Wiltshire walking route and map NoW4

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CALNE to DERRY HILL

Waypoint	Map Reference	Bearing Magnetic
START	ST 9982 7080	273
WP1	ST 9813 7087	319
WP2	ST 9713 7201	203
WP3	ST 9693 7153	172
WP4	ST 9699 7110	247
WP5	ST 9569 7055	88
WP6	ST 9686 7058	199
WP7	ST 9680 7040	199
WP8	ST 9663 6990	116
WP9	ST 9727 6959	141
WP10	ST9776 6899	178
WP11	ST 9777 6882	58
WP12	ST 9907 6962	310
WP13	ST 9874 6990	43
WP14	ST 9907 7026	67
WP15	ST 9980 7057	4
START	ST 9982 7080	-

General:- An interesting 8.7 mile circular walk with a great variety of landscape. The first section to waypoint 2 runs along a cycleway that used to be a railway branch line connecting to the Great Western Railway at Chippenham. You might wonder why the tiny platform at Black Dog Halt is set in the middle of nowhere, its proximity to the Bowood Estate is a clue. When the railway company purchased the land from the Marquis of Lansdown he insisted on having his own private station as part of the deal.

The route enters the grounds of the Bowood Estate at waypoint 5. You can see the house in the distance and walk along a lake that formed part of the landscaped gardens. This section is exceptionally well signposted and its a credit to the Bowood Estate management team; they have put a lot of work into maintaining the paths too. Combine this with a well drained cycle track and you get good walking conditions in all weathers and little chance of serious mud.

You can shorten the walk by taking a path on the left where the road comes in from the right just before the church in Derry Hill. However you will miss a charming village with a strong community spirit, the grand entrance gates to Bowood with an enchanting woodland section, and bypass the pub; its your decision!

The Bowood Estate sometimes close the section between waypoints 1 & 2 for shooting parties. This is usually on one day per week Nov-Jan when the path is quiet. Its worth checking the Sustrans wewbsite at www.sustrans.org.uk if you intend to use it during this period. If you find the path closed you can descend to the A4 at Black Dog Halt and turn left up the road to regain the route at waypoint 4.

At waypoint 5 the Lansdown Arms pub makes a good halfway stop and there are pubs in Calne too.

How to get there:- Park in Station Rd. Drive along the A4 into Calne. From Chippenham you turn right into Station Rd just after The Strand Hotel. From the east you enter the town via a mini double roundabout and turn left into Station Rd.