Cotswold Way Day 5

The lovely early dawn view before taking the tent down and setting off from Nympsfield.

I was ready to set off at just gone 6.30am, just as an old couple with a rather vicious looking boxer off the lead came walking by from the car park end of the hill top. What on earth? Why are normal people up at this time of day?? I set off apace around the edge of the escarpment, gradually being squeezed between a road along the top and one coming up from below. I eventually joined the one coming up from below, turning left along it to the junction at the top. From here it was quite a steep plunge down diagonally through the woods – grrr! I knew I’d be having to re-climb any height lost to visit Uley Bury Iron Age Fort. At the bottom there was an annoying lack of signage, so I had to check the text of the guidebook to double check I needed to take the left hand split that started to climb up the hillside again. At the top, I wanted to check out The fort at Uley Bury rather than just continue on the footpath back down into the valley. In reality the double ringed fort is so big that its difficult to get an overview of it so after trying to take some photos (they’d be much more impressive from the air!!) then I made my way down the steep bridleway from the fort’s corner.

View across at Cam Long Down.. the way ahead
from the car park at Uley Bury.

View of the flat expanse of Uley Bury Fort from the
corner of the top of the outer of the two defense mounds.

I’d been expecting a drainage channel quag mire from the descriptions in the guidebook, but in reality the bridleway had been recently resurfaced with quarry stone – yay for me! Instead of worrying so much about what was underfoot I could look about and marvelled at beech trees in full vernal bloom, towering from the high banks of the sunken track. Three of them towards the bottomof the slope were amazingingly arching over the track, before growing straight up. It was hard to see what was supporting them there and stopping them falling in even the slightest of winds!

I emerged from the track at a farm and joined a lane. At a sharp right hand bend, I continued up a field boundary path straight ahead, with the now dauntingly high and steep Cam Long Down filling my vision! At the nest stile I noticed not only cows and sheep as I’d thought, but also a bull ambling around the hillside to bock my path as he saw me approaching.. hmmmm! I sat on the stile for a while feigning nonchalance!! It worked!! After sniffing a few cows bums and trying to be randy he gave up and lay down and I set off up the hill doing a wide circuit around the herd of cows and the bull. I’m sure it would have looked most amusing to those watching from across the valley at Uley Bury car park!!:) Hey ho!! The climb was indeed steep and a killer, but I can’t believe how easily I coped, especially with my still shoulder killing rucksack!

At the treeline, wooden steps took me ever more steeply and huffingly to the quarry pock-marked and grassy summit. The views were beautiful!

Looking back at the edge of the escarpment northwards from the summit of Cam Long Down.

The wind was still too cold to take off the fleece despite the exertion, though I’d ditched the fleece trousers before the descent from Uley Bury car park. Despite the quite red skied dawn there was still no sign of the shepherd’s warning – the sun still shone from a predominantly blue but hazy clouded sky – yipee! I continued along the ridge of Cam Long Down and then down to the saddle and up to the conical summit of Peaked Down, with beautiful patches of bluebells nestling on its flanks.

Lovely blue bells as I reach the saddle between Long Cam Down and Peaked Down.

Looking back at Long Cam Down from the conical summit of Peaked Down.

From here it was a steep descent to a lane and then left into fields and more lane walking, before finally heading across fields – confusingly called Drake Lane on the map – into Dursley. I had to take the rucksack off twice to squeeze through wrought iron kissing gates on the final approach! Grrr!

I entered the main street of Dursley via the market building and church end, which were both quite pleasant, but again, quite uncotswoldy! I bought drinks and midget gems from a sweet shop and then after drinking a bottle, went to get more food for later. I ended up in ‘The Filling Station’, buying a bacon baguette to eat then (even though I’d had the left over Ginster’s slice before setting off from Nympsfield!!) and a prawn and salad baguette for later!! I walked down the main street and sat to eat my bacon baguette, but the wind was bloomin cold so I didn’t hang around!

My approach to the main street in Dursley.

The market building at the end of the High Street in Dursley.

I turned left at the end of the main street and then right in front of the pub. Another very steep climb ensued, first up the lane and when that turned off left, straight up through the woods. I coped admirably again though. I emerged at the golf club house on Stinchcombe Hill. At this point I took the executive, and in my opinion, eminently sensible decision NOT to follow the official route around the ridiculously in and out edge of this hill, it being almost star shaped and the route going around the edges of all its arms. Let’s face it by not doing this section I am sure I missed lots of marvellous views, but how many had I seen up to this point and how many more were still to come!?

The descent, after cutting straight across the golf course at the narrow ‘neck’ of the hill, was steep and pretty, through woodland with views out over a nice country house, Stancombe Park, and beyond that, in the distance the suspension bridges over the Severn Estuary.

Stancombe Park and behind, one of the suspension bridges over the Severn Estuary, as I descend from Stinchcombe Hill.

Past Stancombe Park, the village of North Nibley and the Tyndale Memorial on the escarpment edge above come into view.

The sunken bridleway up to North Nibley,
beautifully flanked by pongy wild garlic.

Large house, now a school on the final approach
to North Nibley.

The bottom of the flight of steps all the way up to the Tyndale Monument.

The Tyndale Monument.

The Tyndale monument and Topograph.

Inscription on the side of the Tyndale Monument.

The church in Wotton Under Edge.

The escarpment ahead as I battle through long tangled grass

The beautiful sunken track before Alderley.

Final approach to Alderley just before my river wash.

The 'main' street in Alderley.

The church and school in Alderley

The new lane was beautiful as well and headed up the valley alongside this babbling brook all the way. Especially pretty was Bridge Farm, with either a small bridge or a ford across the stream for access. After quite a way, I turned right up a bridleway of good surface. This headed up a tributary valley. I started to look for a pitch at this point, and almost decided to set up for the night just before entering some woods. I decided to carry on, which was a good choice as there was an ideal pitch at the far edge of the woods, sheltered from the quite strong wind somewhat.

All in all a beautiful day’s walk and so much for the red sky in the morning warning!? It had been gloriously sunny pretty much all day. I was asleep by 7.30pm knowing that I was very much ahead of schedule for the first time!

