268 The Hunting Countries of England, 



never visited by the Duke^s hounds during cub- 

 huntings but occasionally in April ; and, rough as is 

 the country beyond_, some good runs have been 

 achieved — notably one, three years ago, which ended 

 in a kill at Cowley, four miles from the town of 

 Cheltenham. At the other extremity of the country, 

 viz., round Colerne and Slaughterford, are some other 

 rough hill coverts, which, with the whole of the district 

 between Bath and Cold Ashton, come into great use 

 for cub-hunting and in the spring. 



Lastly, below the points of Alderley, Horton, Tor- 

 marton, Dirham Park, &c., on the west we dip 

 suddenly down below the high level on which Bad-* 

 minton stands, and find ourselves in the low deep 

 plain of the Lower Woods and Chipping Sodbury 

 — the latter district bearing the designation of the 

 Sodbury Yale. The Lower Woods are of great ex- 

 tent, and are with the exception of a single small 

 corner on the north side — the property of the Duke. 

 The rides, naturally very heavy and difficult, have 

 been greatly improved of late years; and it is now 

 much easier for a huntsman to get about with his 

 hounds, and for a field to keep within hail. Foxes 

 swarm in these great coverts in numbers sufficient 

 for quite one day a week. They will also very fre- 

 quently face the open ; and then, if they keep to the 

 vale, will travel far over a good country. The Sod- 

 bury Yale is all fenced with bank-and-ditch — the 

 ditches being very blind through all the early part of 

 the season. The hedges too are generally strong 

 and most of the land is in grass. Just above the 

 Lower Woods run the Kilcot Hills ; much of the 



