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May 16, 2024

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England, Europe

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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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England, Europe

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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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England, Europe

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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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England, Europe

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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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Posted on

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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ginalrodgers2013

Posted on

September 29, 2023

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United States, Washington State

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End of Season, Early Start to Winter

To our surprise winter came early this year up at Mt Rainer. We had hoped to do the White River to Sunrise loop one more time this year. We made it as far as the tree line before the snow became too deep to find the trail. It was still a lovely fall day with beautiful views to enjoy on our 10 mile hike.

Next big hike will be on the Camino.