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South Cerney Walks

4.85 miles (7.8 km)

Ordnance Survey Map Open Streetmap This Cotswolds based village is splendidly positioned next to a series of lakes and the River Churn. It's located just to the south of Cirencester and not far from Cricklade, near the Wiltshire border. It is twice winner of the Bledisloe Cup for best kept village.
This circular walk takes you around the Cotswold Water Park from the village. The waterside walk runs for about 5 miles, taking you along the River Churn and around several pools and lakes. It uses a series of flat footpaths and country lanes, so suitable for most abilities. The area is great for wildlife spotting with water vole, otter, breeding and wintering birds to look out for on the way.
The route starts in the village on the river and follows a riverside path east before heading south east towards the lakes. You'll follow Wildmoorway Lane past Horseshoe Lake before coming to Cerney Wick. The route then follows another track north back into the village.

South Cerney OS Map Ordnance survey map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

South Cerney Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Walks near South Cerney

  • Cotswold Water Park - This fabulous attraction has numerous waterside cycling and walking paths taking you around the park's 150 lakes
  • Cirencester Park - Explore 3000 acres of parkland and woodland on this fine circular walk in Cirencester
  • Thames Path - Starting at the Source of the Thames at Thames Head in Gloucestershire, follow the iconic river through beautiful countryside and historic towns to the city of London.
  • Cricklade Circular Walk - Enjoy an easy stroll around the pretty Wiltshire town of Cricklade, on this circular walk in the Thames Valley
  • Source of the Thames - This walk takes you from the village of Kemble to the source of the River Thames at Thames Head, in Gloucestershire
  • Ampney Crucis - This small Cotswolds based village lies just to the east of Cirencester.

Pubs/Cafes

There's a few nice pubs in the village where you can enjoy refreshments after your walk. You could head to the historic Old George Inn which is set in a 17th century coaching inn. They do good food and also have a nice gardena area for the summer months. You can find the pub at Clarks Hay with a postcode of GL7 5UA for your sat navs.
The Royal Oak is another good option with another good menu and a large garden area. You can find it on the High Street at postcode GL7 5UP. The pub is also dog friendly if you have your four legged friend with you.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

To continue your walking in the area head to nearby Cricklade where you can visit the Source of the Thames and pick up the epic Thames Path National Trail.

Photos

War memorial Broadway Lane South Cerney - geograph.org.uk - 128841

War memorial Broadway Lane South Cerney

South Cerney Airfield - geograph.org.uk - 288049

South Cerney Airfield South Cerney Airfield is nowadays part of an army base. The field is used for parachuting using light aircraft, and a practice drop zone for Hercules transport aircraft from RAF Lyneham. The Army Parachute team the Silver Stars are based here.

Bow Wow and the River Churn, South Cerney - geograph.org.uk - 1518004

Bow Wow and the River Churn, South Cerney. This charming little thoroughfare is part of a conservation area. 

Bow Wow, a gazebo and the River Churn, South Cerney - geograph.org.uk - 1520382

Bow Wow, a gazebo and the River Churn, South Cerney The curiously-named thoroughfare is highway at this point although it becomes a footpath and access-only to some isolated properties a few hundred metres to the east. The gazebo is in the grounds of the Old Vicarage. The small river is the Churn, strictly a tributary of the Thames although it could be argued that the Thames is a tributary of the Churn since the former is a lot shorter than the latter measured from the point where they meet in Cricklade.

Gloucestershire County Outdoor Training Lake, South Cerney - geograph.org.uk - 128814

Gloucestershire County Outdoor Training Lake, South Cerney. The lake is run by the Education Committee to train youngsters in watersports. New holiday homes can be seen in the background, beyond the River Churn

Cerney Wick Lock and roundhouse - geograph.org.uk - 1048466

Cerney Wick Lock and roundhouse. Cerney Wick Lock chamber has been cleared and the basic structure was largely restored in 1980. Top paddles were fitted at the same time, as were the gates. These were "recycled", having come originally from Sunbury Lock on the Thames. They were at the end of their life and resized to fit Cerney Wick Lock, largely as a cosmetic feature pending final restoration of navigation. The Roundhouse, a unique characteristic of this canal, formerly housed the lock keeper.

GPS Files

GPX File

South Cerney.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)

Memory Map Route

South Cerney.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Download Linked File)