The Daffodil Way: An Afternoon in the Golden Triangle

The Daffodil Way, Dymock, Gloucestershire 

Yesterday I finally completed the Dymock Walks. There are three well-known circular routes from the village of Dymock in Gloucestershire, each around 8-9 miles. I’d already ticked off Poets Path 1 and Poets Path 2 last year, leaving just one left to go: the Daffodil Way. The catch with this one is that it really only makes sense to walk it when the daffodils are actually out, so I’d been waiting for the right time of year.

Like the previous walks, I parked near the Beauchamp Arms and started with the familiar wander through the churchyard at St Mary’s. A quintessentially English way to begin a walk in the countryside. There were a lot of rambling folk about to see the daffodils and they were generally a lot older than me. It briefly made me feel quite young before I realised I was out on a long walk on my own to look at some pretty flowers. Perhaps my best years were now behind me. 

St Mary's Church, Dymock

Starting the Daffodil Wat from St Mary's Church

I’d taken my dogs on the Poets Paths, but livestock in the fields around here can make things challenging. I had to take a diversion on my walk on Poets Path 2 because of a cattle confrontation. One of my dogs Dottie was a bit scared as we approached a crazy looking cow in one of the fields and managed to slip her collar to get away. She ran round the cow which meant I pretty much had to square up to it to get her back. It was all OK in the end, but I didn't really want to keep risking death by trampling, so I decided I should walk the Daffodil Way without them. 

Lambs in Gloucestershire 

Lots of sheep on the Daffodil Way. Thankfully no cows

The path comes in at just over 9 miles and, like the other routes around Dymock, a lot of it is across farmland. Open fields, hedgerows and the occasional quiet lane linking things together. There are also a couple of really beautiful woodland sections which break things up nicely. 

Haind Park Wood, near Dymock

A horse on the Daffodil Way

A pond between Four Oaks and Dymock

This part of Gloucestershire and neighbouring Herefordshire is famous for its wild daffodils. It is actually regarded as the best place in the world to see them. The villages around Dymock, Kempley and Oxenhall are known as the “Golden Triangle” because of the vast natural drifts of these flowers that appear each spring in orchards, meadows and woodland. They’re smaller and softer in colour than the varieties you tend to see planted in parks, and when they appear in large numbers they really do cover the ground in yellow.

And there were a mental number of them. Fields, woodland floors and verges were full of daffodils. At first it’s pretty magical, but by the time I'd got half way round I was pretty much sick of the sight of daffodils. 

Daffodils

More daffodils 

Even more daffodils 

Every now and then the route also opens up to wider views, including some great glimpses of the Malvern Hills rising in the distance. There were also some interesting sites including and derelict building and a weir in a patch of woodland. 

The Malverns from Kempley

The remains of an old house on the Daffodil Way

A weir in the woods

I’d set out planning to keep the pace fairly brisk without the dogs sniffing about and holding me back. I ended up completing the 9 miles in 2 hours and 41 minutes. My knees and feet felt it the following day though so I'd recommend taking it at a slower pace. The route is easy enough to follow and mostly gentle underfoot, so it’s quite a satisfying walk if you just want to settle into a stride and cover some ground. As there were a lot more walkers about than on my previous visits, I just wanted to overtake them and bolt away into solitude. 

The final stretch included crossing south of the M50 over a bridge and then a loop around back under it. That passageway under the motorway presented the only slight challenge of the walk as the footpath part was completely flooded and the rest had been almost fully blocked with farm equipment. I had to shuffle past but it was a first world problem. 

Over the M50

Back under the M50

a flooded footpath near Dymock

The route finishes with a straight plod through the fields back into Dymock and conveniently straight back to the Beauchamp Arms where I’d started. After 9 miles at a brisk pace, that beer garden was exactly where I wanted to be. I finished this Dymock Triple Crown with a well earned pint and the feeling that I’ve probably had quite enough of daffodils for one season.

The Daffodil Way is definitely the best of the three main walks around Dymock, in my honest opinion. Poets Path 1 and 2 are both really aimed at people with a love for the Dymock Poets. I found Poets Path 2 to be particularly dreadful with neglected paths on a long, boring slog. If you aren't a poetry fanatic and it's the right time of year, definitely go with the Daffodil Way over the others. 

Walk Details

Route: Daffodil Way, Dymock 

Distance: 9 miles

Difficulty: Moderate. Pretty flat, but a long walk and quite muddy in daffodil season.

Time: Most people walk it in 3-4 hours

Terrain: Fields, woodland and country lanes

Dog friendly?: Yes but look out for livestock

Pub stop: The Beauchamp Arms, Dymock 

Found on: Long Distance Walkers Association - Daffodil Way

Daffodil Way walk, 7th March 2026