Cotswold Way

This is an example of what a lot of the roads we drive on look like.
This one is missing the hedges but you get the idea of how narrow they are.

(I’m giving you warning now, there are a lot of pictures in this post)

Thursday we decided we’d had enough of the castles and ruins for a bit so after some research, Hyrum found us a suitable alternative.  We went walking, as they say here in England and Europe.  The Cotswolds are an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (I didn’t make that up) and so we decided to check it out.  Cotswold Way, the system we focused on, has about 100 miles of public footpaths to explore.  These paths take you through pastures, forests, golf courses and other such places so you can good feel for the countryside.  We chose to walk a loop that came in just over 5 miles.

The oaths are marked with a lot of different markings.  this is one example.
We saw these mostly when we crossed a road.

We found our walking sticks.

We started by walking through a beech forest. We didn’t get far however before some of us had found good walking sticks for the day. We wandered through the forest and enjoyed the growth around us. There were large patches of holly and ivy growing together, giving new meaning to the song “The Holly and the Ivy”. We saw many of these old stone walls that have been probably several hundred years as well.

Pretty soon, our path took us to the 9th hole of the Painswick Golf Course. We meandered along the edge of the course until we saw a cement marker on top of a very large hill. The marker was for an Iron Age HIll Fort that had once stood atop the hill. The views were amazing and so was the wind. All that was left of the fort were the long overgrown burms that wound along the ridge of the hill. We took in all in while resting and enjoying a bit of a snack. The kids had their first lesson in golf etiquette when four gentlemen came to play the 7th hole.

Walking along the golf course.  Those undulating hills are caused by the burms of the Hill Fort.

The view from the marker.

Mine and Hannah's hair tells the story of the wind.

Snack time in our little haven.  

Blackberries are everywhere.  Unfortunately, they aren't very sweet.

These stiles are classic English.  I think of Jennifer Ehle in Pride and Prejudice,
when she walks to Netherfield.  I'm glad the path wasn't muddy.

Wandering through a pasture.

All day long, we enjoyed amazing views and beautiful weather. The hills rolled on before us with their lush green shiny against the brilliant blue sky broken by billowing white clouds. It was such a welcome relief to the hustle and bustle of tourist stops and the big city. We walked through pastures, along lanes, over hill and dale. It was great.

Check out that landscape!!

That is a thatched roof.  They still have them.
This is in someone's backyard but we saw them on large buildings driving through towns.

We ended the day with an ice cream stop. We went to Winstone Ice Cream located in the middle of Rodborough Common. In England, commons are still places anyone can graze their livestock, so we were eating our ice cream in the cow pasture. Thankfully none of them wanted a lick. It has been kind of funny though to drive through open pasture near cities. It was a great way to end a great day.

Cows in the road.