Spent seven lovely days walking the Cotswolds. We did the Best of the Cotswolds thru Cotswolds Walks. They were great in finding excellent accommodations, moving our luggage each day and providing detailed maps and a tracking app that kept us on the right trails…..most of the time!! Booked all our trains using Trainline….easy to use, no problems and also very good at keeping us up to date of any changes due to the train strike that happened.

Myself, two girlfriends and my daughter did this part of the trip. The Cotswolds are really incredibly lovely, very pastoral with fields dotted with sheep and lots of rolling hills (a few rather big hills too!) along with beautiful villages filled with what they refer to as “chocolate box houses”, beautiful, almost whimsical, thatched roofs and the honey-coloured Cotswolds limestone.

After our walk we spent a couple days in Bath enroute to a week in Cornwall (Part 2). This was new territory to all of us.

This is Part 1 Three days in London and the Cotswolds Walk.

July 1 Sat

Our flight was delayed! LG, Linds and I leaving from Vancouver to London (Gatwick) on British Airways. The plan was to meet Peggy, who was on West Jet out of Nanaimo, in London at Gatwick because our flights were arriving within a half hour of each other. That was not to be. We were delayed almost 4 hours due to some paperwork and freight that wasn’t loaded properly. Boarded the plane 2 hours late then sat on it for another 2 watching them do whatever it was they had to do, loading, unloading, reloading whatever the problem was. Painful!! We were supposed to leave at 3:25 and finally took off just after 7:30. Took off out over the water so nice views of Vancouver.

Had kept in touch with Peggy so she knew to check our arrival time London and not wait for us if really late.

Linds had the aisle and I had the window and no one in the middle!! LG was in the aisle seat across from Linds. Once we got going the flight was good. Drinks and snacks, then dinner, chicken curry that was quite tasty, a little bottle of wine and a gravol. Managed to sleep for a few hours which was great.

July 2 Sun

Served breakfast an hour or so before we arrived in London (Gatwick) at 12:30 instead of 8:30! No issues going thru customs or collecting the baggage. P had arrived just after 8:30 so just headed to the hotel.

Bought our Gatwick Express tickets (21.90L)…..if there had been 4 of us we could have used the “group ticket” option and saved a few bucks. Train ride was about a 1/2 hour to Victoria Station. We were going to take the tube but would have required changing lines and we were just done so grabbed a taxi to our hotel, the Lancaster Gate.

The hotel is in a new location for me in London. Near Hyde Park so a good area for walking, buses and a couple of tube lines. It’s an old hotel/building but the rooms are quite nice, basic but clean. Linds and I are sharing and Peggy and LG are sharing.

Got settled into our room and met up with Peggy, who was in the bar having a happy hour drink. Only cocktails were half price, not wine or beer.

Early dinner at a Greek restaurant around the corner called Halepi. I had the moussaka (v.g). We were finished just after 7 so took a walk around the neighbourhood. Queensway is a busy street with lots of restaurants, shops, food stores etc. Walked into Kensington Garden and to Hyde Park then headed back before it got dark. Stopped at the Leicester Inn for a pint before going back to the hotel and to bed around 11.

Long day(s)!!

July 3 Mon

Slept OK. Was so tired I’m sure I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. Did wake up around 3AM but managed to fall back to sleep for a few more hours…..takes a couple days to get into the right time zone!

Linds left around 8AM to go to get tickets for the Tower of London. I met Peggy and LG in the lounge for coffee at 8:30. LG hadn’t been to London since the 70’s so decided to do the HOHO bus. Caught it a couple blocks away and off we went. Did a bit of a loop on it and ended up on Oxford St where we thought we’d find a spot for coffee and breakfast….nada!! Seemed like we walked for miles before we came across a place called EL&N. Pretty “pink” place….tons of fake roses and what looked like delicious pastries. LG and Peggy had the shakshuka (just OK too acidy, over-cooked eggs etc.) and I had the avocado toast (ok but a little spicy???). Not a place I’d go back to. Mine was 20L with the tip already added to the bill.

Off in the direction of Trafalgar Square where we thought we’d catch the HOHO bus again. Interesting and fun walk thru Chinatown. In Leicester Square we bought tickets for plays tomorrow night. Linds and I are going to the Book of Mormon and LG and Peggy are going to see the Aspect of Love….theatres are close to each other. Found the HOHO stop and had a tour around TS, St Pauls, Tower of London, over the Tower Bridge to Southwark to the Westminster Bridge. Got off the bus and walked along the river towards the Parliament Buildings. They’ve created a memorial wall for the lives lost to COVID….it goes on forever! It’s been stamped with big and small red hearts where you write the names of loved ones that were lost….quite a moving thing to see.

Crossed the bridge and down to the wharf to catch the ferry for a tour down the Thames (included in the HOHO ticket). Bought some beverages (Pimms Lemonade) and found a spot out on the deck. Just before the ferry left Big Ben chimes 4:00 which was fun. Have been to London 4 or 5 times and that was the first time I’ve ever heard it! Ferry up and down the river past the Eye, Globe Theatre, the “Anchor” area etc. Trip ended at the Tower of London. A quick look through the gift store and walked along the “River Walk” for quite a while, found a pub for a drink.