Well as seems usual on this trip I was awake by about 5.15am! Gawd help my body clock when I returned to normal workign hours!! Despite trying to sleep in extra layers because I was cold the night before, I was STILL on the chilly edge of comfortable through the night. I’d been wearing my shorts and new fleece trousers that I’d bought with vouchers from Gareth and Davey for my birthday and socks, so if I hadn’t been wearing those I’d have definitely been cold! The worrying thing was that I didn’t have that many more layers to actually put on during the night to come! When I got out of the tent, the wind was still blowing and chilly. I decided part of my coldness could be due to dampness of the sleeping bag.. it certainly felt damp during the night. I decided to go and wrap it around the bench in the cold strong wind to try to air it a bit before having to use it again that night. While it was airing I packed up the tent.. the upper sheet was dry with the strong wind, but I decided to hold the bottom part in the strong wind and be a human windsock for 20 minutes while it thoroughly dried. It would be less heavy by doing that for a start and extra airing and drying of the sleeping bag couldn’t harm anyway!
The lovely early dawn view before taking the tent down and setting off from Nympsfield.
I was ready to set off at just gone 6.30am, just as an old couple with a rather vicious looking boxer off the lead came walking by from the car park end of the hill top. What on earth? Why are normal people up at this time of day?? I set off apace around the edge of the escarpment, gradually being squeezed between a road along the top and one coming up from below. I eventually joined the one coming up from below, turning left along it to the junction at the top. From here it was quite a steep plunge down diagonally through the woods – grrr! I knew I’d be having to re-climb any height lost to visit Uley Bury Iron Age Fort. At the bottom there was an annoying lack of signage, so I had to check the text of the guidebook to double check I needed to take the left hand split that started to climb up the hillside again. At the top, I wanted to check out The fort at Uley Bury rather than just continue on the footpath back down into the valley. In reality the double ringed fort is so big that its difficult to get an overview of it so after trying to take some photos (they’d be much more impressive from the air!!) then I made my way down the steep bridleway from the fort’s corner.
View across at Cam Long Down.. the way ahead from the car park at Uley Bury.	View of the flat expanse of Uley Bury Fort from the corner of the top of the outer of the two defense mounds.
I’d been expecting a drainage channel quag mire from the descriptions in the guidebook, but in reality the bridleway had been recently resurfaced with quarry stone – yay for me! Instead of worrying so much about what was underfoot I could look about and marvelled at beech trees in full vernal bloom, towering from the high banks of the sunken track. Three of them towards the bottomof the slope were amazingingly arching over the track, before growing straight up. It was hard to see what was supporting them there and stopping them falling in even the slightest of winds! I emerged from the track at a farm and joined a lane. At a sharp right hand bend, I continued up a field boundary path straight ahead, with the now dauntingly high and steep Cam Long Down filling my vision! At the nest stile I noticed not only cows and sheep as I’d thought, but also a bull ambling around the hillside to bock my path as he saw me approaching.. hmmmm! I sat on the stile for a while feigning nonchalance!! It worked!! After sniffing a few cows bums and trying to be randy he gave up and lay down and I set off up the hill doing a wide circuit around the herd of cows and the bull. I’m sure it would have looked most amusing to those watching from across the valley at Uley Bury car park!!:) Hey ho!! The climb was indeed steep and a killer, but I can’t believe how easily I coped, especially with my still shoulder killing rucksack! At the treeline, wooden steps took me ever more steeply and huffingly to the quarry pock-marked and grassy summit. The views were beautiful!
The bull blocking my steep ascent up the end of Cam Long Down.	Looking back down the steep ascent up the flanks of Cam Long Down from the treeline below the summit.
Looking back at the edge of the escarpment northwards from the summit of Cam Long Down.
The wind was still too cold to take off the fleece despite the exertion, though I’d ditched the fleece trousers before the descent from Uley Bury car park. Despite the quite red skied dawn there was still no sign of the shepherd’s warning – the sun still shone from a predominantly blue but hazy clouded sky – yipee! I continued along the ridge of Cam Long Down and then down to the saddle and up to the conical summit of Peaked Down, with beautiful patches of bluebells nestling on its flanks.
Lovely blue bells as I reach the saddle between Long Cam Down and Peaked Down.	Looking back at Long Cam Down from the conical summit of Peaked Down.
From here it was a steep descent to a lane and then left into fields and more lane walking, before finally heading across fields – confusingly called Drake Lane on the map – into Dursley. I had to take the rucksack off twice to squeeze through wrought iron kissing gates on the final approach! Grrr! I entered the main street of Dursley via the market building and church end, which were both quite pleasant, but again, quite uncotswoldy! I bought drinks and midget gems from a sweet shop and then after drinking a bottle, went to get more food for later. I ended up in ‘The Filling Station’, buying a bacon baguette to eat then (even though I’d had the left over Ginster’s slice before setting off from Nympsfield!!) and a prawn and salad baguette for later!! I walked down the main street and sat to eat my bacon baguette, but the wind was bloomin cold so I didn’t hang around!
My approach to the main street in Dursley.	The market building at the end of the High Street in Dursley.
I turned left at the end of the main street and then right in front of the pub. Another very steep climb ensued, first up the lane and when that turned off left, straight up through the woods. I coped admirably again though. I emerged at the golf club house on Stinchcombe Hill. At this point I took the executive, and in my opinion, eminently sensible decision NOT to follow the official route around the ridiculously in and out edge of this hill, it being almost star shaped and the route going around the edges of all its arms. Let’s face it by not doing this section I am sure I missed lots of marvellous views, but how many had I seen up to this point and how many more were still to come!? The descent, after cutting straight across the golf course at the narrow ‘neck’ of the hill, was steep and pretty, through woodland with views out over a nice country house, Stancombe Park, and beyond that, in the distance the suspension bridges over the Severn Estuary.
Stancombe Park and behind, one of the suspension bridges over the Severn Estuary, as I descend from Stinchcombe Hill.
