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