Grabbed the tube back to the hotel to meet Linds before going to dinner. Walked over to Queensway where we had lots of places to chose from. Picked Casa Mia, was pretty good. Bacon Carbonara and a glass of white wine 21L. Walked dinner off checking out more restaurants and shops. Peggy and LG stopped at Tesco and got UK sim cards/plan 5GB for one month for 15L. I’m getting mine at the hotel that the guy at the desk recommended. A stop at the Swan Pub for a glass of rose and home around 11:30.

Long, busy day!

July 4 Tues

Finally on UK time I think! Slow start this morning. Just had breakfast at the hotel. Pretty good buffet with hot and cold/continental options (19L.)

The Sim cards that Peggy and LG got weren’t working so they went back to see if they could get a refund from the guy but of course that didn’t happen. I’d gotten mine from the desk at the hotel and all worked good so when they got back they just got the same ones. Lebara 5GB for 5UK…..good deal!

Weather was a bit iffy….not chilly but a real mix of sun and nasty looking clouds so packed my umbrella just to be safe. Started our walk thru Kensington Gardens to the palace and the Albert monument. The gardens were really umkempt which surprised me as last time it was very well maintained. Long grass, lots of weeds, untidy flowerbeds….except around the palace and the ponds where you can rent chairs.

On to the Victoria and Albert Museum walked by Royal Albert Hall. Was hoping to maybe get last minute tickets for the Diva exhibition that was happening but it was completely sold out for the duration of it’s run there. We did go in and wander thru the fashion history exhibits. Linds checked out a couple of the other exhibits and saw the incredible Chihuley glass hanging/art in the entrance.

Strolled down Brompton heading to Harrods. A few pubs and cafes along the way but decided that we’d grab something at the Food Hall in Harrods. Got there none to soon as the rain had started. So much to see inside. The food displays are so nice….everything so neat and tidy. Whole sections dedicated to one type of product like coffee or tea. Bought some deli type buns and coffees and a delicious pastel de nata. And they go the extra mile to make sure everything is wrapped up and bagged perfectly!

Original plan had been to walk to Buckingham Palace and then up to Oxford St but it was pouring when we came out so caught a bus straight down to Oxford Street. All you need is your credit card to tap on. Some of the buses you need to tap off as well so you get charged the correct amount….our driver said we did not have to on this route??

Got off at Marble Arch and walked to Selfridges. Wandered around checking things out for a bit……they have something for every budget in there. $50 – 20,000 dresses for every occasion! There used to be a cafe on the top floor but was closed for renos so we headed across the street from the side entrance to the Duchess Pub. Had a snack and beverage and watched all the high-end customers getting picked up in some very fancy and expensive cars! Must be nice!

Rain had stopped so Linds and I walked back to the hotel, took about a half hour. Peggy and LG took the bus. Just enough time to tidy up and head back out to the play. Took the bus….the #94 Piccadilly stop was just around the corner from the hotel and took us right to the theatre. Had started to pour again so ran the block or two to get there. The Book of Mormon was so much fun!! A bit raunchy at times but was great, so glad we saw it. P & LG said the Aspect of Love was good too….great music. Met up with them and decided to just go back to the hotel and eat there. Caught the bus back, no issues and dropped us a block away.

The bar was just closing for food service (close to 11 by then) but the lady put together some soup and sandwiches for us which was really nice. A glass of wine with that. Chatted with the people at the next table who had just come from seeing Les Mis….said it was great too.

Busy day! Off to the Cotswolds tomorrow!

July 5 Wed

Up early. Repacked and organized and down to breakfast. Checked out and had the desk call a taxi for us for 10 (12L to Paddington Station). Train was at 10:53 so got there in plenty of time to grab a coffee and snacks. Track number finally came up about 10 minutes before it left.

Once outside of London nice countryside, small villages, rolling hills. Arrived in Moreton-in-Marsh just before 12:30, so about an hour and a half from London. Small-ish place, definitely a market town. Nice wide High Street, one side seemed to be the main highway thru down, the other a local road with parking in the middle. Pretty honey coloured stone buildings, some nice shops a couple of pubs and hotels, a Co-op food store. Only a few minute walk to the White Hart Royal Hotel. Our room is an outside room, across a courtyard. Big, nicely decorated. LG and Peggy are on the second floor, a bit of a smaller room but nice too. When we checked in all our paperwork/info from Cotswold Walks was waiting for us.

Off to get some lunch. Everywhere was still busy so put our name in at the Big Bear Pub for a table at 1:45. Had almost an hour to kill so wandered around a bit, in and out of shops, lots of thrift stores!! Nice town but not “cute”…. definitely a working town from what we could see.

Lunch was great! I had fish and chips (roasted potatoes today), mushy peas, a salad and a “baby” beer which is a 1/2 pint. The place is really nice, big outdoor area with pretty hanging baskets and picnic tables but not quite warm enough to sit out there.

After lunch P and LG went down to the Co-op to pick up goodies and water, Linds and I hit a couple thrift shops first then to Co-op. Prices aren’t that bad here if you think in UK pounds vs Cdn $$’s. A bottle of water 70p – 1.30Cdn, so maybe even a bit cheaper. Fruit and veg, canned goods all seemed to be reasonable too. Caught up with the others at the “Swan” watching the tennis. Place looked nice from outside but was a bit dingey inside and noisy. Lasted about an hour then back to the hotel to drop off our goodies and relax for a bit.

