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May 18, 2024

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Cotswold Walk – Day 11 (Final)

Cold Ashton to Bath

11 miles / 17.7 km

Even though it lightly sprinkled & a few big raindrops briefly fell, we made it into Bath without any measurable precipitation. Next to a miracle to walk the entire Cotswold Way in May in England all the way without any rain.

It was yet another pleasant walk mostly through fields.

We crossed an area where the Battle of Lansdown was fought in 1643 during the First English Civil War.

These areas always make me sad knowing many lives were lost where it is now peaceful.

We saw many markers from the battle over a 2 mile stretch.

As we approached Bath, we passed the Bath Horse Racetrack.

And also saw some scary sculptures.

Then we returned to more beautiful walking paths as we approached Bath. It was sad to know we would be saying goodbye to all the animals & green hills that we had enjoyed for the last 11 days.

I have mentioned the flowers over the past few days; but, they really are wonderful. They seem to grow in places where they weren’t even planted. We have plants growing in sidewalk cracks in the US; but, they aren’t amazingly beautiful flowers.

Today we made it back to the city scene with buses & heavy traffic.

Bath is a world renowned UNESCO site which means it has many tourists; however, almost all of them came by car, train, or bus whereas we walked to get here.

This circular plaque in front of Bath Abbey signifies completing our Cotswold Way trek.

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May 17, 2024

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Cotswold Walk – Day 10

Old Sodbury to Cold Ashton to Marshfield

14 miles /22.5 km

How lucky we have been with the weather!!! We enjoyed another nice sunny day. A little warm in the afternoon; but, nothing to complain about. We have been told by many locals how fortunate we have been because the weather earlier in May was very cold & wet.

Today is our next to last day on the Cotswold Way. We came across this sign early today reminding us that we were close to reaching Bath.

Unfortunately, the distance on the sign is incorrect as we have more than 17 miles to go from this point

Here are some highlights from today.

We passed many old stone churches and more farmers’ fields. I especially enjoyed walking by the wheat fields because my father grew wheat.

Some funny signs & sightings.

Our favorite trail sign
Zoom in to read why we had to make a detour
Boy, some hikers must have really made the on locals angry

A little more than halfway through our walk we enjoyed stopping at Dyrham Park. It’s managed by the National Trust & was the location for the 1993 movie “The Remains of the Day” starring Anthony Hopkins & Emma Thompson.

Dyrham Park is a baroque English manor started in 1691 by William Blathwayt who started the British War Office under King William III & also administered the British colonies in North America & the Caribbean. Using these positions & connections enabled him to build this magnificent mansion & furnish it with fabrics, furniture, & art from all over the world.

Me being silly with some wigs.

And of course, the animals & animal figurines on the route.

For some unexplainable reason, cows have always liked me. On several occasions in my life including today, they have walked right up to me.

The nice English town Mansfield is our home for the night.

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May 16, 2024

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Cotswold Walk – Day 9

Wotton-Under-Edge to Old Sudbury

15 miles /24 km

Today we started much later than normal. The earliest taxi we could catch back to the hiking trail was at 9:30AM which helped make it a long day.

However, cool temperatures along with no precipitation made it a pleasant walk.

We saw a variety of cows.

This monument commemorates General Lord Robert Somerset who fought Napoleon’s French army in Spain & also at Waterloo. He later represented this area in Parliament. This monument is located near his family’s home in Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire.

A few fun sightings.

Some beautiful fields.

Classic English homes & pubs.

We heard a very loud buzzing sound, looked up, & saw a swarm of bees!!! A local woman told me she had called a bee keeper to come collect them.

I asked, “How do they do that?”

Her reply, “By catching the queen.”

Once again I asked, “How do they do that?”

Her reply, “Exactly” 😂

Last rest stop. Today was a long day, so 2 breaks were needed. 😂

We finally made it to our hotel around 4:15PM.

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May 15, 2024

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Cotswold Walk – Day 8

Dursley to Wotton-Under-Edge

5.5 miles / 9 km

During a long hiking trek, it’s always nice to have a rest day or a short mileage day. That was today for us because on the remaining three days will be covering 10 miles or more.

Since it was a short walking day, there was no need to hurry, so we left our extremely lovely, funny, & nice B&B hosts at the leisurely time of 8:50AM.

Once again, we crossed farmers’ fields, walked past gardens, & climbed hills.

We passed through a small village called North Nibley.

Then we climbed a hill to the Tyndale Monument. This monument is named for William Tyndale who helped translate the Bible into English because he believed the Bible should be in a language everyone could read instead of Latin. However, he went against the Catholic Church’s beliefs & customs, so in 1536, he was charged with heresy & burned at the stake for his efforts.

