27th July Cheltenham to Cooper's Hill

Up this morning and back off on the walk. Before we could get out of Cheltenham it started to rain. Great. Off walking and it stopped raining. We had a few hills to get up and down today. Here is Annette strolling up one.

Yes it was this steep.

Had great views most of the day, unfortunately it always seemed to be of Cheltenham and we were left wondering if we were ever going to get anywhere.

Tried to find an iron age fort at this location and couldn't until smarty pants said she had found it. Well to give her credit they were iron and I couldn't do any better.

Came across this old house that didn't looked lived in. Wouldn't it be a beauty to fix up.

Great views but very humid and you could see the moisture in the air as if it was raining in the distance. 

Annette always seems to dish out a lolly when we are going up hill which makes it hard to eat when you are puffing. Today she actually gave me one when we were going down hill. I made the comment that it was nice that for once I was going down hill. She replied that I'd been going down hill for years so it did not really matter. Again she can be harsh sometimes. Got to where we wanted to stay at Coopers Hill where they have the Cheese rolling event. More about that tomorrow.

26th July, Rest day.

Raining this morning. Annette far to comfortable in the pub.

Found a caravan park on the western side of town where we can wash our clothes. Laundry places seem to have all closed? Decided to stay another night and get an early start tomorrow. On the bus and one change and we booked in at the caravan park, laundry completed and packs left and back into Cheltenham to have a look around. Plenty of Regency type buildings.

Town Hall below.

Park with large area of bedding plants. Looked very pretty and being used by lots of teenagers.

Nice statutes holding this building up.

A couple of shady characters hanging around the mall.

All nice and clean. This shot taken after dinner.

One of the fountains.

Pretty enough city centre and we walked a fair way back to the caravan park and lots of large two and three storey houses. Some still flats and a few being turned back into homes. Place has an air of being neglected for years but now slowly being restored but the way the economy is over here at the moment I can't help but wonder what will become of it. Back to the walk tomorrow.

25th July Second day of Cotswold Way.

Today's walk is to Cheltenham. Only 20 kilometres. Yesterday was 28 kilometres. You have to keep remembering that we have heavy packs and most of the going is either up hill or down on tracks or paddocks. Makes for a long long walk. This must have been taken near the start of the day cause Annette hasn't got that "are we there yet" look. (Nearly.)

Got up early and off about 7.30 am. Into Winchcombe and another place with streets and streets of incredible buildings and because it is Sunday morning no people or cars. One view of the street.

Funny chimney.

Look, no cars. No people.

Lovely row of house which we had seen photos of in books.

Just another street.

Off out of town and walked past the gate house to Sudeley Castle. The castle itself wasn't open this early in the day. Just imagine living in this. Looked like people having breakfast above the drive through bit.

Off up a great big hill and surrounded by a group of walkers.

Up even further and look at the views.

The trail went past this  old burial hill. Belas Knap Long Barrow. Would have made a great campsite.

Just for my special NZ friend. I meditated for a bit then had to pray I could get back up. I wanted Annette to do a photo shoot here but she wouldn't be in it.

On and on we went and walked past Postlip Hall, a great big house. When we went around the back we found this spring. I really really want one of these on the block. We filled our watter bottles with cold refreshing water.

Up onto the common, Cleeve Hill, above Cheltenham. This was a huge area on top of a hill with a golf course. Hundreds of people everywhere just walking around, riding bikes, playing games, playing golf, flying kites. All mixed in together. Had a bit of a rest at the club house. Annette just making sure she was still in England and I hadn't been telling her fibs.

Off on the way down from the common.

Crashed and burnt? You see some funny things in some funny places.

Decided that our clothes really, really needed to be washed. Walked in towards Cheltenham until we were getting tired and found a pub to stay at. I really spoil her sometimes but no way were her boots staying in the same room. Banished out the front window.

Had a good nights sleep and managed to do a bit more on the blog. Into Cheltenham tomorrow to wash.

24th July Start of the Cotswold Way walk.

Kaye the owner of the B and B, god bless her soul, arranged a ride to a nearby train station for us this morning. That saved us a very early rise and a bit of mucking around. Arrived in Chipping Campden to find it packed with people. Another old popular place to visit. This is the famous old market building in the middle of town.

Just a small section of shop fronts. Check out the lean of the windows.

Bite to eat and off we go out of town on the walk. A long uphill slog and look she is still fresh as a daisy and can smile.

Into farm paddocks and I know not all the paddock was like this but can you imagine what it must do to the machinery.

Straight across the crop.

Found a tower. No the tower is straight. You have to keep remember most of the photos are taken with a full pack on and still breathing hard. Annette paid 4 Pound something to look inside.

Me? I just hung around outside and had a lovely chat with this young lady. She was just about to finish the walk. Spotted by Annette up in the tower.

That done, I was exhausted and had to have a rest.

Off into Broadway. This would do for the block.

Had a drink and then left and spoke to people just out of town who described Broadway as a lady wearing too much makeup. Very tourist orientated. Continued on to Stanton. Now this town had some lovely houses. How about this one?

Did you spot this on the ridge?

How about this style

Off again and through a small place called Stanway where we walked past this.

Had it's own stream running down the front of the house. I want one.

Just up the road was the gate to Stanway House. Yep, just the gate.

Off to camp at Hailes Fruit Farm. Now 8.30ish going on 9 pm. Very long day and I'm tired. Get there and heaps of people camping in a paddock with kids. Only very small toilet block and were told by campers next door no showers. (Got a s%#t, s%#t, s%#t from Annette as we were hot and sticky. Checked them out and one toilet cubical and one shower cubical with hot water. Saved.

23rd July Visit to Blenheim Palace.

Very good sleep after doing more on the blog (More medicine). This morning we walked to Blenheim Place.  This is just one of the many old buildings in Woodstock.

View of the palace over the lake.

Huge place as fitting to some Duke way back in History who was given money by the queen to build the place for winning a battle in France where he got nearly all his troops killed. Annette said that is my own twisted take on history. Took a tour inside and I swear I saw a nearly naked Annie (my work mates will know who I mean) sitting up in bed with her lover in the wardrobe and the king knocking on the door. I'm so nicked off I didn't manage to sneak a photo of that. Front of the house?

Back door?

Annette went for a tour through the private apartments and I stayed out side people watching. Things were looking up. Just check out her high heels. Yes she had trouble walking on the gravel, but who cares? (It just took her longer to walk past)

Annette came out and we checked out a bit more of the garden and now someone was definitely looking up.

Bridge across the lake.

Back in Woodstock on the way to Oxford.

In Oxford and found this building. Just how old is that?

People everywhere. We had been chatting to a couple a few weeks ago who said they were selling up and leaving Oxford because they found it difficult to just go down the street to shop with the crowds. We could see what they meant. Back to the B and B and off to bed. Tomorrow travelling by bus, train then bus again to Chipping Campden to start the Cotswold Way walk. Just a quick 164 kilometre jaunt to Bath. Should take us about 8 days if we don't stop and muck around.