Decided to just have dinner at our hotel….was 7:30 by then. Nice little bar, good service, fun waitstaff, lots of doggies in the pub!! I had the celery, apple and cheddar soup with bread and a glass of wine 15L. Went to P and L’s room for dessert that they’d picked up at the Co-op. Booked our breakfast for tomorrow morning on the way back to our room.

To bed around 10:30. Read over all the paperwork for tomorrow. Long day, very tired.

July 6 Thurs

Slept really good. Comfy bed. Booked breakfast for 8:30. Very good…..choice of anything and everything from a piece of toast to a full English.

Back to the room to re-pack and organize our bags. We are only allowed one bag for transport each day….an extra bag, be it a backpack or another big one, is an extra 10L, so did a lot of cramming. I stuck my big backpack in the luggage and used my small flexi one that can hold a jacket if needed, a bottle of water and my purse.

Dropped the bags with our name tags off in reception and off we went by 9:30.

We all loaded the GPS link for the daily routes, which definitely helped get us back on track a couple of times. Had the map and terrain book describing the route which was also very helpful pointing out various things along the way and pictures of some of the forks in the road showing a big red X on the one we should NOT be taking. It has pictures of where some of the markers in fields were as well. such as on a tree stump!

Trail started a block or two down the road from the hotel. Thru a bit of the residential area then out thru barley fields. Nice views, rolling hills dotted with sheep, grassy fields with cows…..all very lovely and exactly what you would expect to see in the Cotwolds. Lovely farms, some manor houses and of course the dry stone walls….just spectacular!!

The trail took us through fields of cows….a bull or two too!! They were quite curious about us and one or two decided to come and investigate. We’d heard that people are actually killed in England by cows, so a bit apprehensive as they got closer and closer. We ducked behind a rather sad looking tree of sorts just in case. Bossy got closer and closer but just started nibbling away on the grass so we slowly backed up and moved closer to the edge of the field…..and the electric fence AND the trail on the other side of it. After checking our GPS we somehow had strayed off the trail so had to backtrack a bit in order to get back on it and over a gate to get on the other side of the fence. Excitement for the day!!

The maps tell us the number of miles as well at the ascent and descent of the trail. Today we walked 7.5 miles (12km), ascent 715ft/descent 374ft to Stow-on-the-Wold. Seemed mostly flat except in a couple places but an easy enough walk at a good pace.

The trails are marked pretty good, a mix of paved walkways, gravel and mulch and just worn pathways thru fields. On the paved/gravel/mulch parts where there are forks in the trail there are signs that hopefully keep you going the right way. We are on the “Monarch’s Way today.

Walked up what I hoped was our 715ft ascent and around a big farm with a picturesque “keepers cottage” and fields of poppies and wildflowers…..

A stop in Longborough at the village shop. Picked up some more snacks and sat for a bit of rest. Had my first ever treacle tart and is was absolutely delicious…… gave me just the sugar high needed to carry on. Such a pretty village….the honey coloured stone houses, lots covered in ivy and/or wisteria, many lovely gardens and hanging baskets. There was a funeral happening at the church so we quietly carried on by.

There are many gates……many different kinds of gates……..that you go through, over or around, sometimes all three! There are stiles, regular gates, kissing gates, field gates, bridle gates and ditch type gates. Where there are regular gates with latches or slip ropes it’s really important to make sure they are closed behind you. Also lots of electric fences with dire warnings!!

Another bit of excitement when we met up with the ladies from California in the middle of another field of cows. The trail led to a gate that was very obviously padlocked. There was a farmyard on the other side with barns and sheds etc. The cows were probably 100ft away from us but seemed to be eyeing us at the gate. I went to have a better look at the lock and rattled it a bit…..that got the cows attention!! Before we knew it we were surrounded by at least a dozen or more….that gate probably opens for them at dinner time or when they go back to the barn or whatever!!! At least there were six of us now so safety in numbers right…..very, very slowly we started backing away from the gate, the cows stayed at it thank goodness. Got far enough away and got out the GPS again and realized we’d missed a left turn back a few hundred yards which would have taken is around the other side of the farmyard….and the cows. When in fields like this it was sometimes hard to tell what was trail and just a worn path. We survived and decided that we’d start checking the GPS a little more often. What fun though…..after of course! Was a bit nerving at the time I must say for us city folk!

Just past the farm the scenery changed from flowery fields to more forest-ie. We started walking along some very pretty “tree tunnel” pathways, very quiet. Came out to a little village called Broadwells. Stopped at the Fox Inn. Had a bit of a rest and drinks on the patio…..cute place with some topiary gardens which were fun. A church with graveyard and a few houses was about it.

Just past the Inn, we picked up the trail with a sign pointing us in the right direction to Stow-on-the-Wold, our stop for today. A bit of a climb up to Stow…….”wold” mean hill!

Finally arrived around 4. Seemed like a long walk but was really enjoyable. 7.5 miles not including the times we got off track. Stow is a very cute place, nice big market square surrounded by shops, restaurants and cafes with a church right in the centre! Not much seemed to be open other than a couple of pubs.

Found our BnB for tonight with the help of the Google maps and the GPS. Was just around the corner and down a hill from the square. It’s call “no. 9 Bed and Breakfast”. Very nice. Linds and I are on the second floor….teeny tiny winding set of steps to get there. Nice big room, great bathroom. The lady that runs it was nice enough but very business like and no interest in us or chit chat of any kind other than giving us the keys and telling us how to pre-order breakfast. Cute little doggie though. Asked about places for dinner, pub across the street and one further down the street otherwise nothing else apparently.

