Yes, it's a great place to have your home, but around three quarters of Charlton Kings Parish is actually open country. The area is criss-crossed by wonderful rights of way – explore them using our free guided walk maps, available from the CKPC Office at Church Piece or online here.

The jewel in the crown however is undoubtedly...

(at the top of Ravensgate Hill, see map below)

This area, recognised by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS), has benefited from a National Grid grant through their Landscape Enhancement Initiative. Over three years, the funding has supported the clearing of gorse and overgrowth, restoration of natural grassland, and encouragement of native plants and wildlife.

For more details and photos, visit: Restoring Cheltenham's Escarpment

See below for information on butterflies, highlighting one example of the unique character of the Common.

Do go and have a look for yourself!

• You can walk up from Dunkerton's Car Parks (location), if you wish following the first part of the Parish Council's Rural Walk number 4
• If you prefer to avoid the climb, there is a right of way signposted from the A436, immediately opposite the Ian Coley Sporting site (location). For 'what3words' users, the footpath begins at 'cubes.puzzled.comedians', but in any case it's very clearly signed. From there it's no more than a few hundred yards of flat walking onto the Common.
• The best parking is probably about half a mile further along by the entrance – wooden gates - to Lineover Wood (location or 'funny.touchy.initiates'). From there you're pretty much straight onto a section of the Cotswold Way which leads left onto the Common.

What's next?

We hope to enhance the diagonal footpath leading from the Common down towards Old Dole Farm, with help from our friends, the Cotswold Wardens.