Cotswold Way Day 1

I was up really early – about 7pm, which I needed to be as I’d not packed a thing for my walking holiday! I managed to get everything together for just after 9am and we set off not long after Margaret arrived, as she was coming along for the ride to drop me off in Chipping Campden. We arrived not long after 10 am despite several slow bits of traffic, seemingly associated with Wellsbourne Market. Because it was so quick, mum thought she’d meet up with me for some lunch after I’d walked to the next place on my route. The next place of any size was Broadway and when she heard this she remembered that they had tried to eat there on a previous visit and it was dire for choice of food places. Sort of miffed I set off. They could have at least gone to have a look after dangling the carrot there in the first place!

Anyway, the sun was shining and my spirits weren’t to be dented. We all walked along the main street, past the pretty market building in the town to the official start of the walk, by the catholic church and almost opposite The Volunteer Inn, where I’d stopped the night when doing Heart of England Way. I thought there was a marker stone, but couldn’t see one anywhere near the church and so presume it was back somewhere near the market building after all. I had a photo taken anyway and heavily ladened, with all my camping gear in the rucksack this time as well as clothes, I set off up the lane. So it was to be uphill right from the word go then!!?

Left: houses in the main street of Chipping Campden as we walked up towards the market building.

The market building arches in Chipping Campden

The market building in Chipping Campden's Main Street

As the lane turned to a track, the place was heaving with day trippers – tsk. I met a road running above the town and crossed almost straight over this and up another footpath up the edge of a field to trees and then a grassy outlook from Dover’s Hill. The view out over the Vale of Evesham was beautiful, but I couldn’t stop and stare for too long and had to turn left and walk along the escarpment ridge.

I came to a car park, and crossed this , turning left down a lane to the road that I’d crossed earlier and then right along the edge of this for about half a mile to where the road bends right slightly at a copse of trees. At this point I turned left and joined the Mile Drive, which was a wide and grassy avenue. It would have been great to wild camp here if I’d not only just set off! I hoped there would be somewhere equally good later on, never having done it before and not wanting to be told off etc.

View out from Dover's Hill

I met an old chap walking his dog towards the end of the avenue and then cut across fields and a road, towards a main road and a pub marked on the map. Unfortunately when I got there the pub was no longer a pub? Unless I was at the wrong place? After I’d sat on a rock for a swig or ten of pop, near what I thought had been the pub, I turned up a footpath through woodland away from the busy A44.

I emerged on grassy upland, with bleating sheep, with yet again, another fantastic panoramic view off to my right, out over Broadway village and FAR beyond. I got my first full views of Broadway Tower ahead, though I’d seen its summit in glimpses from as far away as Dover’s Hill. Its an impressive, ecclectic architectural hotch potch. I would have gone through the gate in the wire fence around it, to have a closer look, but it was too narrow a kissing gate for me to get through without taking my rucksack off! This was to become a common problem throughout the rest of the walk.. sigh.. whoever puts in gates too narrow for people wearing rucksacks is highly unthinking in my view! Anyway, instead of going to look at the tower I turned right and headed steeply downhill towards Broadway itself, the path down strewn with day trippers on this sunny bank holiday!

Sheep by Broadway Tower... what funded the development of towns in the Cotswolds.

Broadway Tower as I approach.

View out over Broadway Village on the descent from the tower

Left: Close up from underneath Broadway Tower

After fields of grazing, bleating sheep I emerged on the high street of Broadway and turned left along it. My initial impressions weren’t that favourable, partly clouded by having to follow a crowd of local, disillusioned and bored youths down the street. I kept an eye out for places to eat, and at first it seemed that mum had been right about the dirth of places to eat here, but at the far end of the street I stopped at the Broadway Hotel. The barman was terse and slow and had no idea who was next.. I’d already heard someone outside NOT singing his praises! I was going to order soup and a roll – trying to be good AND exercise this week – but I looked outside just before I finally got served and it had started to rain and there was no place to sit inside in the small front bar room! I ordered a pint of Grolsch anyway and went outside to see if the shower would pass. It did and so I went back in and ordered another pint and some french onion soup for my lunch. I texted everyone to say I was well and on schedule while I waited for the food to arrive. When it did it was ok, not fab, but voluminous, which it should have been I guess for £4.25.