Went to the pub down the street called The Bell for dinner. I had the bangers and mash (v.g) and a nice glass of wine. Food was good and there was lots of it! After dinner we did a bit of a tour around town. Some very nice shops, a couple bakeries and a pub down our street called the “Porch House” supposedly England’s oldest dating from 947AD!! Stopped at a funky little bar/hotel on the High Street for a nightcap and back to the BnB.

The weather today was absolutely perfect for walking…..mostly sunny with some clouds every now and again. A bit cool in the morning but by mid day temps were probably at most 72F/20-21C.

What a great first day!!! Looking forward to getting back on the trail tomorrow!

July 7 Fri

Slept pretty good. Was worried about waking up sore but so far so good!!

Breakfast was at 8:30. We had to pre-order what we wanted last night from the menu/list that she left on the table. Very good variety considering it’s a BnB I think. Eggs done anyway we wanted, bacon, sausage, beans etc….just pick and choose from the list whatever you wanted. Great french press coffee too. Was all really good. The lady seemed to have warmed up this morning especially after everyone ooooh’d and awwww’d over her doggie, very chatty and friendly.

Had a little walk around the market square in Stow before we headed off. Lots of good things in the bakeries, popped into a shop.

Options today….short walk 4.5 miles or long walk approx. 7 miles. We could decide at a certain point whether we wanted to do the longer one. We did. Tonight we have two nights in Bourton-on-the-Water. Todays short walk would get us there nice and early then tomorrow we would do another short walk of 2.2 miles to see another town then back to Bourton. There is also another optional walk that we can do tomorrow, a circular route to Naunton and back. It was decided that we’d do the long walk today, not do the optional one tomorrow either and just have a nice day to lay back and explore Bourton while everything was open! I hope we don’t miss anything too exciting in Naunton!

Today we walked 7.0 miles (11km) ascent 45ft/descent 374ft. Seemed mostly flat except in a couple places but an easy enough walk at a good pace. Wardens Way trail.

Hit the trail…..or the road to the trail and immediate confusion on which way to go at a bit of a major intersection with roads going off in all directions. Crossed the road, which we knew we had to do then pulled out the maps and the GPS to get us moving along the right trail. Saw the California ladies walking off in a different direction so worried a bit about who was in the wrong!

Very nice walk today. Pretty valleys, lots of cows in the fields but not ones we had to walk thru, many tree tunnels and stone walls. Started to see more manor houses and horses in the fields. Very different from yesterday. One part of the walk took us right through the middle of a church/graveyard. Open fields and more forest on this walk, some lovely little brooks or streams that we crossed on ancient (I think!) stone bridges. Not many sheep today…..a few here and there but nothing like yesterday. Trail was more small, narrow country roads and paved pathways than mulch and not as many gates to go thru or over. Good signage too…..to keep us going in the right direction.

The short walk today would have taken us directly to Lower Slaughter and then on to Bourton-on-the-Water but since we are doing the longer walk we detoured to Upper Slaughter first. We’ve come across some interesting place names so far and these two Slaughters are no exception!! (Slaughter in their case mean “muddy waters”…..old English word relating to slough??). Upper Slaughter is one of the “sainted” villages in England that lost no one during World War I or II.

Coming along the trail up to Upper Slaughter was one of those “oh wow!” moments…..it is a picture perfect Cotswolds village. Beautiful church, homes and other buildings all built of the honey coloured stone. Perfect manicured gardens and hedges. Just gorgeous! A couple restaurants but we stopped at the Lords of the Manor Hotel. Had warmed up nicely so we had lunch on the lawn of the beautifully kept gardens and grounds. I had the smoked salmon baguette that was more than enough for 2 people, came with “crisps” and a nice little salad for 10L (v.v.g.) an Old Mout cider to wash it all down. Spent well over an hour just enjoying the time and place………we felt very elegant dining there!! How often does one get to enjoy lunch on the lawn of an old manor house on a beautiful afternoon in the heart of the Cotswolds!

Back on the trail and down to Lower Slaughter. Walked along the River Eye into town. What a cute place it is! Pretty waterwheel, a few shops and cafes, more people too. A little more exciting than Upper but as pretty if not prettier. The trail goes thru the town along the river and then carries on still along the river for quite a ways, then we came to the horse farms. Race and polo ponies are raised and trained here. Big track/race in Cheltenham not too far away. Just a very pleasant stroll.

We crossed a main road and then into Bourton-on-the-Water. Used google maps to get us to the hotel. Very nice walk along the River Windrush that runs right through the center of town. A number of old stone bridges (no railings!!) cross the river. Grassy areas all along. The river is only about a foot deep so lots of kids and dogs having a dip and playing in it. BotW is known as the “Venice of the Cotswolds”.

Our hotel is called Chester House. Really nice place, great location right in the centre of town. Big covered patio area out back, bar, restaurant and big grassy area as well with tables and chairs. Our room is very nice, on the main floor and it’s huge! Got settled in and out to the patio to enjoy a G&T before going off to explore. So glad we’ve got two nights here.

Very busy place, much more touristy than anywhere we’ve been so far. Great fun for everyone along the river. Lots of restaurants, pubs and many different kinds of shops…..a lot of toy and candy shops! Really nice evening so lots of people everywhere. Found a bar where we could watch the tennis (Wimbledon was happening). Was the Canadian playing the Brit so lots of fun with the people at the next table. Ended up having dinner there. Good burgers and good fun!

