Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Now managed and maintained by English Heritage, Hailes Abbey was built by Richard,
Earl of Cornwall and brother of Henry III, as a thanksgiving for having survived a
near-shipwreck. The abbey was consecrated in 1251 for a community of Cistercian
monks, and when a phial purporting to contain the blood of Christ was presented by
Richard's second son, Edmund, in 1270, Hailes became a place of pilgrimage for nearly
300 years. But in 1538 the phial was taken for analysis to London where the con-
tents were pronounced as nothing more than 'honey clarified and coloured with saf-
fron'. The following year, during the dissolution of the monasteries, the abbey was
closed, its ornaments taken away, and the buildings sold to a private dealer in 1542.
Now only the ivy-clad archways, crumbling masonry and clearly defined foundations
remain. Nearby, on the opposite side of the lane, stands the 12th-century Church of
St Nicholas, where a number of medieval wall paintings make the building worthy of a
visit.
About 100 metres along Salter's Lane bear left onto a track. As this be-
gins to rise up the hillside, keep alert for a footpath breaking away to the
right by a pair of oak trees. Follow this path along the edge of a field,
then strike away half-left to the far corner where a waymark can be seen.
Go over a stile in the hedge, bear left round the edge of a field for a few
yards, then pass through a metal kissing gate into the next meadow. There
is no real footpath to be seen on the ground, but you simply head diag-
onally across two meadows linked by gates and a footbridge, with brief
views of Winchcombe ahead. You will come to a stile giving onto a track
which leads to the outskirts of Winchcombe. The track becomes a nar-
row metalled road - Puck Pit Lane - bordered by neat, trimmed hedges.
On reaching the B4632, turn left and walk into
Winchcombe
, a pleasant
small town with a range of accommodation, pubs, restaurants, shops, a
post office, and so on.
