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A 405-ha (1,000-acre) common is topped by Cleeve Hill, which is the highest point in the Cotswolds at 330m (1,080ft) above sea level. From this wild place you can see far off across the Severn Vale and Malvern Hills, the Forest of Dean and, even farther away, the Black Mountains.

Below and behind Cleeve Hill there are three valleys and streams whose heavily wooded slopes are little seen by visitors even on the busiest summer day – somehow they always remain quiet, but they are filled with the sound of birdsong, and badgers, foxes and deer live here undisturbed.

Back on the top of Cleeve Hill the common still preserves the ancient right for 24 local people to graze their animals each summer on the rich limestone grassland – a right that dates back more than 1000 years – and which was reaffirmed in the 1920s. The common and hill represent a landscape that was common prior to the great Enclosure Acts of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. These acts effectively removed what had previously been ‘common’ land, farmed and grazed by parishioners, to the hands of powerful landowners.

Among the increasingly rare plants that thrive on this largest area of unspoilt grassland in Gloucestershire are small scabious and horseshoe vetch, carline thistle and burnet-saxifrage. Butterflies such as the beautiful dark-green fritillary are seen here; as well as glow-worms and the Roman snail, a creature introduced as a source of food more than 2,000 years ago.

SECRETS

While you’re there

Visit the TOY MUSEUM, Stow-on-the-Wold (thetoymuseum.co.uk). 01451 830159. The museum showcases one of the best private collections of toys in the country. Telephone for opening times as these vary considerably.

Secret place to stay

RISING SUN HOTEL, Cheltenham (risingsunhotel-cheltenham.co.uk). Right on top of Cleeve Hill with spectacular views and perfectly situated to explore the local towns and villages.

The sweeping view from Cleeve Hill.