The Cotswold Way 2011

Day Six: 7th May

Weather: Drizzle at first, generally overcast with spells of sunshine

Route: Wortley (Wotton under Edge) to Pennsylvania - 16.9 miles with 1963ft of ascent

 

It was very humid this morning, and in fact if I was honest I’d almost say it was raining. Well the farmers are desperate for it, and after some faffing about on if I should use a back pack or not I decided to stick to the bumbag with waterproofs strapped on the back. The forecast told me otherwise, but I'm a glass half full type of guy. It was an eventful day, and another enjoyable walk despite the damp start. We had a superb breakfast at the Carlton House B&B – great house with marvellous hosts in Pete & Pauline – and highly recommended. I returned to Wortley by car to restart the walk where I finished yesterday. Straight away it was back onto pasture with new born lambs, new calves and some lovely old field terraces high up the valley side. Looking up to the grey leaden sky made me wonder not if but when I would have to don waterproofs. Today was mainly walking across mixed farmland with no thick hedges to obscure the views. I walked across the first field and felt the first drops of rain, so didn't hesitate in donning my waterproofs before continuing. I passed through Alderley, a nice little hamlet but without any B&B’s or pub, and then it was downhill to Hillersley with a glimpse of the old mill and a canal barge, which was odd as there isn't a canal here. By this time after a couple of miles God had recognized that it was me walking, so the sun came out and the raindrops ceased. I had another faff, glad to get out of the waterproofs and pack them on the back of my bumbag - I made sure to roll them tight and keep the weight closer to my body even though they don't weigh much. There was plenty of wildlife about after the rain, with a buzzard chasing a pheasant down the old medieval terraces, and some young jittery horses the other side of the hedge when I walked by, spooked by my presence. At Kilcott Mill I turned along a lane, passing a smouldering, smoky bonfire with nobody around to tend it - a bit daft really, even though it had been raining a little. This led me out onto a fresh Tarmac surface, a little odd for a country lane, but there were a few fine properties and cottages, with the occasional  fishpond thrown in.  Soon after turning onto the lane the Saturday morning cyclists started to pass by – I lost count after the first batch, but they all missed me, swishing along the wet road with wet arses. A little after Lower Kilcott I turned up another sunken lane which led me out of the valley up to the top of the scarp once more.

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I saw a novel bird scare crow in a field of oilseed rape -a fishing rod with a kite flying on the end – it worked rely well, as I didn’t see any birds. A little further on along the fields near the village of Hawkesbury Upton was another tall monument that looks almost Moorish in it's outline - dedicated to General Lord Bob Somerset, but it had a cross on the top so must be a churchy thing I suppose – but I was  wrong, it's something about Waterloo - that Abba group get everywhere.  The sign for the village of Hawkesbury Upton had ‘you’ll never leave’ under the name, surely a sign that ‘The league of Gentleman’ were on holiday here sometime. At the old drovers pool (all silted up now and full of bullrushes) just before the main village I turned along the lane and there followed a delightful long stretch over mixed farmland. Up on the top of the scarp it was nice and open along ‘Bath Lane’, good views without the usual trees or hedges back over to the Tyndale monument. The skies were a little threatening but the worst of the weather was away to the east and had passed me by once more. A short walk along a minor lane and the way dropped down towards Horton Court, a fine old house but I couldn’t see a lot of it. Yet another hillfort beyond Horton Court with a ditch and bank before the drop down to Horton. At the top of the valley there is a fine new folly, built at the Millennium, for Swallows and Barn Owls which are in decline due to loss of habitat. These birds only roost in buildings so presumably it's first come first served – it’s a lovely little folly, with fine stonework and detail. Downhill once more to Widden Hill and out into empty paddocks, all divided up , with only jackdaws for company and they were busy eating manure bugs. Between Horton and Little Sodbury the path dipped down a valley and up the other side to emerge out on the road to Little Sodbury, and it’s fine church. Then all the sodding way up again to Sodbury Camp – another fine hillfort – with double bank and ditch which the way passes through the middle - but it's not as good as the fort at Painswick. After the hillfort the way drops steadily down the escarpment to my lunch spot of Old Sodbury. Someone told me to go dogging in Old Sodbury, and imagine my disappointment when I found out it was the Dog Inn. After another fine pub lunch (I could get used to this) and some chocolate from the local garage, it was time to go uphill just for a change, and then downhill once more to Comb’s End. Many of the kissing gates on the Cotswold Way carry the acorn of the National Trail, and are made of galvanised steel - almost all have a catch on to open and close the gates to keep the sheep where they are meant to be.

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Soon I was Into the parkland of a grand estate at Doddington House, and across a small bridge that is being rebuilt – it has a nice squeeze stile on it, and I admired it as I walked past it - it qualifies for most useless stile of the way. Beyond the estate the hamlet of Tomarton came into focus. I chose not to stay here as I wanted a quick getaway on the last day, so pressed on towards my stop for the night at Pennsylvania. I walked down the main roads to cross over the M4, an easy task as there are traffic lights which allow plenty of time to cross the roads safely - just wait your turn. After the roundabout the way turns to the west passing by Beacon Lane plantation. Another shock in store here as I saw a gent in a suit dodging in and out of the hedgerow. Strange I thought, then even stranger as I saw a delivery guy from Sainsbury appear out of the hedge. Then it dawned on me that this was a cottage industry – ooh errr – cue the Benny Hill music – I was along the path in a shot,  across the fields at a gallop, and turned down to start skirting around Dyrham Park - thankfully the cottage industry was confined to the woods. The surrounding fence and walls of the Dyrham Park estate are designed to keep non paying members of the public out, and the deer in. There were fine ’strip lytchets’ across the valley and some bad tempered cattle to pass through as the path dropped gently down towards Dyrham. Down around the front of Dyrham Park showed a fine front to the old house, and many enjoying the gardens in the sunshine, although it was beginning to get ominously cloudy. The remainder of the journey to Pennsylvania was unremarkable, just across mixed farmland and one more ascent through wild garlic woods to cross fields and a road to the B&B - the local pub had closed down but on the plus side the local farmers wife now cooks supper for guests at the B&B if required. Did I say it's been mostly dry again?

 

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