Dan posted an update
7 months ago (edited)
Cleeve Hill, Cotswolds Gloucestershire
Early August 2025
Another week, another county, another hillfort. This time it was Gloucestershire – and its highest point at 330 metres. Like so many of my recent trips, it was another windy visit.
Cleeve Hill has a bit of everything: the county’s highest point and tallest tree, grazing cattle, rock formations, a flat grassy summit, benches with views, a golf course, two trig points, an Iron Age hillfort and even a car park at the top. The views stretch in every direction.
Most people I came across in the late afternoon were clustered near the car park and memorial tree area. A few golfers were out braving the wind, but once I left those spots behind and headed out toward the rear common at dusk- roughly in the direction of the Cleeve Hill Washpool (marked on Google Maps) – only two golfers remained.
I didn’t go all the way, but I found plenty of promising spots and eventually settled into a sheltered patch near some gorse bushes.
There are paths criss-crossing the hill and the common, but at dusk, and after leaving the golf course/hillfort area, I didn’t see another person for the rest of the time I was there -just the sound of livestock moving around.
I parked in Southam and approached the hill from the west. That path climbs past wooded areas and exposed rock face, with a small cliff and plenty of cover. While it was interesting terrain, it felt a bit too close to the paths and possible morning dog walkers for a quiet camp.
It was the same with the golf course area and the hillfort. .Awesome old ramparts and deep gullies offer some great sheltered spots, but I felt they were a bit too exposed for me, from the wind and dog walkers..
In the end, tucking myself away near the gorse was the right choice – sheltered from the wind, out of sight, and with enough quiet to really appreciate the hill at night.
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Coordinates:
GPS: SO 99276 25973
Google Maps: 51°55’56.2″N 2°00’43.0″W
What3words:II/sweetener.picked.alienated
Getting there:
I parked on Old Road in Southam, right near the junction with Sunset Lane. From there, I walked up the first short section of Sunset Lane, crossed over the B4632, and followed the other section of Sunset Lane to a gate that leads onto the hill.
From where I camped to where I parked was around 3 km (1.8 miles). This is an estimate as I hadn’t measured the route and distance properly, via an app.
There’s plenty of on-street parking in Southam, but if you’d prefer to start higher up, there’s also a car park near the aerial towers at the top.
Heads up:
Just watch out for golf balls near the golf course. Very good phone and internet signal
#gloucestershire #wildcamp #bivicamp #hillfort #cotswolds #highestpoint #trigpoint #cleevehill #cleevecommon #cotswoldway
2 Comments
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You can bag two #trigpoints on #cleevehill.
