Sunday, 10 October 2021

 

10th October 2021

 

Dear All,

Publication delayed today as we have just returned from an exciting 6 hours at Hinchinbrook A&E where I spent a few over rated hours passing a kidney stone – not something I recommend!

We had an excellent few days in the Cotswolds travelling down on Sunday and returning Friday. We tool Lawrie and Naureen, friends from Histon as Lawrie has just had cataracts removed from both eyes. We stopped off at Chedworth Roman Villa on the way down which has some remarkable mosaics and had a warm up walk to Chedworth village. Our accommodation for the week was Burleigh Court Hotel just overlooking Stroud. Our room was for some reason, the pick of the place with anti room, bedroom, a spare bedroom and bath room. Breakfasts were excellent and evening meals adventurous with the emphasis on creativity rather than bulk!

 

 


Chedworth Roman Ruins

 

 


Burleigh Court Hotel

 

We walked each day and nost routes were very undulating with plenty of climbing involved. Each day there was a long walk of 11 to 14 miles, a shorter? walk of 8.5 to 10 miles and a casual walk. We stuck to the short walks.

On Monday we walked from the hotel along a ridge to Oakridge for lunch then back along the Golden Valley between the river and a canal with a steep climb to finish (us off!)

 


 

View across the Golden Valley

 

 

 


View to Brinscombe

 

We were leading on Tuesday which was a challenge for a route we had not recced with 13 people in tow. Fortunately a couple of folks had GPS gizmos so we did not go far wrong.. We started at Cranham and walked through Painswick, Paradise! and Sheepscombe for lunch. The return to Cranham was mostly uphill!

 


 

Beech woods

 


 

Cranham

 

Wednesday was supposedly the easiest day with a circular walk through four villages: Sherston, Eastern Grey, Foxley and Norton. We gained some of the casual walkers on the promise of lrelatively level ground but a couple of the did not last the pace and had to be picked up in a car. Progess was not helped by the vast number of styles we encountered. After the walk we explored Stroud taking in the museum, park and arboretum.

 

 


Cotswold Barn

 

 


Mudstone in the Museum

 

Thursday we started at Newark Park near Westonbirt Arboretum. We had fantastic views across to the Severn Valley and had lunch in Wotton-under-Edge a very interesting village complete with alms houses and a haunted house!

 

 


Wotton Alms Houses

 

 


The Short Group

 

Most returned straight home on Friday but we visited Highgrove to keep an eye on Charles and Camilla. It was an interesting visit but heavy on security and only guided tours allowed so you could not dwell on areas of interest – ot take photos! The journey back was the usual Friday afternoon crawl but we were back by 5.50pm.

 


 

Highgrove Thyme walk

 

 


Highgrove Arch

 

With love

Mike & Kate

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