I first set eyes upon Nottingham hill along the Cotswold Escarpment in Gloucestershire from a photo walk atop Oxenton Hill a few months prior.  It was the great views from the beer garden of the Mount Inn in Stanton just a few weeks ago that rekindled my interest in Nottingham Hill.

Ordnance Survey Online Maps

At the time I not know this part of the Cotswold escarpment was called Nottingham hill but viewing this part of Gloucestershire on the Ordnance Survey maps online revealed all the little nooks and crannies but more importantly, parking and public footpaths.

Interestingly there were no walking routes over Nottingham hill but plenty of public footpaths to follow.  With Ordnance survey maps loaded on your mobile or other GPS device you can just plot your current position on the path.  If you are a regular walker I highly recommend a yearly subscription to Ordnance survey maps online for under £25.

Winchcombe Way

It was a cloudy Saturday afternoon I decided to explore Nottingham Hill with my camera.  I found the free public parking spot on Bushcombe Lane without problem and then quickly got onto the Winchcombe way heading north.

Nice views north west of Bredon Hill.  This whole area was once the Iron age Nottingham hill fort.

Gotherington Farm

There are some derelict buildings at the the area known as Gotherington Farm.  A nice vantage point and took a few photos here with my camera set upon a tripod.

From this point on Nottingham hill you can see Oxenton hill across the valley and to the north east the Malvern Hills in the distance.  Late spring and the colors are so vibrant.

Graduated Filtering

Not using a polariser but to balance out the sky and ground was using a 1 and 2 stop graduated neutral density filter.  On cloudy days I find I need to use graduated filters alot more.  Although cloudy the sky is closer to white and without the sunshine the ground is darker creating a high dynamic range. I may further touch up either the sky or ground making lighter(dodge) or darker( burn) in Lightroom post processing using the gradient tool.

Cotswold Steam Railway

Rather than carrying on the Winchcombe way towards Oxenton hill I branched left and followed the footpaths through Gotherington and Bushcombe woods back towards the carpark.  Between the two woods atop Nottingham hill is a clearing with some good vistas over the vale and the Malverns in the distance.

There is a steam train and railway that runs along the Cotswold Escarpment know as the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire steam railway.  I just managed to set my camera up in time to catch the stream train passing Gotherington behind.  I am intending to return to this point one evening during the week when the weather is good as the sun should set behind the Malvern hills.

Cleeve Hill

Back towards the carpark near Slades Farm and some nice views open up south with Cleeve Hill and Cheltenham down below.

A good recon photo walk of 3 to 4 miles along the Cotswold escarpment atop Nottingham hill taking in views of Bredon, Oxenton, the Malverns and Cleeve Hill.

What made this photo walk more fulfilling was I discovered it myself and not get lost.  Ill be back!