A few shops still open so in and out of some. Was a great evening to just wander around such a pretty place. Back to the hotel for a drink and found a place to play cards which was great.

Good walk today…..mostly flat and very scenic. Another great day!

July 8 Sat

A bit of a lazy morning. Nice not to have to rush out and nice to be able to actually see more of the town.

Great breakfast and good coffee.

Weather was a bit iffy this AM. Very overcast with the odd sprinkle. Wandered around for a while checking out shops that weren’t open last night. Way more people today….being Saturday and some sort of a craft/flea market and art show happening. Also having rubber ducky races for a fund raiser……so much fun!! Linds found a gem store and spent forever in there. A very nice Christmas shop, picked up a couple of Christmas ornaments. The town hall or ? was where the craft market was…..all the usual stuff. Found a great birthday card for Bev (cards and tea!!).

The flea market, or “car boot sale” was fun to walk around…..lots of dishes and jewelry and the usual. One table had tons of books where I found a fantastic old(er) cookbook called Heart of the Cotswolds Cookbook, it cost 1L! Full of some great recipes from local hotels and restaurants along with little stories about the villages and tidbids of Cotswolds history. The lady that I bought it from lives in Winchcombe, which is where we walk to tomorrow. Told us about the best places to eat, one is the White Hart Inn where we are staying. Good to know!

Had lunch at the Kingsbridge Pub along the river. Sat inside because it had started to rain. A bit of a dumpy place really but maybe just because it was so busy they didn’t have time to clean tables?? Had their pea soup which was just OK.

Peggy and Linds went back to the hotel for naps and LG and I went for a bit of tour around town. Very pretty place, many nice houses, a lot of new-ish ones too probably built in the 60’s or 70’s. Went into a little ceramic shop that had beautiful stuff but a bit too pricey and too hard to bring something like that home. Sort of walked around the perimeter of town…..buildings on one side and the rolling Cotswolds on the other.

Rain had stopped and the sun had come out so warmed up nicely. Had to take our jackets off!

Went in to see the Model Village (6L) to get in. It’s quite the piece of work….a scale model of BotW that took 5 or 6 years to build and opened on King George’s coronation day in 1937. The detail, right down to little curtains in windows and bonsai trees and shrubs, is amazing! They also have a great display of the types of local cottages with good descriptions of each….very interesting. Spent way more time there than I thought. There is also a Motor Museum in town…..didn’t get to it but was told it was a must if you’re into old British cars and toy cars.

Went to the New Old Pub next door for a G&T before heading back to find P and Linds. They were on the patio having a drink. Had just got our drinks when a mega storm came along. Thunder, lightening, wind and a torrential downpour. We stayed dry luckily undercover. Sat around trying to decide where to go for dinner.

Still raining as we made our way to the Venezia Ristorante. I had the lasagna (v.g.) Took our time and the rain had stopped by the time we left. Walked around a bit more but even on a Saturday evening with lots of people around most shops were closed up tight. A couple candy stores and the ice cream place open and that was about it.

Went back to the hotel and played cards in the sort of lobby or seating area on the way to the rooms. Had a couple drinks, played cards and packed it in for the night.

Fun day, weather and all. Was glad we had more time to explore the town! This trip would be perfect if we could have two nights in each place….so many interesting things to see in the villages.

July 9 Sun

Up around 6:30 for coffee. Re-organized our bags yet again….how can we make such a mess in such a short period of time!!

Had breakfast, very good again and got our bags to reception for pick up. Today they are picking us up in a taxi and taking us to Guiting Power (pronounced Gitting) to start our walk to Winchcombe. The California gals were with us. Short drive…..maybe 15 minutes. If we’d started from BotW the walk would have been almost 12 miles. There are a lot of quarries around here, many no longer in use. The stone for both the houses and fences come from this area.

Todays walk was 6.5 miles (almost 11K) with the ascent 738ft/descent 1040ft.

Guiting Power is a very small village but it has a couple pubs, a big community garden and a village store where we stocked up on water and snack/lunch goodies.

First part of the walk was a path thru some trees and where there was supposed to be a stone masons that we could visit but didn’t see it. Next was thru big open fields of barley, at least that’s what I think it was. Quite warm and sunny. Some pretty rolling hills again dotted with sheep, farms and some beautiful big manor houses. After an hour or so we came to a beautiful big wood, or forest, that we walked thru for quite a while. Not sure why I was surprised but did not expect to see trees that big here. Was a really nice walk , a bit uphill but was cool in the shade. Beside the trail at one point was a fenced off field full of sheep…..many different kinds of sheep! Who knew?? Some that looked like regular sheep, others that had very flat squished up faces, others looked more like goats than sheep but were white and fluffy….many of them had either blue dots or red dots painted on their sides.

The woods opened up to spectacular views of rolling hills (the Malverns?) and fields of barley or wheat and the town of Winchcombe off in the distance. The path widened quite a bit and was paved and mostly downhill, which was great. At some point around this spot we reached the highest point in the Cotswolds. The fields along the path were soy beans!

A bit further along Sudeley Castle came into view. We left the nice paved trail and headed into a field full of sheep….lots of them and more poop than we’d seen yet! Needed a bit of fancy footwork getting through there. And flies, tons of them…..no talking while walking!! Once out of the sheep field the path was paved with a fork off to the right that led to the castle.