Our last hill today was Wotton Hill which was a nice place for a short rest.

A few miles later we were in Wotton-Under-Edge. (Just love these English names!)

As expected, it is yet another lovely town in the Cotswolds.

I also bought myself a Chelsea Bun. It was yummy by the way.😋

The Star Inn which was built in 1512 has a good story that connects it to the Titanic.

In 1784, John Cambridge was born in the Star Inn which his father owned. As a young man, John emigrated to Prince Edward Island, Canada, where he started a lumber business to support the shipbuilding industry. His lumber business profits grew, so he reinvested them by starting a shipping company which he named the “White Star Line” after his father’s inn. Eventually, Cambridge’s business was acquired & the new owners were the ones who eventually had the ill-fated RMS Titanic built.

Our tour company arranged for us to take a taxi to our accommodation at De Vere Tortworth Court which is an amazing historical hotel that dates back to the 14th Century.

A very special resident at De Vere.

De Vere Tortworth Court history:

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May 14, 2024

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Cotswold Walk – Day 7

Stonehouse to Dursley

10 miles / 18 km

The weather forecast for cloudy skies was spot on.

Today’s main obstacle was mud. After yesterday’s afternoon & evening rain, many sections along the path were very muddy.

The trail was slippery from time to time; but, my trusty trekking poles prevented me from falling into the mud on more than one occasion.

We also, once again, enjoyed seeing various animals along the way.

We climbed two big hills today. On Coaley Peak we had spectacular views overlooking the beautiful green countryside.

Near Coaley Peak we passed the Nymphsfield Long Barrow which is another ancient burial site that dates from 2500 BCE.

With only about an hour left on the trail, it seemed like our luck avoiding any precipitation had ended as it started to rain, so out came the rain poncho & rain jacket.

Right after this picture was taken, the rain stopped & the rain gear went right back into our backpacks. 😂

After the brief shower, we had one last big hill to climb for the day.

We reached Dursley in the early afternoon arriving a little earlier than our B&B hosts had expected us.

If you are a Harry Potter fan, the town’s name might sound familiar.

JK Rowling who wrote the Harry Potter books is from this area & supposedly she does not like this town, so she got back at it in her own literary way.

However, we find Dursley quite charming.

Market Place & Town Hall with plaque showing Published Toll Rates for various Animals & Food Products in the 18th Century

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May 13, 2024

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Cotswold Walk – Day 6

Painswick to Stonehouse

10 miles /18 km

Today was our first day to walk with cloudy, overcast skies along with high winds in some locations. However, the weather brought cooler temperatures which was nice.

We were on our way at 8:45 AM. Unlike the other days, our travel company booked us at a nice studio apartment where we enjoyed a nice private breakfast before beginning our journey.

Soon after leaving Painswick we passed the half-way marker to Bath.

After crossing an open field, we were soon in a beautiful forest.

We only had to climb one big hill today, whereas over the past 5 days, the path involved a great deal of walking up & down hills.

Climbing hills affords a great view. You can also see the cloudy weather we experienced all day. These exposed ridges had very strong winds which made it quite chilly.

We walked through very pleasant forests with wide pathways for several miles.

Interesting stiles today.

Both these styles have a special section for the herding dogs to pass through since the small, offset rock steps are hard for them to maneuver.

This is a Squeeze Style which is self explanatory

Crossing a farmer’s field always feels a little strange to be walking on their property; but, it is common practice on various walks in England.

I often think my dad would have enjoyed having hikers cross our family farmland.

Trail directions said turn at the hollow tree, so we did. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any Keebler Elves making cookies in it.

The last mile took us along a canal. Some people travel in a houseboat along canals in England.

We made it to our lovely hotel just as it started to rain.

History of the Stonehouse Court Hotel, very old place.

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May 12, 2024

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Cotswold Walk – Day 5

Birdlip to Painswick

11 miles / 17.7 km

Wow, 5 days in a row with marvelous weather…no complaints here!

We left around 8:30 AM with nice blue skies. Even though rain was forecasted, nary a drop fell during our walk. However, a nice summer shower occurred late in the afternoon after we were already nice & dry inside our accommodations.

Most of the day we were high in the Cotswold hills walking through shady green forests.

One interesting part of the walk took us past the very steep Cooper’s Hill which is world renown for cheese rolling!!!

