The Welsh Way was a British

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

trade route and track-way that originally carried trade between South Wales and the Oxford area of England across the

Cotswold Hills The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the be ...

. There is evidence it was utilised and improved by the

Roman army The Roman army () served ancient Rome and the Roman people, enduring through the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC), the Roman Republic (509–27 BC), and the Roman Empire (27 BC–AD 1453), including the Western Roman Empire (collapsed Fall of the W ...

following the conquest of Britain as a link between

Akeman Street Akeman Street is a Roman road in southern England between the modern counties of Hertfordshire and Gloucestershire. It is approximately long and runs roughly east–west. Akeman Street linked Watling Street just north of Verulamium (near mod ...

and the

Fosse Way The Fosse Way was a Roman road built in Britain during the first and second centuries AD that linked Isca Dumnoniorum (Exeter) in the southwest and Lindum Colonia ( Lincoln) to the northeast, via Lindinis ( Ilchester), Aquae Sulis ( Bat ...

.Copeland, Tim, ''Akeman Street'', The History Press, 2009. It links the highest navigable point on the River Thames at

Lechlade Lechlade () is a town at the edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England, south of Birmingham and west of London. It is the highest point at which the River Thames is navigable, although there is a right of navigation that continues sout ...

to the lowest crossing point of the

River Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

. Originally it had a braided nature with one route through Quenington and another through

Fairford Fairford is a market town in Gloucestershire, England. The town lies in the Cotswold hills on the River Coln, east of Cirencester, west of Lechlade and north of Swindon. Nearby are RAF Fairford and the Cotswold Water Park. History I ...

. From the thirteenth century to the eighteenth century it was the route taken by Welsh

cattle drovers Droving is the practice of walking livestock over long distances. It is a type of herding, often associated with cattle, in which case it is a cattle drive (particularly in the US). Droving stock to market—usually on foot and often with the ...

to London.The Welsh Way
Richard Williams Tales from Bibury Shop 21 July 2011 At this time it took the name Tame's way after a rich family of Cotswolds merchants. The Welsh Way exists today as a named lane which leaves the Gloucester-Cirencester road before Duntisbourne and passes through

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

and

Ready Token Ready Token is a hamlet in Gloucestershire, England, located in the Cotswold Hills near Poulton, Gloucestershire, Poulton. Despite comprising only a handful of houses it is located at a high point and is notable for being the meeting place of s ...

and

, eventually joining

The Ridgeway The Ridgeway is a ridgeway or ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road. The section clearly identified as an ancient trackway extends from Wiltshire along the chalk ridge of the Berkshire Downs to the River Thames at the Gori ...

near

Wantage Wantage () is a historic market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. Although within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Berkshire, it has been a ...

References

* Baddeley, St Clair
"On certain minor ancient roads to and from Corinium (Cirencester)"
Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, ''Transactions'', 47: pages 65–79, 1925 * Witts, G., ''Archaeological Handbook of the County of Gloucester'', Cirencester: G. Norman, 1882 * Sawyer, J., "On Some Ancient Roads in The Cotswolds". Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, ''Transactions'', 20: pp. 247–254, 1897

External links

* Cotswolds Ancient trackways in England Geography of Gloucestershire Geography of Oxfordshire Archaeological sites in Oxfordshire {{Wales-stub