Lansdown to Bath

STOP PRESS:  TOTAL DONATIONS TO CHARITY NOW EXCEED £1,000.  AMAZING!

Day 10

Walk Distance: 4.5 miles

At Prospect Stile

The last day!

We drove to the Park and Ride stop outside Bath and walked up the hill back to the Blaythwate Arms at Lansdown.  We struck out across the racecourse to rejoin the Cotswolds Way at the panoramic viewpoint known as Prospect Stile. Here, for the first time, we had a commanding view over our final destination, Bath.

I have sore feet, stiff legs, and a bruised hip, but we will complete this walk.  Most of all I have sore lips!  I have lost count of the kissing gates along the route, and a gentleman must oblige a lady, mustn't he?

View from Prospect Stile

Not until the last mile did we leave the green ways and country footpaths for the roads and pavements of Bath.  And then, in a cruel finale, the route threw one more steep hill at us as we left the suburb of Weston and passed in front of the Royal Crescent. On down past The Circus, the Roman Baths, and finally, the official end of the Cotswolds Way in front of Bath Abbey.  Appropriately the bells rang out a welcome peel.

A huge thank you to everyone who has donated to our chosen charity, Home-Start South West Kent.  We have been absolutely overwhelmed by your generosity and we are very proud to reveal that the total now exceeds £1,000!

So this is it!  We have completed the walk.  At times it has been hard.  No, that's a lie! The whole walk has been ridiculously hard, and there have been several occasions when we thought we had bitten off more than we could chew.  The flags may not have been flying for us when we walked into Bath City Centre but we finished as we had begun, in warm sunshine and with broad smiles on our faces.

This all consuming passion that has filled our lives for the best part of the last two weeks is over. We've left behind the Neolithic Long barrows, the Iron Age Forts, the old drovers' ways, the mill houses the manor houses, the strip lynchets, the alms house, and all the other reminders of bygone times.  We are back in the 21st century with all of it's consumerism, TVs, mobile 'phones, fast cars, and everybody in a rush.

The Circus

There's nothing else for it but to go home, have a bath, pick up a book, and ............. plan the next walk.

Tormarton to Lansdown

Day 9 (continued)

Walk distance: 12.1miles

The weather forecast had said the rain would clear away overnight and the day would start fresh and dry.  It was wrong. We had been woken by a violent thunderstorm during the night  and at dawn the skies were heavy and it was raining steadily.

We had spent the night staying with friends in Bristol and it was 10.30am before we got back to Tormarton to start the walk. Waterproofs on we set off  crossing over the

M4 and then striking out across the fields. The ground had been softened by the overnight deluge and the walking was easier on the feet.  There were a number of fine views over distant pastures with the clouds scudding across the horizon. At one point tiers of strip lynchets were clearly visible on the hillside.  these were cultivation terraces created by medieval farmers to enable them to plough their strips on the steep side of the hill.

Strip Lynchets

The last of the day's showers soaked us just as we approached Dyrham Park, a National Trust property built in 1692 for William Blathwayt, Secretary of State to William III. 

Leaving the village and returning to the footpath we spotted a grey squirrel carrying its

baby in its mouth, or perhaps it was the baby from another's nest that it had raided.

The hedgerows were full of autumn fruits; sloes, blackberries and hazelnuts. 

 The path then commenced a steady climb through Dyrham Wood and the views opened up to the distant Welsh hills.

After six and a half miles of walking we arrived at the small village of Cold Ashton with its fine Elizabethan manor and impressive entrance gate, a stone horse mounting block

visible to the right. There were more fine views opposite this entrance looking down into the valley. This was to be our finish point on the original agenda, but with the disruption to the walk caused by the previous day's rain we pressed on for another 5.5 miles to the tiny village of Lansdown opposite Bath Racecourse.

This extension incorporated the first serious climb of the day, but the reward was a

distant view of Bristol in one direction, and in the other, a breath-taking view 30 miles back along the escarpment from where we had come.

