This is a 3 mile walk that takes you up and around Box Hill. Detail of the route and a map can be downloaded here: Walk and Map.
Box Hill is a small village right on the western edge of Wiltshire, just a few miles east of Bath. It is indeed situated on a hill, and this circular walk takes you right from the valley floor to the top of this very steep hill. Box Hill is also the location of Brunel's Box Tunnel, which carries the Great Western Railway between Bath and Chippenham. Any regulars on this line will know this tunnel well as it is 1.83 miles long. This walk on the hill will take you right over the tunnel.
Box also has a music connection, and this walk will take you behind Real World Studios..Owned by Peter Gabriel, recording artists including Amy Winehouse, Beyonce, Coldplay, Robert Plant and Tom Jones have worked here.
There are two main rewards on this walk. The main reward is the view from the top of the hill, which cuts across the whole valley settled at the bottom by the Bybrook River. The second reward is a nice cold drink at the Quarrymans Arms, which is halfway through the walk, at the peak of the hill and you will certainly enjoy the refreshment after walking up the steep sided hill to get there.
Box was also once home to many quarries which produced Bath stone. There are miles of underground mines around here, which I've been told link up to the now defunct Burlington nuclear bunker near Corsham. Officially, these mines have been closed off but a quick internet search shows some people are still finding ways in to explore the labyrinth. Do be warned though, people do get lost down there. You can see evidence of the mines as you walk through the woods at the top of the hill.
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