Every year at the end of May, the locals enjoy rolling a cheese wheel weighing several kilos down Cooper’s Hill which is 200 meters long with an almost vertical slope. The cheese wheel rolls down the hill at almost 70mph which basically makes it uncatchable; so the winner is the first person to cross the finish line down at the base. First prize is the cheese wheel. Too bad we missed this unique event by a couple weeks

Like on all other days, many locals were using the paths & the woods to walk their dogs, run, mountain bike, or simply take a nice walk. Those of us hikers passing through the area on the way to Bath are small in numbers compared to the locals. I’m a bit jealous that they have such lovely nature paths so close to their homes.

When we reached Painswick, we explored the nearby Rococo Garden which was started in the 1700s. After the rococo style fell out of favor, the garden fell into disuse & ruin for a couple hundred years before being restored.

From this 1748 painting, historians were able to begin garden restorations to the original layout starting in the 1970s.

For a few hours, we enjoyed walking in this special garden which is the only rococo garden in England.

Painswick is yet another extremely charming, old Cotswold village. Every street here has its own charm & history.

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May 11, 2024

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Cotswolds Walk – Day 4

Seven Springs to Birdlip

9 miles / 14.5 km

Sometimes the trail doesn’t bring us close to the town where we stay mainly due to the fact that there are limited places to stay right on the trail.

Seven Springs is located a few miles from Cheltenham where our hotel was located. So, we used a taxi service to pick us up & then drop us off the next day to continue the trail from where we left it.

From what we saw, Cheltenham is a lovely college town. It was a bit of a shame because I was too tired to walk around & explore.

After breakfast & our taxi drop off, we were on the trail around 9:15 AM.

After a short climb, we summited Leckhampton Hill which has an old Iron Age fort on it.

On the top, we enjoyed beautiful views for a while.

One shop along the way on Crickley Hill made a smart decision to sell ice cream for dogs as well as for humans.

That is a great business idea since many people from nearby Cheltenham were out enjoying the beautiful Saturday weather with their four legged friends.

We totally lucked out by doing this hike in mid-May because both the wildflowers & domesticated flowers have been stunning.

We asked this gentleman to take our picture on Leckhampton Hill, then met up with him again later on down the trail. We walked together for the next few hours chatting about England & America. He is a retired truck driver spending his time walking all the UK trails. He gave us some very good tips on future walks to enjoy in the future.

Made it to our cute English inn & had a snack after our hike.

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May 10, 2024

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Cotswold Hike – Day 3

Winchcombe to Seven Springs

15 miles / 24 km

Absolutely perfect weather today. Sunny & warm; but, not too hot.

The trail was a muddy in a few spots; but other than that it was a lovely day to walk across green pastures & through lush forests.

The hardest part on this the day was climbing 3 big hills.

The first hill was up to an ancient burial site named Belas Knap.

It was built in 2500 BC as a burial site where 38 ea. sets of human remains were found.

You can see how thin rocks were neatly stacked to create it.

A few other sites along the way.

The second big climb was up Cleeve Hill which at 1,066 feet high, it is the highest point on the entire Cotswold Way trail.

There is also a golf course that runs along its summit through which the Cotswold Way trail runs. The wide open space provided us with a huge vista to enjoy.

There are also free roaming sheep on the golf course.

Rules to follow on the trail:

The third & last hill took us through a beautiful forest called the Lineover Wood which has large lime & beech trees. Lineover means “lime bank”.

We ended the day at Seven Springs which is the headwaters for the famed River Thames.

Seven small rivulets emerge from the ground here which create the source for the River Thames.

In the stonework basin is a plaque that reads in Latin: “Hic tuus o Tamesine Pater septemceminus fons” which translates to “Here, O Father Thames, is your sevenfold spring”.

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May 9, 2024

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Cotswold Walk – Day 2

Stanton to Winchcombe

8 miles / 13 km

After a hearty breakfast, we hit the trail by 9:30 AM enjoying gorgeous Spring weather.

Today’s walk was similar to the first as we walked crossed many green pastures & said hello to some sheep & lambs.

Yes, they speak English in England; but, that doesn’t mean I always understand what they mean.

A fairly common sight in England are the ruins from the many abbey’s that were destroyed by Henry VIII.

Just after 1:00 PM we made it to Winchcombe. This town is over 1,000 years old with many old buildings. Our hotel dates from 1554.

This town could easily be used on a historical movie set.

After a quick lunch we visited the nearby Sudeley Castle. British royalty ranging from Richard III, Charles I, Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, & Elizabeth I as well as many other well known names in British history are included in its story. Henry VIII’s last wife Katherine Parr who survived him is interred here making her the only English queen buried in a private castle. Sudeley Castle is also where Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn along with Henry’s Chief Minister Thomas Cromwell decided Britain would break with the Catholic Church so Henry could divorce Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn.