Little Solsbury Hill Walk

Distance 3.8km, 1-1.5hrs, steep in places

Little Solsbury Hill lies north east of Bath with glorious 360 degree views from the flat, 191m summit. There are several routes up but here’s my favourite, about 3.5km, 1-1.5hrs, starting at Alice Park and returning via Larkhall, steep up and gentle down. There’s plenty of free parking options depending on where you wish to start. 

After two years in Bath, it took a global pandemic for me to climb Little Solsbury Hill, mainly to get some time alone. I now walk up on a regular basis and really miss it when I don’t. It’s also pretty cool from an historical perspective, it’s the site of an Iron Age hill fort, occupied by warrior farmers who lived in roundhouses and later used for agriculture. Peter Gabriel also sang a song about this hill! Solsbury Hill 

MAP & DIRECTIONS

Little Solsbury Hill Map & Directions – below is a fully interactive map with directions, elevation & distances. Download the plotaroute app to follow the route with a few simple steps.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

TERRAIN: Steep uphill climb in places with mixed, off road terrain which can get super muddy after heavy rain. Some small sections of quiet roads. Lots of styles. 

PARKING: There’s plenty of free unrestricted parking options depending on where you’d like to start the walk. Best to avoid Larkhall village. 

CAFE: Alice Park Cafe offers refreshments, ice cream and a comprehensive food menu. In Larkhall village there’s also The Deli with tasty food, drinks and treats, Goodies Delicatessen has coffee and fresh bakery offerings (go early as they sell out fast!)  and the CoOp is a handy supermarket.

DOGS: Great for walking the dog. Beware of the cows on the hill.

ALTERNATIVE WALK

Little Solsbury Hill and Chilcombe Bottom Nature Reserve – 5.6km, 2.5hrs. Climb to the summit of the hill to see views of Bath, the Avon valley and the St Catherine’s valley. The route winds down through a wild wood and then up through the Nature Reserve.

Batheaston to Little Solsbury Hill Here’s a lovely 4.5km option linking in a section of the canal and Batheaston.

If you just want to see the views from the top you can drive up and park at the top of Solsbury Lane leaving you with a short sharp climb to the flat hilltop.

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