City of Bath Athletic Club

Cotswold Way Relay



Stage 10 Route


Stage

Start Point

End Point

Distance

Ascent

Start Time

10

Greenway Lane, Cold Ashton

Bath Abbey

10 miles

246 metres

17:20 hrs

Start Point

Greenway Lane across the A46 from Cold Ashton.
Please be sure to arrive a reasonable period of time before the start for registration, preparation and briefing. The race will start without you.

Finish Point

Bath Abbey courtyard, approached through the collonades.

Parking

In Cold Ashton, we need to take car of the local residents and not strangulate their small village, whilst taking care not to interfere with heavy and fast traffic on the A46. There is some hard-standing by the turn-off into Greenway Lane, but as space is really tight here, please park with great consideration, to allow us to squeeze as many cars in as possible. There is a fair bit of grass around the junction - get well off the A46 - 4x4s will do well here!

Do not park in Greenway Lane. Take great care on the grass verges of the A46. I have seen some farcical parking here before in view of the danger to yourselves and to A46 traffic. This is not a good location to leave cars for subsequent collection, so please get someone else to drive your car onwards. The grass verge of the small road running North from the finish of Stage 9 will accomodate about 20 cars.

Ideally you will get here in plenty of time and drive to the pub on the A420 (250m East of the A420 / A46 roundabout) where there is a sizeable car park, and jog through the pretty village to and from the finish. This is the safest, easiest and most considerate option.

Former Years' Results

2004 Results

2005 Results

Forum

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Race Profile

Cracking views along nearly all of the route. The Rugby Club bar beckons.

Race Route

Click here to view map

Description

Section 1

Heading off down Greenway Lane for just short of a mile, where the lane turns left, head straight on through the new gates, and shortly into a series of fields where there shoujld be a discernable path through the grass maintaining a SSW direction. After about three fields, you reach a metalled road again by a barn and house - turn left over the cattle grids. once across the stream, turn right heading uphill to the small gap in the hedge 200m ahead. Maintain your direction over the wooded bank above you, and onto the next stile. Another small uphill field length and into the green lane, maintaining your ascent, to the right. Stay in the lane until you reach a large metal gate, then following the line of trees on your right, eventually the path opens and splits three ways. Take the centre path up to the stone stile with the civil war memorial mini flag, and cross. Follow the line of the path along the wall on your right into the woods ahead, where the path starts to bear left again, over another stone stile, and avoiding heading down to the road on your right, bear left up to the monument, then ahead towards the Lansdown Road.

Section 2

As you cross the Lansdown Road, taking care in quite fast traffic, look for the waymarker taking you through the shrubs onto the tarmac 10m on the other side. Follow the road right. As a permitted diversion, you may continue on the road instead of going through into the meadow. Look for the discreet sign and lane in the corner by the Fire Station, through the next gate and into the meadow.

Carry on with the wall on your left to the kissing gate at the head of Hanging Hill, pass through the gate turning left, then to carry on with the edge of the field on your right. Turn left, joining the track up to the golf course. After the long fairway, look for the prominent signpost with many pointers on it, and turn rigth across the fairway towards the woods opposite. Follow the signed route here, not the representation on the map.

Follow the edge of the wood, again coursing the fairway, through the gate at the end. As you commence downhill, you need to find the path venturing off to the left along the contour. 200m later, turn sharp left again up to the fort. Now in the field, follow the edge of the field on the right, bearing all the way round to Prospect Stile. Take in the view if you are reccying, otherwise don't. Now slightly downhill to the near corner of the field, and into the chalked lane past the RoundHill.

Section 3

Stay in the lane, taking the metalled road crossing but maintaining direction. Eventually take the steep descent towards Weston, finally crossing the middle of the recreation ground to exit in the far downhill corner onto the road.

Now, look for the side road on the left and use it. Cross the main road following the signs taking you round below the church, and uphill in the narrow lane beside it. Be sure to use the Route Improvement through Weston. Click here for details This takes you into the fields above the houses, and not through the roads below. Eventually you find a tarmac path underfoot, which then takes you very steeply uphill. This is the last climb so enjoy it.

Section 4

Running on the road now, look for the missable sign high on the wall pointing right into Sion Hill. Run down the road and exit onto the pitch and putt on the clear downhill path. Cross Weston Road, into Victoria Park.

Section 5

This section of the route was changed completely last year, but the directions on the map here are very detailed. Be sure to end up running down the wide pedestrian Union Street, finishing infront of the columns of the Collonade with the Abbey in front of you and the angels leading the way up the Angels' Ladder to Heaven. Those not allowed access there may recover in the Bar at Bath Rugby on the Rec with the rest of us sinners.



Here's the finish of the day: