Cotswold Way Day 2

With going to sleep ridiculously early in my new tent I was awake at 5.30am. I could see no reason to be lying about and so set about packing away the tent, hih on its perch overlooking Wood Stanway. Just as I’d finished a man walking a dog came along and turned back the same way he’d come once he’d spoken to me , so I assume he lived near and wondered what I was up to? He didn’t complain or anything and wished me well, so presume he didn’t mind that I’d camped there too much?

The view from the pitch was still wonderful and I took a photo before setting off at 6am. The clouds looked ominous though… milky bands of higher cloud with lower clouds below. This would normally indictate approaching rain to me, but I tried to shrug it off and put it down to me not knowing what the sky normally looks like at this time of the morning?

The still wonderful, but ominous looking view after taking the tent down from its first panoramic pitch.

I set off around the hill top to the main road and then turned immediately right along a wide track with a row of nice trees along it, and a barn on mushroom stone stilts at its end … all very odd? I carried on and then after half a mile ish turned right towards the dge of the escarpment again, further west than where I had camped for the night. The clouds were gathering and the bands of blue sky were shrinking fast!!:( I walked along the edge of the escarpment looking out over Wood Stanway and Stanway until I got to an odd stone pillar with an odd ‘seat’ stone towards its base. I have no idea what it was and the guidebook just calls it a pillar. From here it was a steep descent through bleating sheep – a bit early for humans to be about normally, so I expect I was the source of woolly gossip! I cut diagonally down across fields to a track running between Hailes Wood on the right and the fruit orchards of Hayles Fruit Farm on the left. It seemed an ancient track, maybe previously cobbled but now falling to bits. The wood was bluebelled with the noise of a woodpecker echoing across the tranquility. It started to spatter with rain in the freshly greened canopy of the trees above as I walked down here.. oh dear!

Strange shed on mushroom stone stilts.

View from the edge of the escarpment, back out over wood stanway again.

Strange 'pillar' before descending to Hailes Abbey.

A dusting of bluebells in the tranquil Hailes Wood.

I emerged on a lane at the bottom and then walked down past Hailes Abbey, which of course, at 7am or earlier was shut. I toyed with the idea of jumping over the gate, but warnings of CCTV put me off and I contented myself with watching a small rabbit bounding about in the driveway and nibbling blades of grass, before carrying on down the lane and then turning left. I got a view of the abbey from the first field anyway, over the iron railings surrounding the site. I joined a track, and met a woman comignt he other way walking her dog. I sheltered under a tree and donned my showerproof jacket, as the rain was seemingly settling in? As I trudged across the fields towards Winchcombe it didn’t know whether to rain lots or ease off, but worryingly it seemed a constant companion!

Hailes Abbey from the railings surrounding the site.

I was seriously hoping Winchcombe was as big as it looked on the map, because with wild camping I’d had no food since my french onion soup at lunchtime in Broadway yesterday, other than three biscuits I’d bought from home with me before bed last night! As I trudged down the main street in a period of heavier rain I came across a newsagent which sold pop so I could at least quench my thirst. I bought a small bottle of diet coke with lime and also a 2 litre bottle of diet lemonade for the day ahead. The man behind the counter told me to try the White Lion when I asked about breakfast, but I ended up buying sandwiches for breakfast and lunch from the Co-op. I ate my cheese and onion ones outside, sheltering under the awning of the bakery next door. The town itself was nicer than expected, but not particularly Cotswoldy.

The High Street in Winchcombe.

Cottages on Vineyard street.

I left the town further along the main street via Vineyard Street, talking to an old woman under an umbrella telling me that ‘I could have picked a better day’…. seemingly true as the rain was heavier again as I crossed the bridge over the river Ishbourne and walked up to the impressive gate house of Sudeley Castle. I turned right down a track and then right again, diagonally across a series of arable fields. The rain had made the clay soil a nightmare sticky consistency! Just what you need when you start to climb uphill again.. ten tun boots!!!! Luckily the steepest climb was on grass, thought it was VERY steep, but I was nicely rewarded by the beautiful and symmetrical farmhouse of Wadfield Farm after the steepest ascent. I wasn’t done climbing yet though and continued from the farm up a track to Humblebee Cottages and then past these up more steepness to a lane. I turned right along this and sat on a collapsed stone wall in a passing place for a drink and a snack. I also texted a few people thinking they might be actually up to go to work by now!!:)

Gatehouse to Sudeley Castle.

Looking back at Sudeley Castle before climbing up to the edge of the escarpment again.

The pretty Wadfield Farm, half way up.

The low cloud/drizzle and pretty rape by Wadfield farm.

Looking back from the rest stop on the lane you can just about see Winchcombe through the drizzle!

I carried on and turned left up a path through woodland towards Belas Knap – a long barrow. It was actually more impressive than I’d expected, and I sat inside the western chamber of the tomb for a while sheltering from the rain and reading the guidebook. A bit spooky to sit there in a space that had been occupied by human remains for sooo many centuries!

Belas Knap.. the northern.. false entrance.

The eastern entrance/chamber.

From the long barrow it was a trudge along barren arable field boundaries with rain starting to fall more heavily again after a period of easing off a bit. There were a couple of horse riders out exercising two other race horses alongside them, and they kept cantering by me as I walked along a farm track. I turned half right at some abandoned farm buildings. The power lines strung across the pylons all about here were making a huge racket, not just the normal buzz of electricity but crackling and rushing noises too, I presume because of the drizzle which was now falling. The masts on the hill ahead (Cleeve Common) were only half visible, their tops lost in the low cloud and rain!

I entered Cleeve Common and headed off northwards again, through a landscape of gorse and scrub. The further views were half obscured by the drizzle and mist, but as it was only a view out over Winchcombe STILL!!!, this probably wasn’t such a loss.. this route does seem to weave around the edge of the escarpment a little too tortuously! Yes it was the rain that was starting to get to me, but the overly winding nature of the walk is also frustrating in parts! I’d beena ble to see Winchcombe from almost the point of setting out this morning and here, I could see it again after walking so far! Yesterday I was able to see Broadway Tower all day from different angles as well!

Something is out there below i am sure...Winchcombe from yet another angle... shame I can't see it through the rain.. NOT!

Closer at hand the common was littered with purple flowers like violets that I assume are one of the three species of orchids found here. I stopped for a sandwich break on a lonesome bench before descending steeply into a heavily mined valley and then back out the other side again. This was confusing and I tried to follow the route in my guidebook around the end of the common and to the golf club house. I think the newer route now cuts more straight over the top of the golf course and so I lost all waymarks for a while, although I could see easily enough where I was on the maps. The lack of signage, combined with the worsening rain lead me start feeling quite peed off at this point! After the golf club house the rain decided to start with a new intensity… its easing off moments were more like the heavier moments of the morning, the new heavy moments more like downpours! I started muttering and swearing as I trudged onwards! The guidebook talked of panoramic views! I could see fog and rain!!! Grrrrr!!! Rub it in why don’t you!!!?

Rain, rain, and more rain! Panoramic views?? Pah.. What views!? Grumble, grumble, grumble!

My mood deteriorated for the rest of the day’s walk, along with the weather. There seemed to be more route changes since my guidebook had been printed and so I was only following guideposts at intermittent intervals. At a disused quarry, now used as a dirt track obstacle course for motorbikes I could have cried! The heavens had finally opened and my kagool was letting as much pummelling rain through as it was deflecting! Amazingly, as I’d given up all hope of following the official route here, an old chap with sticks came up behind me. He was equally confused by the lack of signage and equally doo lally to be out on a day like this doing Cotswold Way! We knew where we were on the map and so carried on up to a lane and turned right along it to rejoin the official route about half a mile further along.

It totally peed it down while I walked along here, having left the bloke behind. I tried to shelter in a particularly heavy downpour, under some large beech tree trunks. I would have been impressed with such nice trees on a normal day, but by now I was miserable and even these trees were failing to provide shelter! The old bloke caught up and trudged by me. Eventually I gave up trying to shelter and carried on…. I was so wet now that the deluge made little difference anyway!!! I passed the old bloke once again, just as we joined a narrow grassy lane and trudged onwards, head down. By this time my one light at the end of my tunnel was an inn marked on the map at Dowdeswell Reservoir. I was going to be there mid afternoon though, so unless it was an open all day affair I was sunk. I latched onto the thought of warmth and dryness and a pint as a saviour anyway. I stopped at the end of the green track where it joined a lane as the rain had eased off for a while. I took off my kagool and was soaked underneath! Luckily my fleece had kept my tee shirt from getting tooooo wet! The old bloke caught up with me again while I had a drink. We had a chinwag and then he turned back the way he’d come!!! He can only do very short stints of the the walk before walking back to his car!

I carried on, down the edge of a field and down into the valley of the river Chelt, where it is dammed to produce Dowdeswell Reservoir. It seemed to bea bit brighter and so I left the kagool off in the vain hope off starting to dry the fleece off before a damp night under canvas somewhere on the opposite hillside beyond Dowdeswell. However, before I’d made my way through Dowdeswell Woods, pungent with the smell of carpets of wild garlic, it had started to rain again!! Good Grief!!! I made my way to the main road and almost dared not to look to see if the inn was open as I walked past. At first glance it appeared to be so and a sign said food all day???Yay !!! It was open!!!! I went in and ordered a pint! Literally dripping and soaking the seat where I sat from my sodden shorts! Apparently they had rooms for £25 plus £5 for breakfast! Being in the dry while it continued to rain on and off outside, suddenly seemed very worth paying for!! I agreed to have a room rather than trudge any further in the rain, especially as the next part would be steeply uphill out of the valley! I also splashed out for a breakfast in the morning!

The shower before my evening meal was pure bliss… almost actually worth all the hardship for the pure ecstacy of the experience!!! When I unpacked my bags I was really pleased that I’d decided to stay, as everything was wet, despite being wrapped in carrier bags in my rucksack! The meal was wonderful… and huge!!! A 16 ounce steak for £10.95 with an extra of pepper sauce! With chips!! Wonderful.. I finally felt human again, after on the whole a highly UN enjoyable day!!