Westbury Walkers’ February Walk

A clear blue sky and bright winter sunshine, tempered by a strong northerly wind, greeted 12 Westbury Walkers as they set off on Sunday 11th February on an 8 mile walk led by John Parker which took them from Derry Hill around the edge of Bowood Park and back through the beautifully landscaped parkland created by Capability Brown.

The walkers headed across fields to the village of Studley and from there, down a quiet country lane to the valley below, where they joined the disused railway track, now a walking and cycle track, which runs from Chippenham to Calne. This wooded track took the walkers across a footbridge over the A4 through the former station of Black Dog Halt and on to water meadows on the outskirts of Calne where a partially restored section of  a branch of the Wilts and Berks canal could be seen. A pathway took them up to a track which led into farmland belonging to the Bowood Estate.

Following a path uphill across the fields, far reaching views could be enjoyed across to Cherhill Down with its White Horse and Lansdowne monument. At the top of the hill the path joined a farm driveway leading down to a private road running through the estate, passing through woodland and rich agricultural land.

On arrival at a bridge the walkers turned right through a kissing gate onto a path along the edge of a pond, and then across a bridge into the heart of the estate alongside Bowood Lake which provided a restful lunch stop with views of the impressive Bowood House, ancestral home of the Lansdowne family. From here the path crossed a branch of the lake, home to a large flock of geese, then headed uphill to a meadow where sheep were grazing, eventually joining  a roadway alongside the Bowood Golf Course.

The walkers followed this private road for a short distance, spotting some deer on the way, then veering off into woodland and finally onto a path alongside the golf course leading to a gateway out of the estate and back to Derry Hill, their arrival marked by a most impressive hail storm!