The walk through the grounds after buying the tickets (16UK) was interesting. The grounds and gardens are filled with almost lifesize animal sculptures made from plant materials meant to “embrace our co-existence with nature”. Sudeley is privately owned, the family still lives in it. Stopped at the coffee shop for a drink and snack and then to the museum. Lots of pictures and items with great detail, tons of history here. Part of the castle (the ballroom I think) has been left a ruin to understand the scope of damage that had been done to it over the centuries and the amount of work to rebuild and restore it. Beautiful gardens, a lovely chapel and gorgeous trees. Was worth the cost to get in I think…..very interesting stuff.

Winchcombe was just a mile or so away from the castle, a nice easy walk into town. It’s kind of a pretty place but a bit plain compare to the Slaughters and BotW. We’re at the White Hart Inn. The rooms are OK, rather small and meh compared to the others we’ve had. The hotel has a pub/restaurant and a nice outdoor patio at the back. The staff were great…..hauling our bags up to our room was very nice.

Had a drink out on the patio in the sun then checked out places to eat dinner. The other place that the lady told us about was booked so just went back to the hotel and got a 6PM res for dinner in the pub/restaurant. A bit of a walk looking for St Peter’s church which was supposed to have some artifacts and a beautiful stained glass window. Looked lovely from the outside but was locked up tight so couldn’t get in. It’s quite a big town, a market town almost 5,000 people. Some nice old timbered houses mixed with stone buildings that open just about right on the road. A couple of the old buildings looked a bit tipsy!! Not a “flowery” town as in not many potted plants, flower baskets or window boxes.

Dinner at the hotel was really good!! I had the roast pork with mash and leeks and it was delicious! Eton Mess was on the menu for dessert so I had that too……it was yummy!

Walked off dinner, found a grocery store that was still open to pick up goodies for the walk tomorrow…..no pubs/restaurants enroute to Broadway. Some of the streets have fun names like Cow Lane, Back Lane etc. Nothing was open of course, which was too bad as there were a few nice shops and a museum that would have been nice to see.

Had a nightcap in the bar and off to bed.

Our walk today was 6.5 miles but taking in the detour to and from the castle plus all the walking at the castle I think we were pretty close to 10 miles.

July 10 Mon

Great breakfast!! Didn’t explore the town anymore and just started on our walk a little earlier. And it looks to be a lot hillier too!

Walk today is 11 miles/17k Ascent 1338ft/descent 1345ft to Broadway.

The trail started down the road right next to the hotel (Castle Lane). Very pretty walk along the River Isbourne lined with pretty cottages and gardens. The trail came to the main highway, which we had to walk along for a bit then on to “Puck Pit Lane” which took us into the fields. Grass trail today, lovely views in all directions. Lots of sheep…..much poop to sidestep around but thankfully not a lot of flies like yesterday.

Poor Peggy is having major foot issues today. Thought we’d stop in Hailles and try calling a taxi for her but nothing there except a Tea Shop that wasn’t open and an old abbey ruin. Took a short cut from there heading to Wood Stanway that looked like it might be bigger. Ran into a couple ladies walking their doggies…..the suggested detouring back to Didbrook as it was bigger still….and had a blacksmith shop that the taxi would easily find.

Found the shop…..really nice guy called the taxi for us with proper directions. Found a bench (built around a tree trunk) across the street to sit and wait with her……told us to go ahead that she’d be OK and would call if any problems or go back and see the blacksmith.

Worked our way thru town and back onto the trail with the help of Google maps. Our plan was to get to Stanton and try calling a taxi to take us to Broadway from there to avoid having to hike up a really big hill, one of a couple today. Really nice walk from there to Stanton, mostly grassy sheep fields. A very lovely old church and graveyard with tumbled over headstones! Pretty easy rolling hills except for one big steep hill up a road past a resort of some type…..beautiful old manor house. Great views from the top! Lots of moss covered stone walls.

Walked thru a big empty grassy field with one huge gorgeous tree in the middle of it, a maple type tree maybe…..dark red leaves. Chatted with a man that comes here every couple years just to walk the trails….old guy (75-80ish) but incredibly fit! Went thru a couple fields with horses for a change.

Got to Stanton and of course the pub was closed on Monday. It is another picture perfect Cotswolds village, beautiful stone houses and cottages, many with thatched roofs, pretty gardens etc. It’s almost a little too perfect! It seems to be quite a “posh” little village. There’s a big equestrian centre and cricket grounds, a couple bnb’s and the pub…..no shops of any kinds that we saw.

Lost our little map book somewhere along the way, luckily it wasn’t too far back. Linds went to check and found it thank goodness! Thought about calling a taxi as we’d planned but Peggy had called……said it cost her over 50L for the few minute ride to Broadway……this is because that’s where the taxis are based so you pretty much pay for them coming to get you and getting you to where you want to go! Sucked it up and started walking. It was only another 3.5 miles but most of it up the big hill! I was really the only one whining about it…..oh well!

The walk out of Stanton took us through another church/graveyard on a paved trail for a bit before the climb, which turned out to be not as bad as I thought. Lots of chickens and roosters on this route! Came to a field of interesting cattle…..sort of fluffy, brown with a centre white stripe (belted Galloway cattle). They were on the other side of a fence but they all came over to check us out! Managed to pat one of them…..surprisingly very soft.

