This is a five-mile circle through Bisley in the Cotswolds, taking in high open land, a glorious mellow stone village and the enchanting wooded Toadsmoor valley, full of colour, particularly in autumn.. It's about 2.5 hours walking. Use the map OS Explorer 168, Stroud, Tetbury & Malmesbury, grid ref: 890 044. Park at Eastcombe village, around the green by the post office. Eastcombe is east of Stroud and north of the Golden Valley. It can be reached from the A419 Stroud to Cirencester road or from Bisley.

E njoy the autumnal changes of farmland and the warm colours of foliage on this modest and fairly short Cotswold circle from Eastcombe, east of Stroud.

Trees are a feature of this walk. It starts using good tracks, some field footpaths and the Wysis Way crossing the high, open land with big skies and a feeling of space and calls in at beautiful Bisley with a great pub.

Then there is a real contrast as the route goes under avenues of beeches, horse chestnuts and poplars, through park-like country and down into the Toadsmoor valley. It's easy walking until the end when you climb steeply out of the valley back up lanes and paths to Eastcombe green. A very good walk for dogs.

START

Take the road away from the green, uphill, keeping the post office on your left. Reach a junction and turn left towards Bisley, passing allotments. Take the pavement along.

1. TARMAC TRACK

Just past the de-restriction sign, turn right on a Tarmac track – a good chance to stride out and enjoy the space as you cross the plateau. Follow it along, cross a road and continue on the other side. Ignore any side turns and carry on all the way to the road in France Lynch.

2. FRANCE LYNCH

If you want a pub at this early stage of the walk, go straight over a few yards to the very popular Kings Head. But to continue, turn left on the lane and follow it round to a junction with pleasant views towards the village. Turn left toward Bournes Green and very shortly, on the bend, take the track straight ahead.

3. FARM DRIVE

It soon joins a Tarmac farm drive. It has been newly surfaced to service a new campsite at the farm. Continue ahead on this drive a little way, going through a metal gate (probably open). At this point, bear off left about 30 degrees away from the drive and head across the field to a stile on the far side, to the left of an ash tree.

Continue ahead in the next field, drawing a little closer to the farm which is on the right. Go through a large gate on the far side, marked with a footpath arrow. Then go along with a wall on your left in the next field. In the corner, go under a wooden rail and over a stile and maintain direction with the hedge on the left. Go through an opening into another field and here you are joining the Wysis Way .

This runs for 88km through the lovely but very distinctive areas of the Forest of Dean, Severn Vale and Cotswolds. Connecting two great National Trails, Offa's Dyke Path and the Thames Path, it provides continuous walking for 400 miles from the North Wales coast to Greenwich, London.

Go left round the field edge, round the corner and immediately left through into another field. Continue, as before, through this and three more fields heading towards the spire of Bisley church. It should be quite well marked across here as you go through this open Cotswold farmland.

Come down to the road on the edge of Bisley.

4. JUNCTION

Go ahead on the main road towards Cheltenham, Birdlip and Stroud. Take care and go single file as it is quite busy, but it is only a short way. Pass the Bisley sign and fork off left on the "narrow street" which should be quiet and takes you into this very picturesque village that spills down the hillside. You get great views of the village from this road.

5. BISLEY

Enter the village proper, and soon look for a wooden seat on your left. Go left up the Tarmac path here to the lych gate and into the churchyard.

Turn left if you want to visit the church. And, just past the main entrance, is an interesting 12th-century wellhead, known locally as the Bone House, standing on the edge of the garden of rest.

Bisley developed because it was the meeting place for several cross-country roads. At one stage it was the most important settlement in the area.

The wool trade was vital to the village. By 1826, out of a population of 6,000, 2,000 were fully employed and 450 half-employed in it. But sadly, the decline in the wool trade took a great toll in Bisley and the arrival of mill machinery in 1838 brought an abrupt end to the cottage weaving industry with disastrous consequences.

An old saying mentions "Beggarly Bisley" – more than 65 people in Bisley emigrated to the New World, desperate for a living.

To continue the walk, from the church entrance turn left (from the lychgate, turn right) and go out through a wooden gate and along a Tarmac drive to the village again. Turn left up the street. Pass the old village lock-up on the right and reach the Bear ahead.

6. THE BEAR

This is a very welcoming and atmospheric pub with an unusual pillared facade, which was once the Courthouse and Assembly Rooms. There is an interesting history over the 17th-cnetury inglenook fireplace.

To continue, take the lane on the far side of the Bear between the pub and its beer garden. At a T-junction, turn left. Go under an avenue of beeches and at the next junction with "road narrows" signs ahead, turn right. This drive which leads to Copsegrove Farm estate takes you under a notable avenue of horse chestnut trees.

7. CATTLE GRID

At the entrance to Copsegrove, fork left over a cattle grid and follow the Tarmac path down, ignoring a side turn, and going under an avenue of poplars. As the path bends right, go straight ahead down across the grass following the footpath.

Ahead in the distance, topping the hill, is Eastcombe. Reach a wooden gate and stile. But don't cross this. Instead, turn right and go along the side of the valley in the field. You may need to cross a temporary electric fence on the way.

As you go, up on the right you can see the hedge and beautiful trees in the Copsegrove estate.

Continue all the way to woodland ahead.

8. WOODS

Go ahead downhill through the beech woodland. Reach a track junction and turn left on the broad track. Continue to drop down. When the track forks, stay on the main track and carry on descending into the Toadsmoor valley. Reach a cottage in a clearing and continue on along the track. Ignore a right path and continue to a junction of tracks and the lane.

9. BRIDGE

Go left over the bridge across the stream. This is one of many that drains the high land and flows down to the Frome in the Golden Valley. Here begins the ascent to Eastcombe.

Follow the Tarmac lane up and just past Fairview, go right. Ignore side paths. Continue up to where the lane bends right. But here turn left on a Tarmac path between walls and follow it up to another lane. Turn right past cottages.

Opposite the old Red Lion, turn left up a public footpath. Reach a lane and turn left, following this round and up to Eastcombe Green, passing the Baptist Church on the corner.

On the edge of the green is the Lamb.

King's Head, France Lynch, GL6 8LT. Tel: 01453 882225. The Bear, Bisley, GL6 7BQ. Tel: 01452 770265. The Lamb, Eastcombe, GL6 7DN. Tel: 01452 770261. Please call before setting out to confirm opening times.