Lansdown Hill was the site of one of the decisive battles of the English Civil War in 1643 and a series of panels tell the story. The landscape remains much as it was at the time of the battle.  The dry stone wall still stands, behind which 6,800 parliamentarians sought shelter from the musket fire of 6,300 advancing Royalists.

The battle was indecisive, the parliamentarians having withdrawn to Bath during the night to seek refreshments.  We crossed the golf course adjoining the racecourse to seek our own refreshments at the Blathwayt Arms whilst we waited for our Bristol friend to collect us.

96 miles down; 4.7 to go. There will be a celebration tomorrow!

Old Sodbury to Tormarton (rain stopped play!)

Day 9 (foreshortened)

The Met. Office had issued an amber weather warning: torrential rain expected in the SW, particularly on Southern facing hill slopes (that's us!) where localised flooding may occur.

We awoke, not to heavy rain, but to leaden skies and the promise of a deluge. A quick review of the transport options (the Traveline website is excellent) and a contingency plan began to form.  We rushed through breakfast, checked out, and caught the local bus to Tormarton.

Travelling in a reversed South-to-North direction, we started to walk. Inexplicably the route initially took us around 3 fields, when the same destination could have been achieved by walking 100 yards along the High Street. Someone had exercised a malicious intention to keep us away from the village pub! The rain held off as we covered the 3 miles back to Old Sodbury.      Most of this walk was across fine parkland, part of the Dodington House Estate, with trees carefully planted to creat a picturesque effect.  We noticed that overnight the leaves of the Horse Chestnut trees had turned a beautiful golden-brown. As we reached the car the heavens opened.  Play abandoned for the day!  A short walk, only 3 miles, but 3 miles less to cover, and only 16.6 to go.

I had deliberately left the camera behind, but, with apologies to A A Milne, I have borrowed a photo' from earlier in the walk.

Half way up the hill there's a stile where I stop

There isn't really any other quite like it

It's half way from the bottom

And half way from the top

And it's the stile where I always stop

Wotton-under-Edge to Old Sodbury

Day 8

Walk distance: 13.2 miles

Total Ascent: 1,213 feet

I cannot start today's report without mentioning last night's accommodation and it's totally entertaining hostess.  We stayed at Grey Cottage in Leonard Stanley about two miles away from the route of the Cotswolds Way.  We were greeted with two gin and tonics, so we knew we we were in for a good night!This was easily the best B&B we have stayed in during our walk and was well worth the detour.  Rosie, the owner, is a sprightly 71 year old Irish lady who oozes with charisma and mischief!  She will proudly tell you she has won every award going, and her B&B is represented with glowing testimonials in the Good Hotel Guide.  

She has entertained parliamentarians, TV personalities, and members of the Royal Household, but has still found time to fly a helicopter! Rosie cooked a delightful candle-lit dinner for us. We had brought along a bottle of wine which we decided to share. Sometime later, regaled with her life stories, and  after several Cointreau's served in Rosie's special way, we retired to bed happy and content. If you should read this Rosie, thanks for a wonderful evening and "Slainte".

Rosie

We started Day 8 by driving back to Wotton then taking the bus to Chipping Sodbury. The very efficient and pleasant Tourist Information Office here organised a taxi for us to the start of the walk at Old Sodbury.  We walked this section in the reverse direction, which given the deteriorating weather turned out to be a good move.

In truth there is not much to say about the first 8 miles. The route is predominantly flat (a relief!) and follows an upland course across the fields. There is a massive Iron Age fort at Little Sodbury that historians will find of great interest on account of it's

Somerset monument still some 4 miles distant

extensive defences. The church at Little Sodbury is significant as the sermons heard here by William Tyndale were the source of his inspiration to translate the Bible into English. 

Little Sodbury Church

There is some pleasant parkland at Horton as the route passes within the Estate of Horton Court, a property dating back to the twelfth century now in the hands of the National Trust.  Further on there is a monument commemorating the achievements of

Monument to General Lord Somerset

General Lord Somerset during the Battle of Waterloo. We were fortunate to complete this open, windswept section whilst conditions were still dry.