Got our first glimpse of the Broadway Tower (tomorrow!) way up on the hill on the other side of the valley that we were heading down into Broadway town. Came to a unique gate that we’d not seen before, sort of a V shaped one that we had to step up to and squeeze through…..assuming that the cows and sheep would only manage to get their heads through it. More elegant looking manor houses.

Broadway is lovely! Seems to be quite a big place, tons of shops, restaurants, hotels, pubs etc.

Just started to pour as we reached our accommodation for tonight. It’s not a hotel, more like an Airbnb type place. Two bedrooms, nice big living room and dining area, huge kitchen and one bathroom, which we’ll make work since we don’t have much choice. It’s a keyless entry, put the code in an up the stairs. Peggy had already been out exploring and said that most places were booked up for dinner but she did get a res for 6:30 at the Broadway Hotel.

Linds and LG went off to do some exploring and Peggy and I went to the hotel and had a drink before dinner. Was still raining, which is too bad because I think Broadway is a really nice town and wouldn’t mind seeing more of it.

Had a fantastic dinner. Peggy and I shared an order of mussels for an appie, which was good because there were a lot of them and they were delicious! Still raining when we left but did tour around a bit. Found a Co-op to pick up more water and snacks for tomorrow.

Home and finally had a proper table to play cards at. A couple games and then off to bed.

Long day today and I’m pretty sure we walked way more than 11 miles with our detours, but it was good, even the hill wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.

July 11 Tues

Got packed up and went for breakfast at the cafe below our room. Not included today but we got a 10% discount. Cute little place, good coffee and good food.

Had an hour or two before we had to check out so we left our bags at the door for pickup but kept the code so we could pop back in and get our backpacks before starting our walk.

Broadway is really nice. Spent an hour or so checking out shops and just wandering around the town. A lot of the shops sell local wool clothing, scarves etc. Linds bought a scarf at the Edinborough Woolen Mill shop. Antique stores, a cookware shop and other nice clothing stores. The Lygon Arms hotel looked really nice.

Our walk today is just over 6 miles/10k and the ascent 836ft/descent 672ft to Chipping Camden.

Wasn’t raining but lots of big rather grey looking clouds, the sun did pop out every now and again warming it up nicely but not too much thank gawd because once we were out of town and started the climb up the hill to the Broadway Tower we did not need too much sun! Arrived at the start of the hill and thought I might cry!! It was brutal!!! LG was like a bloody elk……up, up and away she went, us three stopped so may times just get our breath back. It seemed to take forever. Passed local people (sometimes the same ones going up AND coming back down) walking their dogs in flip flops and sandals! Came to a gate with a sign saying “your dog could be shot if found amongst the livestock”…..so many doggies on the trail not on leashes either!

Up and up we went…..would see the top and think “thank gawd” only to realize once you went a little further there was still more hill!! Thought I was in reasonably good shape but that hill was a killer!! Even Peggy with her walking sticks struggled. I’m going to say that it was partly because the trail was a bit soggy from the rain overnight……just saying! Once we finally made it to the top we sat and admired the spectacular views for about a half hour!! Checked out maps and it looks like that uphill climb is almost 1K!

Didn’t pay to go in the tower, 14L or 20L if you also want to access the Nuclear Bunker (??). We did go to the cafe for snacks and to use the bathrooms. Nice little gift shop.

Backtracked to get on the trail. Today we’re walking on the Cotswolds Way. Through a gate and into the “National Trust Clump Farm” (??). Could find nothing on google that really explains the name. Nice trail over sort of a plateau for a while then the path took us through a nice wood.

Had started spitting on and off…..had an umbrella but didn’t really need it, just hoods up and down as required. We came out on to a road/lane with a few houses and an old quarry. Had to cross a rather busy road to get back on the path. Crossed a nice little bridge and came to a park or picnic area (called Fish Hill) with washrooms and some nice big trees, which came in handy because at that point the heavens opened up! Just incredible rain, thunder but didn’t see any lightening so hoped we were safe under the trees. That lasted about 10 minutes. Everywhere around us was soaked, huge big puddles to maneuver around and the ground/earth had turned into almost clay sticking to our shoes.

The torrential rain stopped, just a few sprinkles off and on, and the sun even popped out a couple times but you could see another storm off in the distance…..we were hoping it was going the other way as it didn’t look like any tree cover on the path that we were on.

The path narrowed quite a bit to like only a foot or so wide as it went through a field of canola/rapeseed. The canola was probably at least 3ft tall so the person at the front (LG) was soaked from the water whipping off it as she walked thru it…..made it not so bad for those of us pulling up the rear!! The earth also was different, very red earth like clay that had turned to mud, kept clumping up on our shoes so we’d have to stop and scrape it off every 50 ft or so. Probably a mile walking through the canola before it changed to small bushes that had pods of some sort on them, different from the soy beans we saw the other day and the phone app thing couldn’t identify what it was. The soil was more gravel-ie so much easier to walk on and the path much wider. Had warmed up a lot too…..from coats and hoods to tee shirts. Came to Dyer’s Lane were we opted to take the short cut, saving about a half mile, into Chipping Camden. The longer way would have taken us to The Lynches Wood up Dover’s Hill! Enough hills today!

Back into the fields of barley, nice walk, mostly downhill and actually had others on the trail with us which we haven’t seen too often. Lots of different wildflowers along the trail here. Could see Chipping Camden off in the distance.

