Chewin one

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I enjoyed this route very much. I walked from Winchcombe to Cheltenham. Mostly a five-star route. Great views from Cleeve Hill and I'd certainly walk it again. I only graded it a four because it could do with some tiny tweaks in the plot and, as noted by a previous reviewer, it doesn't route through Pittville Park at the Cheltenham end, which is a nicer off-road walk. I will share another version of the route which does this.

Otherwise, I agree that it’s definitely a walking route (rough ground, hill climbs, narrow paths). Gates and kissing gates for access. No stiles. Some cattle in the fields near Cheltenham racecourse but they were used to walkers.

A few little things. Between Postlip and the edge of Winchcombe it is fine, and quicker, to walk along the path by the River Isbourne instead of going up and around (and it looks like most people do), although the existing route plot looks a useful alternative if it is wet and muddy. The tiny section along the B-road at Postlip is safe. The route is a little fiddly to navigate between Cleeve Hill and Southham, and I got a short dousing from a watering machine on the racecourse which was showering heavily over the footpath!.

I walked this route in March when the path was dry and easy to follow, going from Winchcombe to Cheltenham. The path round Postlip Mill has been diverted from the route shown on OS maps but the diversion is clearly marked with signs. The stretch skirting Elder Wood is rutted and used by tractors. I didn't encounter any obstacles and the few gates were easy to use. From there the route goes over Cleeve Hill common and using a few short stretches of road brought me down through fields to the edge of the race course. Going round the edge of the course was interesting. It might be busy on race days but you might also get to see the horses! The route into Cheltenham from there on mostly on pavements was straightforward to follow. It's a good route linking Winchcombe to Cheltenham and I would use it again as a quick route between the two.

A good and varied walk, but unsuitable for cycles, horses or wheelers, due to narrow paths and gateways, steps, tree roots, and steep gradient at times. No stiles, gates all easily opened. Possible livestock in fields south of Southam, and on Cleeve Hill Common.
Route more or less correctly mapped, I would just make a couple of suggestions at each end.
There are many route options on leaving Cheltenham Royal Crescent, to get out to the racecourse, but this one is good as it avoids busy streets. It dives underneath an archway at Church Street (incorrectly mapped here), & then passes through the churchyard. The Pittville Gates are quite a feature. Personally I would have preferred a route through Pittville Park (as Chebis1), then along East Approach Drive to Albert Road. On Chewin1 the route uses a path between Welland Lodge Road and Broad Acre Road. This has a sharp (blind) turn and I would not like to pass through here at dusk or in darkness.

The path adjacent to the racecourse is narrow and gates would not allow wheelers and bikes. It could be quite noisy if a race was in progress!
Northwards from Shaw Green the route passes through fields where there could be livestock. Hyde Brook is crossed on a bridge, there might be flooding here in really rainy periods, and it could be boggy or muddy in the winter months. The route heads to a gap between houses in Southam, potentially there may be refreshments at Southam de la Bere Hotel, just off route, but it is very posh.

From Southam the route uses bits of old road and footways, then crosses the B4632 (take care here - fast traffic) to head steeply up Ashleigh Lane. After a while a footpath continues heading uphill, and is narrow and/or steep in places, with occasional steps and tree roots. Once on Cleeve Hill Common views open out, across the wide Severn valley to the Malvern and Welsh hills, there are seats, and at the top the golf club and Cotswold Way cafe offer refreshments. The route then follows the Cotswold Way for a short while then continues on a more direct route into Winchcombe. There is a verge where it runs briefly beside the B4632. At Postlip Mill a new path takes the route above the noisy industrial area (CheWin1 not correctly mapped here). Southeast of Postlip House a more direct route could be used by following a narrow, fenced path nearer the stream, (the River Isbourne Way). The mapped route goes up to a pair of pretty cottages, then down through fields with a number of gates to negotiate, (2 horses and 2 pigs were in the enclosures when I passed by), before reaching Corndean Lane.

The final part of Chewin1 uses Corndean Lane briefly, then the Cotswold Way on good paths, through to picturesque Vineyard Street. A shorter route would be to follow the footway directly into the town.

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