SPEKE MONUMENT LOOP

Field names, like the paths round or through them tend to change with use and time. Based on research taken from old estate maps and living memory, the names of the fields you will see on this walk are marked below with the current boundary configurations.

This circular walk starts at St Michael's church, Atworth. The numbers on the map refer to the images found below and encountered along the route. Paths may be muddy if it has been wet and some stiles could be challenging for the less agile. The A365 is a fast and busy road with no pavements or parking. Crops and livestock in the fields will vary throughout the year. Please observe the Country Code.

The walk starts at St Michael's Church and commences by taking the short unmade road that runs in front of  number 104, Old Church House (1). As you reach the end of the churchyard, on the left and right can be seen large rectangular stone gate posts (2). These stand outside the small cottage which was once a lodge to Cottles House, now Stonar School. The gate to the estate was taken down, when the vicar at the time, who lived in Dial House (the next house along), fell over a cow on his way home from church. The estate decided to fence off the field of cows and leave the track free for access to the vicar’s home. The field, Church Piece, remains fenced from the track to this day.

1                                                                      2
brushbar
Carry on along this fairly straight track passing through two gates (2a), towards Stonar School. Just before the end, avoid turning left to the School, but turn right going along the edge of the large field you have just passed. Walk with the hedge and Cottles Pond on your left. At the open gateway aim approximately North-North East, up a grassy track (3), to another stile/gate. Go over.
     
2a                                                                                                        3

Turn left, West, to the corner and then right, North, a few paces to find a stile on your left. Go over the stile and aim West, leaving Cottles Farm to your left, heading straight across the field to a horizontal telegraph pole (4). Go either over or under and beware of the barbed wire just after the pole. Slightly to your right, approximately West, is a steel gate, maybe a gap now. Aim for this and be careful of any barbed wire to the right of the gate and  go over or through the gate into Mowing Mead. Continue with the hedge on your left, still westerly, to a double stile in corner of field (7). Mind the plain wire just behind the first stile and go into Furzy Ground.
   
4                                                                      7

Continue with hedge on your left. At a gate on your left, (do not cross this gate or leave the field at this point), bear right, North-West towards a pylon and go through the gate (8). Continue walking towards the pylon (9), and on to the next stile. Go over this stile and aiming just to the right of pylon (9a), go towards the far hedge, approximately North-North-West, on the other side of the field.
At the stile, turn right, towards the corner of the field and then left where, not far along, is another stile (11). Go over and turn left North-West with the hedge on your left and continue along this big, long field.  Note over on your left is the old abandoned pumping station for Neston Park private water supply (11a).
At end of field, go over the stile/gate into the lay-by on the B3109 Corsham to Bradford-on-Avon Road.

  
8                                                  9                                             9a
  
10                                                              11                                                        11a
At the end of the lay-by, is another stile to get you back into the next field (12).  Aim slightly to the left of the farm buildings, approximately, North-North-East, and walk towards the wall. The stile (arrowed) and gate (13) are close to one another.  Cross one of them and go slightly right of North across field to a stile marked with a pole in the far hedge, visible when you get near it (14).
Be especially careful crossing this stile as you will now be on the busy A365 main road.
   
12                                                 13
 
14
Cross the road when traffic permits, and walk to the right to find another signposted stile on your left (15).
Go over this stile and keeping the wall on your right, walk to the end of this field where on your right in the wall is the Speke Monument.
   
15                                                               15a                                                     16
The Inscription
 HERE THE DISTINGUISHED AND ENTERPRISING AFRICAN TRAVELLER CAPN JOHN HANNING SPEKE LOST HIS LIFE BY THE ACCIDENTAL EXPLOSION OF HIS GUN SEPT 15, 1864
Go over the stile by the Monument (16a) and continue with the wall on your right until nearly at the end of the field is a stile in the wall on your right (17). Go over this and into the next field.  Walk in the direction of approximately South-East, through the middle of field towards an electric pole and some low buildings. If there is a crop, you may have to wade through it.  Continue onto the road, and taking care, turn right. You will pass a Victorian letter box set into the wall on your right.
Along the road, approximately 80 paces, there is a stile set in the hedge leading into another field (19).
   
16a                                                              17                                                19
Aim for the gap in the far row of fir trees. The gap is behind the electric pole (20). Go through the gap and across the lawn to a track between houses (20a), going now in a southerly direction. At the end of the track take care crossing the road to the stile (21). Go over the stile into The Park, keeping the hedge or wall on your right until you come to a stile on your right just before descending a slight dip before coming to the large trees.
Go over the stile and on to another stile (indicated in 23) taking you on to the busy main road. Take care crossing this road, turning right and walking along the verge to a gate and stile signposted on your left (24).
     
20                                                     20a                                                   21
  
23                                                     24
This brings you into a long narrow field with Botleaze Wood over on the left (24a). Keep the hedge to your right and go past a fallen tree trunk (25) near the far end of the field where you will find a small gate a few yards left of the corner. Pass through the gate, and the next metal field gate (25a) immediately afterwards on the right to enter Ferny Close. Alternatively go over the Pole fence straight ahead. These gates mark the point where you cross the line of a Roman road. Hares are a regular sight in the early summer. Continue down the field with Cottles Wood on your left to another gate or gap (26).
 
24a                                                                                   25
 
25a                                                                                       26
Go through here into Streets 5 Acres and head for twin electric poles (27), approximately South by South-East. Just left of the poles in the corner of the field is a stile (28). Go over and into Great Broad Croft Leaze and looking diagonally aim for a dead tree. When part way across this field to the left of the tree, you will see a gap (28a) and a stile (29) to go over .
   
27                                                                           28
 
28a                                                                                   29
Go approximately South-East, through this next field, Little Broad Croft (30), to the far corner where there is a stile (31). Go over this stile and keeping the hedge on your right approximately 40 paces is another stile (32).
   
30                                                                                   31                                                    32

Cross this stile into Inner & Outer Close and head up to the far corner over the brow of the slope diagonally beyond the clump of trees. A stile and gate will be found by a water trough (33). Go through these and onto the track turning left towards the church and go through the last stile or gate (34), to the end of the walk.

 
33                                                                                                 34