Arrived around 3:30. A nice little walk thru town to our hotel, the Noel Arms. Quite a big place, very pretty and busy. There is an old covered market right across the street that they use on market day. We have huge room!! It’s really lovely……out back across from the patio with it’s own entrance. They’re used to hikers I guess…..a sign on the door reminds you to take you boots off in the little entrance way. Got sort of organized and started to clean the mud and gunk off our shoes/boots. Must say my new Vessi’s held up very well today…..considering how wet and mucky it was…….my socks were completely dry! By then it had clouded over and started raining pretty hard so didn’t go out exploring.

Met P and LG in the bar just after 5 and decided that we’d just eat at the hotel….also recommended by the lady at the flea market. I had the chicken pot pie (v.g.). Was still pouring rain so just sat around in the bar for a bit then to our huge room. Chatted for a while and then P and LG went back to their room.

Linds and I must have spent another hour cleaning our shoes. Updated my journal and read for a bit.

Hope it’s nice tomorrow so we can at least have a look around town before heading off. It’s our last day of walking!

July 12 Wed.

Up early to get coffee and breakfast so we could have a look around. Good breakfast…anything off the menu that we wanted.

CC is a really pretty town, lovely houses and shops, a very nice church, lots of gardens, potted plants and the old market building. Everything is very neat and tidy! Only a few shops open because it was so early. But was nice to have a look around. It’s quite a busy place, lots of people out and about.

Our walk took us up a roadway through a very pretty part of the town before coming to a field with the trail marker for Heart of England Way, which is also Monarchs Way, that we follow all the way to Moreton-in-Marsh…..a bit confusing. Followed the path past an old quarry and Hangman’s Hall farm. No sheep today…..or a few here and there but mostly off in the distance only. Walked through a nice forest and came out to the most glorious field of beautiful wildflowers!! My picture does it no justice!! We all just stopped and said WOW!! Barley fields and lots of corn today…..fields and fields of it.

Up a bit of a hill then through some bushes and into another field where the village of Blockley appeared not too far away. Nice walk along a path with terrace houses (built for the woolen mill workers). It’s a cute place…..many terrace/row houses, kind of hilly, a big park with a playground in the middle of town, some very nice houses and very neat and tidy.

Had to ask for directions to the pub, where we thought we’d have lunch. Found it only to discover it doesn’t open until 5!!! Backtracking again and down to the cafe/gift by the church.

Super busy little place….lots of hikers, walkers and backpackers but managed to find a table upstairs. I had a big bowl of homemade tomato soup and bread and a local cider, all was very good.

What had been a great morning was turning into a not so good afternoon. Just started to rain before we went into the church. This was a must as it was where my husbands great grandparents were married back in 1862 so my daughter was anxious to see it. They had lived in Blockley and worked in the mills before moving to Chipping Norton. Tried to find the cottage that they’d lived in but sadly we couldn’t. While we were in the church a mega storm started, absolute torrential downpour, thunder, lightening and wind! Was just crazy for 15-20 minutes. We just stayed in the church until is passed.

Cleared up with blue sky again….some nasty looking clouds off in the distance though….so off we went. The path took us through the graveyard and up a bit of a hill with a nice view of Blockley behind us. One last big climb thru a sheep field and then thru a forest with the best ever mossy covered stone walls. More sheep and even a couple with little horns (are they sheep or some type of fluffy goat??).

The trail was all down hill thru the woods to the Batsford Arboritum, which from what we could see looked really nice with a variety of very different trees such as gum/eucalyptus, palms etc. It was open until 5 and it was already after 4 so passed on going in. The rest of the trail was thru a grassy field with more flowers and thistles. Some big nasty clouds that seemed to be coming our way……you could see where the rain was coming down……so we just kept motoring along to get to Moreton before it caught up to us.

Came into town from the opposite side we left from. Found the White Hart Royal again, got checked in and went for a celebratory drink to end our walk.

I think we did pretty good! LG is obviously in the best shape (she plays baseball half the year) but we all managed with a bit of whining about the hills, other than a couple of the bigger ones the walk was pretty easy. I’m glad golfing season had been in full swing to get my legs in shape and going to the gym helped too. I thought the first couple days we’d all have aches and pains but surprisingly we didn’t….I think the fact that we walked everyday made a difference, no time for sore muscles. Other than one day for Peggy, no one had any feet or shoe problems either. We did take our time most days…..just sort of ambled along, stopped often to take pictures and admire the views. Other than a couple of downpours the weather was perfect for this kind of a walk. You would not want to do it during a heatwave with so many open fields to track through. The maps, charts and app that Cotswold Walks provided were a big help too!

We have another terrific room, with a fireplace and a door out to the patio……it is “sheep themed”, which seems appropriate.

Cleaned up and and decided to just have dinner at the hotel. Very busy place but they managed to fit us in. I had the sea bream on an eggplant puree with a roasted potato layered thing….all was very good.

Just back to the room to repack and reorganize our bags for tomorrow. We’re off to Bath for a couple days before the next adventure. Very early start…..train leaves at 8:10.

July 13 Thurs

Up very early….6AM! Had some coffee and packed up. Breakfast didn’t start until 7:30 so just enough time to grab and croissant and out the door. The station is only a 5-10 minute walk.

Peggy was really disappointed in the shoes she’d bought for the walk so put them in a bag and hung them on the door of the thrift shop on the way to the station!

Bath for a couple of days and then on to Cornwall next…………….