Bisbec one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Bisbec here.

This is an outline review of the first part of the route (about 4km from Bishops Cleeve to Gotherington). There is a small but significant error in the mapping shown on Slow Ways in the early part of this route: the map appears to show a right turn from Sandown Road into Nottingham Road and then a right turn to a path across to Sunrise Avenue. Nottingham Road is a dead end and there is no route out to Sunrise Avenue. The correct route is an earlier right turn from Sandown Road into Berwick Road and there is then a footpath through to Sunrise Road. The rest of the route to Gotherington was as per the map.
It is essentially flat with no obvious significant inclines.
The early part of the route is a combination of made-up pavements and rough country paths, some of which are grassy but most of which are compacted dirt tracks. Some of the route has official path signage and direction posts but not all; this means some educated guesswork is required to identify the intended route.
There are three significant barriers in this section: a short wooden bridge with a traditional narrow wooden stile and two galvanised metal kissing gate. The unpaved sections are uneven, small stones are present and there are small holes and ridges. The conditions today were overcast but dry and there has been no recent rain; the route would need to be reviewed again after wet weather as we would guess that some of the paths could become muddy and hold puddles.
The route itself is not especially attractive, with much of the terrain being hedged scrubland. That said, there are nice views up to Cleeve Hill and the route today (during the school summer holidays) was very quiet indeed - we encountered just a handful of people. It feels safe in daylight - the route is open for much of its length allowing good visibility in all directions. However, we would feel less safe after dark and would probably not recommend it after sunset as much of the route is unlit and passes through enclosed fields.
Gotherington is a pretty village with a nice pub, The Shutters Inn which serves food, and some attractive dwellings. The village Post Office and store is currently closed but is expected to open later in 2021 (Update 01/01/2022 - the post office has now reopened as a post office and general store)
On the approach to Gotherington, there are alternative paths that can be taken to bring you to different points in the village but still linking up to this route and the onward journey to Woolstone and Oxenton.
We hope to return to this route to complete at least some of the onward section. We will then update this review in due course and will be better able to advise if the route should be verified by Slow Ways. We would certainly walk it again.

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