Selsley Common

 park, hill

"If up on this hill for pleasure you ride
The prospect is pleasant on every side
And if you do walk, the pleasures are still
To be seen from each corner of Selsley Hill".
Anonymous, 1841

Selsley Common is 160 acres of grazed hill-top land that is managed by Stroud District Council in liaison with local graziers. It too offers views of the Stroud District landscape.

Selsley Common hides a Rabbits Burrow, Tumps Quarry and the remains of a long barrow called The Toots, built in the Neolithic Age. It also has remnants of a camp, established by soldiers, loyal to Edward (later Edward I), who possibly used Selsley Hill as a look-out during the Baron's War of 1263-67 between King Henry III and his barons.

Selsley Common isn't all archaeology however. Its open grassland is also awash with wildlife. Bird's Foot Trefoil, Kidney Vetch and Ox-Eye Daisy are among its flowers; Marbled Whites and Common Blues its butterflies, and if you hunt carefully enough, you may find the Common Spotted and Early Purple Orchids.

Selsley Common also acts as a launch pad for hang gliders and para gliders - both novel ways to breathe in the extensive views stretching to the Black Mountains, Brecon Beacons and Malvern Hills. Other airborne activities include kite and model plane flying.

Common land with grazing cattle etc. Good for kites, hang gliding, picnics, rounders etc.

Selsley Common is a large open expanse of c160 acres and a rich habitat for rare flaura and fauna. More often than not, a silent wind rushes up from the Severn Valley and Bristol Channel and over the grass. The call of a bird can be caught on this wind and carried for miles. During the summer, bird song mingles with the sound of cattle as Commoners can, and still do, exercise grazing rights. The common is also the home of larks, which always evoke regret in the exile.