You are at point number 3
Take the middle path, taking you over a small stone bridge. Just after the stone bridge there is a track on the right leading into another area of woodland, this is point 4.
At certain times of the year you may notice stacks of timber piled to the right of the path leading towards the little stone bridge. This timber, latterly mainly Ash is being temporarily stored here to dry out ready for to feed our biomass boiler. The two biomass 360kW boilers uses woodchip from the woodland to provide carbon neutral heating and hot water for all the properties in the village.
Large lengths of timber, again mainly Ash latterly, may be seen stacked along the track at various times of the year, these logs are sold as 'saw logs' and are shipped to Vietnam to be used to make furniture.
Walking over the stone bridge you are crossing the small River Frome, Stroud (not to be confused with River Frome in Bristol/South Gloucestershire or the one in Herefordshire!). The river and its valley have had a marked influence on the history of the area providing a route for canal, road and rail. The waters of the lower river provided power for the cloth trade of the 18th and 19th centuries and were also used as a cleansing agent in the dyeing industry. Here in the upper reaches the flow of water has been controlled over the centuries by a series of weirs.
At the left side of the bridge you can also see a row of pollarded white willows, the red twigged variety. By repeated cutting of the branches at the same height, the tree takes on its characteristic pollard shape. The cut branches were once used as a continuous supply of small poles suitable for many farm uses.
As you walk towards the bridge you will see a large mound on your right hand side, this is the remnants of an ancient Norman motte and bailey castle. Large quantities of soil would have been dug forming a defensive ditch and piled high creating the motte. A wooden or stone structure would have been built at the top of the mound known as the bailey, these structures would have been placed strategically and may have been a form of defence for a larger settlement close by. More details of the Motte and Bailey are shared further on the walk. Please ensure you keep to the footpath here - the Motte & Bailey Castle is a Scheduled Monument and is considered to be a designated heritage asset of national importance.