Main Street through Broadway Village just as I join it

Just as the next shower started, I set off again and turned left down Snowshill Road and then right along a track to cross fields that soon climbed quite steeply towards and along the edge of woodland. There were good views back over Broadway and the tower on the opposite hill. Going through the woodland and emerging at the other side the path flattened for a while and then continued to climb gradually with great views out to the west – hills in the foreground and then behind and between these the Malverns and even some of the southern Shropshire hills behind those! I sat on the verge for a while to text people, have a drink and admire the views. The rucksack was heavy and digging into my shoulders somewhat aleady, but no problems with legs or feet as yet.

Looking back across at the hill with Broadway Tower perched on top as I leave Broadway after lunch

Looking back at Broadway Village after beginning to climb.

Beautiful Beeches at the top of the hill.

View to the west, the furthest hills being the Middle of the Malverns side on.

Village on the hillside to the left before Shenberrow Hill

At a parting of the ways I continued on along the ridge towards Shenberrow Hill, the the views to the west were lost for a while because of trees. At Shenberrow Buildings, one of which was quite unusual with a turret/bow window section, I started the long descent down a narrow valley. I stopped half way down, just above a dam creating a pool in the river, as much to let a foursome of walkers get ahead and out of my way as much as anything else.

View out north west from the escarpment edge before Shenberrow Hill

The walk into the village of Stanton was beautiful if a little too sickly sweet and twee? I decided to see if The Mount Inn was open, which meant a trudge uphill when I joined the ‘main’ road. A very appropriately named pub it seems!:) Of course, when I got there it was shut, so I had to trudge all the way back down again! The village was beautifully picturesque in an unspoiled and un touristy way. Around the corner to the left was a huge barn with large double doors and more thatched, timbered and cotswold stone houses and cottages.

The village of Stanton nestling at the bottom of the valley down from Shenberrow Hill, from my rest spot half way down

First House I came to in Stanton

And the 'main' street through the village.

More Cotswold houses round the corner.

I left the village via a track and then cut right across many fields. As I approached Stanway, the fields became landscaped parkland belonging to Stanway House. It was quite beautiful with stately oaks, copper beeches, limes and horse chestnuts. I joined the lane through the village opposite the thatched cricket pavilion, donated by J.M. Barrie. The walk around Stanway house and church was beautiful and its gatehouse was wonderful.

Three stately chestnuts in the landscaped parkland of Stanway House, just before the village.

The Stanway village cricket pavilion.

The beautiful gatehouse of Stanway House.

The gatehouse again with the house itself behind and to the right.

By this point I was getting extremely tired, though little pain anywhere other than the shoulders, which would be a continuing trend throughout the walk. The walk across fields to Wood Stanway, made me realise I needed to find a pitch for the tent quite soon. I went through Wood Stanway.. more a hamlet than a village… and began a long and tough climb, back up to the edge of the Cotswold escarpment which I’d desceended from in Stanton and had then been walking along the front of. The fields on the climb back up were full of horses and so a no no as far as pitching the tent here was concerned.:(

At last, as I neared the summit of the escarpment I saw my opportunity. At the very top of the hill was a broad track under a row of beech trees, with a fabulous view out over the hills and the Vale of Evesham. There was also a handy bench for me to sit on and read or admire the view from once I’d set up the tent, and so it was settled.

My new tent pitched and ready in its first panoramic spot above Wood Stanway!

I pitched the new tent bought especially for the walk.. a small two man, much lighter than my other tents, blew up the lightweight air bed Karen had bought me for such occasions and got the sleeping bag out. All ideas of reading on the bench went out of the window. Even though it was only 6pm I was shattered and decided to get into my sleeping bag there and then in the bright sunlight. I was asleep instantly and completely and slept unusally soundly for a first night of camping, only waking up properly again at 5.15am the next morning, just after dawn!!