden's High Street, with a restaurant, parking, accessible rooms and dogs by arrangement.
Dog-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
-
Cotswold House Hotel and Spa
Hotel · Chipping Campden
A Grade II listed Regency town house on Chipping Campden's Upper High Street, now a hotel and spa with the Hidcote restaurant.
Hot tubs · Wedding venues
Verified Nov 2026
More like this
Stories on this walk
-
Father Brown in the Cotswolds: Blockley as Kembleford
Story · Guides · 6 minute read
Where the BBC's Father Brown is filmed in the Cotswolds: Blockley as Kembleford, its church as St Mary's, and the railway station, villages and tower that have appeared since 2013, with how to visit each.
-
Snowdrops in the Cotswolds
Story · Guides · 10 minute read
Where to see snowdrops in the Cotswolds, from Colesbourne Park's 350 varieties and the five million at Painswick Rococo Garden to Batsford, Rodmarton and Cerney House: when they peak, how each garden opens, what it costs and a winter walk to go with each.
-
The Cotswolds in February
Story · Guides · 8 minute read
The Cotswolds in February: snowdrop month, with Colesbourne's weekends, Painswick's booked valley and Batsford, the Stroud Wassail, the first lambs, half term's one busy week, what is open, and three walks for the mud.
More walks to try
-
Moreton-in-Marsh and Batsford
Walk · Starts in Moreton-in-Marsh · 2 hrs · Circular
A 4-mile (6.4km) circular walk from Moreton-in-Marsh's war memorial, easy, stile-free and about two hours: west through field gates to Batsford, along the deer park below Batsford House, east on the watershed lane to Dorn and back past the mound of a Roman fort.
-
Blockley and Norcombe Wood
Walk · Starts in Blockley · 1 hr, 15 mins · Circular
A 3-mile (5km) circular walk from Park Road at the top of Blockley, about an hour and a quarter, moderate with one longer climb and muddy woods. It goes up beside Northwick Park into Norcombe Wood, then down the brook valley and back through the old silk-mill village.
-
Chipping Campden to Blockley
Walk · Starts in Chipping Campden · 3 hrs, 45 mins · Circular
A 9-mile (14.5km) circular walk from the Noel Arms in Chipping Campden to Blockley and back, about three and three quarter hours of moderate walking with 306m of climbing. It goes by Broad Campden, the Monarch's Way and Norcombe Wood, with five stiles and 200m of busy road.