Leaving the monument behind we entered a section of woodland just as the rain began to fall. Feeling weary we sought shelter under a large oak tree for some time but it was clear the rain had set in for the day so, begrudgingly we donned waterproofs and

The view from the top of Tor Hill

continued on passing the small community of Alderley. At a little over 10 miles we started the long ascent of Tor Hill, a steep climb that continued, unabated, for 1.5 miles.  Bang on cue, exhaustion set in, and by the top of the hill, agony definitely had the upper hand. The last two miles to Wotton, which included a steep downhill stretch on a slippery gravel track, made worse by the rain, were without doubt the most demanding miles of the whole walk.

 The last straw was when we arrived at our hotel, once used by the Queen as a refuge from a snowstorm, and the room smelled vile!  But that's another story!

Undeterred by the rain

King's Stanley to Wotton-under-Edge

Day 7

Walk distance:  11.1 miles

Total Ascent: 1,606 feet

1st October. Change in the weather. Autumn has arrived, wet, cool and breezy.

We set off at 9.30 just as it began to rain. A damp, vertical, penetrating rain that found its way inside your clothes within seconds.  Fortunately, after a short, steep

ascent up the hillside we entered an area of dense woodland.  Compared to the drizzle, the occasional fall of one big drip on another was relatively pleasant. ( yes, I know what I have just written!!).

Back in the open, and the rain had mercifully stopped.  The remainder of the day was to remain overcast but dry.   We passed Nympsfield long barrow where, upon deciding to have a photo' of the two of us taken together, I had the misfortune to ask a gentleman with only one arm, and a dodgy one at that, to press the shutter.! Maybe the results weren't too bad.

Continuing on, we endured the long slog to the top of Coaley Peak, a popular picnic area with a magnificent panoramic view.  With poor visibility we were deprived of the fabulous vista written about in the guidebook, and had to depend upon the conveniently

sited display board to imagine the panorama across to the Severn bridges and the Welsh mountains beyond.

Then followed another dramatic woodland landscape, with old quarry faces now overhung with creepers, creating a jungle-like effect.  Further on we were faced with, possibly, the steepest climb of the walk so far, straight up the side of Cam Long Down. Here were meant to be the best views along the whole of the Cotswolds Way, but not today.

After 6 miles, and around lunchtime, we arrived in the rather unmemorable town of Dursley, in time for our habitual tea and cake. I bought two bargain books in a well-stocked charity shop, which, I confess I came very close to throwing away an hour later in order to lighten my load as we made the assault upon the inevitable vertical hillside leading out of town back up to the escarpment.

At the top of the escarpment the route levelled out into another long section through woodland, and then, after the village of North Nibley, commenced the fourth, and final

steep climb of the day through woods to open grassland and the imposing monument to William Tyndale. He was born in the village in 1484 and provided the first complete translation of the Bible into English. The monument appeared out of the gloom like some gigantic phallic symbol. Tyndale was accused of heresy and burned at the stake in France in 1536, and, I suppose, after a comment like that, I should suffer a similar fate!

A quiet two mile section through woodland followed before we arrived at a curious stand of conifers surrounded by a circular stone wall. These commemorated the battle

of Waterloo in 1815, and were in fact the third generation of trees to have been planted here, an earlier planting having been cut down to provide fuel during the Civil War!

The final descent of the day led us to the town of Wotton-under-Edge with its ornate

clock celebrating Victoria's jubilee, and its very pretty almshouses built with money bequeathed by a former local resident who went on to become the Sheriff of London.

Our walk complete we caught the last bus of the day arriving back in King's Stanley after dark.

Stained glass window in the Alms Houses Chapel

The Alms Houses at Wotton-under-Edge

Our Day Off (almost!)

Gloucester Docks

The skies were dark and rain threatened, so our decision to postpone our day off from yesterday looked like a good one.  Unfortunately the weather forecast for the whole of the coming week looks poor, so at some time on this walk we are going to get wet!

