Cleeve Hill

Cleeve Hill rises above the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire as the range’s highest point and the county’s summit at 330 metres. It stands on Cleeve Common, a Site of Special Scientific Interest managed by the Cleeve Common Trust. The hill overlooks Cheltenham racecourse and the River Severn towards Wales, while to the north it commands views over Winchcombe. The Cotswold Way footpath crosses the common, and the hill marks the Thames basin’s highest drainage point. The northern summit at 315 metres holds a toposcope and trig point that give wider views. On clear spring or early summer days after rain, the vista stretches 140 kilometres to Exmoor. Nearby Belas Knap is a Neolithic long barrow, and the Iron Age hill fort sits on the western scarp. Castle Rock offers one of the few climbable faces in the area, with short but polished routes. Cleeve Hill has hosted a golf course since 1891 and was the 2010 Wells Cup venue. Cleeve Common is protected for its wildlife and geology. A road from Cheltenham or Whittington leads close to the trig point, while the northern viewpoint is reached via a minor road off the B4632. Well-marked paths cross the common, and Ordnance Survey maps show routes and best viewpoints.