I continued to descend into the valley between me and North Nibley, visible ahead beneath the ridge on which was standing the Tyndale Memorial Tower. I sat for a while on a stone stile after a ploughed field. I was feeling tired today and was ahead of the guidebook schedule now anyway, so plenty of time to dawdle a bit! I texted everyone to keep them informed of my progress and then continued down to the river at the valley bottom, joining a lane there and turning right along it, in front of pleasant cottages to the more main road.	Past Stancombe Park, the village of North Nibley and the Tyndale Memorial on the escarpment edge above come into view.
The sunken bridleway up to North Nibley, beautifully flanked by pongy wild garlic.	I crossed this and climbed upwards towards the village of North Nibley, along a wooded bridleway that was initially quite muddy and flanked all the way up by glorious banks of wild garlic in flower making it a very pungent but beautiful. I joined a lane at the top and turned left when I met the more ‘main’ road. At an even larger road I discovered the pub, which specialised in fresh fish. It was a bit annoying that it was only 11ish. I turned right and then left uphill, up a track and then right up a flight of I should say about 100 or more stepsto the Tyndale Monument back on top of the escarpment edge. I sat on its base and rang Steve to say hello. He was still full of flu poor thing!
Large house, now a school on the final approach to North Nibley.	The bottom of the flight of steps all the way up to the Tyndale Monument.
The Tyndale Monument.	The Tyndale monument and Topograph.
Inscription on the side of the Tyndale Monument.	I carried on around the edge of the hill and then through ever glorious beech woodland. It had finally been warm enough to ditch the fleece at the Tyndale Monument! I descended to Wotton under Edge at about 12.30pm. The guidebook had said Uley Bury to here was a full day , so despite the numerous climbs I could afford to dally a bit and still end up ahead of schedule. It took a few minutes to find the track down to the town from the fence enclosed Scots Pines on the hill above. I found it OK in the end though! The town centre was pleasant enough, but decidedly NOT cotswoldian again!!! Hey ho!
I ignored the first few pubs I came across and ended up in the Falcon Inn at the far end of the High Street, just after turning left on the official route. I had a nice stilton and bacon salad bowl for lunch accompanied by THREE pints!!! Oh the joy of NOT being behind schedule for a change! The sun outside was still hot and shining, so the shelter would help to stop me getting burnt anyway! I spent some time writing up the diary and left the pub at just gone 3pm to get as many of the guide book’s day 6 14 miles done as possible!
My opinion of Wotton improved dramatically on my way out of the town and this wasn’t only because of the beer and sunshine!! Turning right out of the pub front door, the end of the street had quite a quaint villagey feeling to it. A walk around a lane to the pretty church helped this impression further. I walked through the churchyard and had a quick chat with a woman there, who enquied where I was off to. Her son had done the Way when he was 15 apparently. I then turned right down a lane, and a most pleasant stretch of the walk ensued along a babbling brook, sparkling away in the sunlight – definitely enhanced by the weather! I crossed the small lane at Holy Well and continued by the stream until the next lane where I turned right. There was then a very steep climb up a narrow bridleway and then more climbing up through woods pungently smelling of wild garlic. I emerged at the next lane, which continued to climb diagonally up the valleyside away from Wotton under Edge. After what seemed like too long, I took a small track heading almost back on myself and still climbing though much more gradually at this point.	The church in Wotton Under Edge.
After a while the signs directed me off the track and onto a path through a field of long grass. I’d have preferred to have stayed on the track which remained running parallel to the footpath anyway but slightly further back from the edge of the escarpment. It would certainly have been easier walking than through the long grass!
The escarpment ahead as I battle through long tangled grass	I lost the views off to the right when I rejoined the track and walked behind the woods on the edge of the hill. I made use of an up ended log as a handy seat for a while making a call to Karen to keep her informed of progress and receiving a call from mum while I was there. I then descended through the woods, which here were more coniferous and so it made a pleasant change! The final descent from the hill was truly beautiful, down a VERY sunken track, right into the bed rock on either side in places. I can imagine that it had been a quagmire, but again, I was lucky as it had recently been resurfaced, so I had nothing to do other than admire its beauty.
I emerged at the bottom and turned left to a lane and cut diagonally across two sheep fields, heading towards Alderley, visible ahead along with a small folly building above the village on the hillside. At the bottom of the valley, I crossed a bridge over a small river. Hmmm!!! I stopped!!!! This was the third day without a shower! The sparkling water looked blissful. I stripped off and got the shower gel out and had a fantastic if bracing wash standing in the middle of the river and a complete change of clothes ie a new t shirt and shorts. It all felt and smelled fantastic!
The beautiful sunken track before Alderley.	Final approach to Alderley just before my river wash.
With a renewed bounce in my step I set off again up a small track to the village of Alderley itself. I emerged on the lane and decided to turn right along the lane through the village, rather than the official route up a lane straight opposite. I’d hoped that by doing this I would find a shop for provisions as I was low on water etc. Unfortunately the village was too small for shops, but it was well worth the detour, a collection of mainly large and stately houses in cotswold stone, the largest of which now being a school next to the church. I rejoined the official Way and joined a track heading up the valley. This was truly beautiful and more like what I’d been expecting of my walk – discreet valleys with streams and cotswold houses, not big brash views across to Wales all the way.
The 'main' street in Alderley.	The church and school in Alderley
After walking along the edge of field after field of bleating sheep with lambs, all the while heading up the valley, I came to a sunken lane and turned right along it, and then at the next lane turned left after admiring some Highland Cattle in a field – obviously on holiday like me!!! And a couple of them having a stand in another beautiful stream .. great minds think alike! Right: Aberdeen Anguses having a dip like me!
The new lane was beautiful as well and headed up the valley alongside this babbling brook all the way. Especially pretty was Bridge Farm, with either a small bridge or a ford across the stream for access. After quite a way, I turned right up a bridleway of good surface. This headed up a tributary valley. I started to look for a pitch at this point, and almost decided to set up for the night just before entering some woods. I decided to carry on, which was a good choice as there was an ideal pitch at the far edge of the woods, sheltered from the quite strong wind somewhat. All in all a beautiful day’s walk and so much for the red sky in the morning warning!? It had been gloriously sunny pretty much all day. I was asleep by 7.30pm knowing that I was very much ahead of schedule for the first time!