The cabinet makers premises at Ebley

We began the day with a trip to Gloucester docks for me, and to the Gloucester Quays Designer Outlet for Anni (no surprise there!). The docks and waterways museum were fascinating. The shopping trip, judging by the bags, was productive!

Straight from the Designer Outlet walking through
Fields of sweet corn.

Our B&B for the night was located at King's Stanley, near Stroud, right on the Cotswolds Way.  A glance at the map showed it made good sense to be able to set off tomorrow straight from the front door, but in order to do so we needed to walk the missing  mile between Ebley and King's Stanley first. So, despite it being our day off, we did...in both directions!

Just as we finished the rain started, but conveniently we found a pub with a skittles alley. Anni won the first game, but my aim improved with lubrication and we finished at one game each.

Tomorrow we will be back to walking in earnest, with 11 miles planned....no doubt in the rain!

Painswick to Ebley (Stroud)

It's Sunday.  Brain and body are in unison - it's our day off!  Brain checks weather forecast - fine today, rain tomorrow.  Brain wants to walk, body disagrees.  Brain promises day off when it rains. Body reluctantly acquiesces!

Painswick

So, contrary to plan, we are walking again.  We drove from our hotel in Gloucester to Ebley, near Stroud. We needed to walk an additional mile off the route into Stroud in order to catch the bus back to Painswick, yesterday's finish point.  I can now officially say we have gone the extra mile for charity!

In the Stocks

In late Summer sunshine and temperatures of 19 degrees Painswick looked lovely.  There were 99 yew trees in the churchyard. The rumour is that the 100th tree will not grow.  The stocks beside the church are  unusual in that it is the feet, and not the hands, that are manacled.  Anni tried them out.

Painswick church

One mile out of the village we encountered our first serious climb.  In the middle of a field a milestone announced it was 55 miles to Bath - nearly half-way.  At the top of the hill there was a great view back to Painswick with the church spire clearly visible. 

Looking back to Painswick

A short while later the path entered a section of woodland and soon reached a large, inscribed stone, known as the Cromwell Stone, which commemorated the raising of the

Cromwell Stone

siege of Gloucester in the Civil War. We could imagine Cromwell sitting under a nearby spreading yew tree, surveying his troops.

View from Harefield Beacon. The walk continues around the ridge through the trees.

Climbing again - we now seem able to take the hills in our stride - we reached

At Haresfield Beacon

Haresfield Beacon.  This was worth a stop, as, under clear blue skies, the views were simply amazing.  In one direction the walk could be seen stretching along the escarpment for miles, whilst in the other the River Severn and the Severn Valley were clearly discernible.

A little further on at the highest point of the walk, a 3D topograph identified all the points of interest in the wide and magnificent vista.

Anni points out just how hilly the walk really is!

The path then entered a long stretch of very pleasant woodland on wide, gently

downhill paths.  For the next 4 miles we were joined by an enormous number of walkers, all completing the Five Valleys Walk in aid of the Meningitis Trust. I was pleased to retract my comments about the English being a nation of couch potatoes.  

One more surprise awaited us as we began the final descent into Ebley.  An enterprising farmer had replanted his fields with grape vines and they seemed to be doing extremely well.

The Cotswolds way here has two alternative routes and we elected to take the longer one, walking along the towpath of the  Stroudwater canal. The canal was originally opened in 1779, linking Stroud to the River Severn.  It was an important transport route for the owners of the Cotswolds woollen mills.  Sadly by 1954 it had fallen in to a state of disrepair and was closed.  However with the increase in leisure boating it is now partially restored and there are plans to eventually relink it with the Thames and Seven canal to the East, thus finally reuniting a link between these two great rivers.

Stroudwater canal. Ebley Mill in the background

At Ebley mill we returned to our car, another  11 miles under our belt, and two significant milestones in that we have now covered more than half of the total distance, and we have walked the equivalent of 2 marathons.