Dover's Hill

Dover's Hill is a spur of the Cotswold escarpment about a mile north-west of Chipping Campden, about 230m above sea level, with a wide view west over the Vale of Evesham. The National Trust owns it. It takes its name from Robert Dover, who began his Cotswold Olimpick Games here in 1612, and the games are still held on the hill every spring.

History

Dover's Hill has been the home of the Olimpicks for over 400 years, with long gaps. Robert Dover, a lawyer born in Norfolk who came to live at Saintbury in 1611, is credited with starting the games in 1612; the society that runs them today believes Sir Baptist Hicks, the lord of Campden, supported him. In 1636 a book of poems in their praise, Annalia Dubrensia, was published.

Lost and found

The Civil War stopped the games in 1642. They came back after the Restoration and ran on for almost two more centuries, until local interests pressing for the land to be enclosed brought them to an end; the history society gives 1852 for the last games, the games' own society 1862. They were revived for the Festival of Britain in 1951, missed the next two years to foot and mouth disease and the coronation, and were restarted about ten years later by a group from the Scuttlebrook Wake committee. They have been held most years since, though foot and mouth stopped them again in the early 2000s, and in 2017 they did not happen for lack of money and helpers.

Saved for the nation

In 1926 the hill came up for auction and was in danger of passing into private hands. The Campden etcher F L Griggs bought it at the auction and was in debt for several years afterwards; once the debt was paid off, the hill was given to the National Trust.

What to look for

Walk out from the car park to the stone topograph at the edge, which names the hills and towns you can see across the Vale of Evesham. Below you the hill falls away into the natural arena where the games are held. Look for:

• The topograph itself, with the names and directions of the places in view
• The arena below the brow, where the shin-kickers meet on games night
• The sheep and other stock that graze the hill
• Lynches Wood below the brow, where our walk drops down

The Olimpicks today

The Cotswold Olimpicks are held on the Friday evening after the spring bank holiday, starting at 4pm; in 2026 they were on Friday 29 May, and by that rule the 2027 games should fall on Friday 4 June, a date the organisers have still to confirm. Shin-kicking is the most famous event, with the Championship of the Hill, tug of war, running races and morris dancing, and the evening ends after dark with a torchlit procession down into Campden. The next day the town holds Scuttlebrook Wake, its own fair. Tickets are sold in advance on Eventbrite, linked from the games' website.

Visiting

Dover's Hill is open countryside, free to walk at any time. Sheep graze it, so keep dogs on a lead and under close control near livestock. We found no toilets or refreshments listed on the hill.

From the car park a level grass path of about 200m leads to the topograph, and the Cotswolds National Landscape's Walks on Wheels leaflet counts this out-and-back as suitable for all; a longer loop of 1.2 miles has a short steep descent and climb.

Getting there

By car, take the lane north-west out of Chipping Campden towards Weston-sub-Edge; the National Trust car park (GL55 6UW) is beside the lane on the hill. It is a gravel car park where non-members pay £1 an hour, £3 for half a day or £4 a day through the JustPark app, and members park free; AccessAble's guide records no Blue Badge bays.

On foot, the hill is about 1.5km from the Market Hall as the crow flies, a little further by Hoo Lane:

• Chipping Campden and Dover's Hill, a 4.5-mile (7.2km) loop from the Market Hall, climbs Hoo Lane to the topograph and comes back down through Lynches Wood
• The Cotswold Way crosses the hill in its first two miles on the way to Broadway, and passes the Kiftsgate Stone soon after

Nearby

The Kiftsgate Stone, the old meeting place of the hundred, is about 700m south along the Cotswold Way, on its section from Chipping Campden to Broadway. Down in the town are the Market Hall, St James's Church and Old Campden House. For food and a bed, the Noel Arms and Cotswold House are on the square in Campden, the Bantam Tea Rooms serve tea, and the Seagrave Arms is in Weston-sub-Edge below the hill. Our story on the wool churches and our guide to Chipping Campden cover the town.