Heart of England Way Day 8

Day 8 - Chipping Campden to Bourton on the Water - 15 Miles

I woke up early on the 5th, at about 6am and hobbled to the toilet. Sigh.. the hips had improved VERY slightly but I knew with pain like that I wasn't going to make it 5 miles further let alone the 15.5 miles still left to reach Bourton on the Water our ultimate goal. I went back to sleep again until just before we'd set the alarm. On waking up I had the thought that I should stretch my hips in all directions so I waved my legs in the air in all sorts of directions. Miraculously it DID seem to ease things a little! We went down for breakfast which was ok but nothing special. On returning to the room, Karen set about popping her blisters and applying Compede to her war wounds. It seemed to ease her pain a little. We decided that what we'd do, was set off, not with the aim of completing the walk, but just do as much as we felt we possibly could, to make it an easier day when we returned to finish the Way later in the spring!
On the left, The Volunteer Inn, our B&B for the night in Chipping Campden.	So we packed our bags, donned our boots.. painfully in Karen's case… and set off down the High Street to the One Stop shop to buy provisions for the day. We weren't really inspired by what they had to offer.. being sick of eating junk pasties etc, so I didn't buy anything but a fruit smoothie drink, thinking that we'd stop at a pub for lunch instead. Karen bought a pork pie just in case! As we set off towards the edge of town past playing fields it was another fairly blue skied day with white clouds. There was a fair wind blowing though, and it was decidedly chilly when the sun went in for a while, so we soon donned jumpers and fleeces.
The first village of the day was Broad Campden, just across a few fields from Chipping Campden. It was a pretty little up and down village with a tiny green and an odd little Vitorian church. We joined the main road through the village and turned right along it for a few yards, before cutting left behind the manor house up a green field full of spring lambs. We climbed steadily out of the village and then followed the Way up the side of a small valley, the stream at its bottom on our left. This part of the path was almost Derbyshire Peak District Scenery, with the valley being dotted with hawthorns and dry stone walls. As we climbed higher a nice view developed looking back right across towards Meon Hill and the flat Vale of Evesham beyond and to the left of it.
Looking back at Chipping Campden from the field crossing to Broad Campden.	Karen on a pretty path between houses in Broad Campden.
The lumpy village green in Broad Campden.	The Victorian Church in Broad Campden.
Houses in Broad Campden and the hedge around the manor.	Spring Lambs as we climb the hill behind the manor in Broad Campden.
Looking back at Broad Campden. Meon Hill is off to the left of this photo and The flat Vale of Evesham beyond that.
At a lonely farm house, almost at the head of the valley, we cut across and then followed a farm track gradually descending for a mile or so. A very pretty section of the walk followed. We came to a steeply incised valley with a small stream trickling along its bottom and pastureland dotted with large horse chestnut trees. We cut straight across this, the climb on the other side being steep and quite arduous in our tired state! Just over the rim of this valley was the next village on our trek Blockley.	Karen walking through one of the hawthorn thickets as we neared the head of the valley.
After the lonely farm at the head of the valley we had a gradual descent with a new view to look at ahead!
The steeply incised Valley before entering the village of Blockley.	It didn't look much from our first encounter with it - a row of terraced houses off on the lane to our left. We crossed this lane, taking one opposite. Finding a bench just along here we stopped to see how Karen's toes were doing and let the air get to them for a minute. After a rest we wandered down a lane and arrived at the centre of the village, which was really lovely, perched on the valley side, with a lovely church, steep streets and pretty cottages. There were once 12 corn mills here which were converted to silk throwing in the 18th century.
A market developed with the Coventry ribbon weavers and the water here contained enough lime to give a fine sheen to the washed yarn. In the 1880's the millpond ran a dynamo to produce electricity and Blockley was oddly one of the first villages in the country to have it! Out of the village we traipsed and started climbing up the opposite valley side on a path called Duck Paddle, getting great views back to the village itself. At the top of this rise we crossed a road and came to woodland which we walked through, descending again.	The Church in Blockley.
Looking back at the village of Blockley from up Duck Paddle.
The woodland before descending by the side of Batsford Park.	On our left as we descended, were the grounds of Batsford Aboretum. In the 1880s Lord Redesdale returned from a diplomatic posting in Tokyo with many Japanese plants and bronzes. He created a wild garden which was expanded to form the present arboretum in the 1920s by Lord Dulverton's family. At the bottom, we crossed the drive to this, and although we could have followed the drive down to the main road, I chose to follow the Heart of England Way to the dot and ended up doing a pointless triangle through a very up and down mediaeval strip farmed field to join the drive nearer to the main road (A44).
At the A44 we turned right and trudged up hill into the village of Bourton on the Hill.. very aptly named! It would have been a pretty little village were it not for the constant thundering of traffic from this main road. We'd decided to go to the pub at this point, so rather than turn left and follow the Heart of England Way just yet, we carried on up past the church to the pub, right at the top of the hill. We arrived to find it wasn't open and seemed to be shut down. Tsk! How annoying! Not deterred we traipsed back down the hill and rejoined our route.
Manor house in Bourton on the Hill	The pretty village spoiled somewhat by the A44
After crossing a couple of fields we came to a field full of what we thought were bullocks and so decided to chicken out and rest for a while. After not very long a couple and their dog came along and we thought safety in numbers a wise option and so got up and walked along with them. When we got to the gate into the field we found a warning sign and discovered it was full of bullocks AND a bull! Hmm lovely! The couple weren't too happy about letting their dog run about in here and said that they'd previously had one of their dogs attacked and seriously hurt by livestock. Comforting! The man therefore picked up the old thing and wrapped it around his shoulders. I'm not sure the dog appreciated his free but rather undignified ride!
We made it rather quickly across this field only to find another two beyond all full of cows, calves and of course another bull in each! Its amazing how you forget your weary hips and legs when faced with these things. We also passed a lovely, very indian styled, stately home called Sezincote off to the right, which was a further distraction. It is an English classical house topped by a huge green Moorish onion dome and minarettes and is supposed to have inspired the construction of Brighton Pavilion!	Sezincote. An Indian fantasy home!
Once we got through the last field of ravening beasts we had a sit for a little while and then made our way to the next village of Longborough. The guidebooks didn't mention a pub here, but by the time we were approaching it we were feeling quite desperate for a drink, and food as well, and hoped there would be one! Sure enough… we walked down the lane, and there like an oasis in the desert was a little pub with a high terrace overlooking the village! We arrived just in time about 2.15pm. Karen said the lady running it was just about to shut up shop for the afternoon! It was a very basic pub and didn't do food, but we had a pint each and shared Karen's pork pie along with other snacks such as pork scratchings crisps etc.. very healthy! NOT! While sitting outside in the sun, (feeling quite sunburnt by now), we decided that having gone just past half way for the day we WERE actually going to hobble onwards and complete the WHOLE WALK TODAY!
From the pub terrace in Longborough.	Longborough Cotswold stone houses with a gushing spring!
We set off again, leaving the village on a small track and then across fields and the parkland surrounding a nice house off to the right. It was uphill again, alongside a wood to the left, until we reached a small track cutting our path. We turned right along this and came to a main road. Going straight over this we joined a lane. This eventually led to a small brewery on a little river (Donnington Brewery, which has a long distance walk of its very own). We trudged onwards after Karen had taken pain killers to ease her hurting feet.
Karen climbing/hobbling out of Longborough village.	Karen taking tablets outside Donnington Brewery. 'Beer, Beer everywhere and not a drop to drink!' Or something like that!
The pretty river running past the brewery from the road bridge.	We came to a main road and turned left walking through the small village of Upper Swell, and just before the road crossed the river we turned right along a footpath running across the meadows at the side of the river. This lead us all the way into the next village of Lower Swell, through the parkland of Abbotswood, which was a nice lane through close cropped meadows with iron railing fences on either side. Again, we hoped for a pub at this point. We knew there was one there, it being marked on the map, but when we trudged down to it, it was shut! Sigh!
I was out of liquid by this point too and in considerable pain. I decided to take a couple of tablets too with a bit of Karen's water. We sat outside the back of the pub for a while, me trying to stretch my hips and legs in all directions to effect a wonder cure like I had that morning! It seemed to work…… SLIGHTLY! We set off again! Although in pain, the draw of the finish was definitely beginning to excite and spur me on. The next bit was fairly boring.. flat fields again, the only point of interest being the lovely River Dikler just after we passed Hyde Mill.
Pretty building in Abbotswood Park on our approach to Lower Swell.	The beautiful River Dikler just past Hyde Mill between Lower Swell and Lower Slaughter.
The next, and penultimate, village was Lower Slaughter, a beautiful place, of Cotswold stone cottages flanking the small River Eye, this crossed by numerous small bridges like those at Bourton on the Water, but much less touristy and busy. We went for a pint at the hotel and sat in the back garden. I rang mum who said that they'd been out for the day and were approaching Bourton on the Water.
Lower Slaughter Church.	The River Eye running through the village of Lower Slaugter.
one of the many pretty bridges crossing the River Eye in Lower Slaughter.	The mill.. now a museum in Lower Slaughter.
The River Eye running by the hotel back garden where we had our pint!	We finished our drinks and went to take some photos, and then set off on the final short push along the river bank for a short way and then across a field to the outskirts of Bourton! A short walk along a road and then a footpath lead us at last to the centre of the village! I couldn't quite believe that we'd managed to finish the whole thing!!! Mum happened to be just returning to the car and called out to us! We had our photos taken at the War Memorial to prove we'd done it and then went to a pub for something proper to eat! Not having eaten anything substantial since breakfast that morning 15 miles away at the Volunteer Inn at Chipping Campden!! I'm not sure I have managed to convince Karen of the joys of long distance walking?? More likely put her off!
WE MADE IT! Sort of smiles, by the War Memorial in Bourton on the Water:) OUCH!:)	But overall I have REALLY enjoyed the 100 miles of Heart of England Way. Cannock Chase at the beginning of the walk seems miles away, but then…… I guess it is!! 100 to be precise!:) HURRAH!:)