The Cotswold Way

 For some unknown reason, I didn’t sleep particularly well last night. I had ear plugs in to cancel out the noise of the wind, but I just couldn’t settle. It was nothing to do with the site, it was perfect. It was just my brain deciding to do a bit of spring cleaning!  Anyway, I got up at 7:30 but by the time I’d packed everything into my backpack, it was 9:00 by the time I set off.  Immediately, there was a tortuous climb up to the Tyndale monument above the village.  There was then a bit more woodland walking before a steep descent into Wotton under Edge.  I had a walk around the town trying to find a place for breakfast before finding Bunters Cafe, where I had a ‘breakfast’ sandwich and coffee. Obviously, there was then another seriously steep climb out of Wotton up to Wortley Hill. It was brutal in places and to compound the pain, initially you didn’t even get a view!  The path then dropped down into Alderley. I was expecting to see lots of mansions and...

 I slept reasonably well in my proper bed, at The Clothiers Arms, but kept waking up because I was too hot! There’s no pleasing some😜 I had a superb cooked breakfast and set off along the Stroudwater Canal towpath, until I met up with the CW.  The path then took me up through some scenic fields of sheep before a seriously steep climb up to Selsey Common.  It was a tough slog climbing to the summit, but the views from the top made up for all the pain! It was blowing a real gale up there, which was quite chilly!  The path then went through a wooded area for a few miles, but it was nice to get out of the wind. It was quite a tough slog with quite a few hills to climb/descend.  Eventually, I came out at Coaley Peak, where once again there were some spectacular views across the Berkeley Vale.  I then went back into another wooded area, with a steep descent. Of course, that only meant one thing, another flipping steep climb!  This picture doesn’t really sho...

 What a difference a day makes. I didn’t sleep particularly well, as I woke up several times feeling quite chilly, but I didn’t want an early start. I eventually got up about 7:45 and took my time packing away. I left camp at 9:30 and walked back up the hill into Painswick.  I met my fellow camper (from last night) in the arts centre cafe, where I had a bacon roll for breakfast. After a good chat with him, I set off again at 10:30. It was an overcast day with a chilly north easterly wind. I went through the churchyard of St Michael’s with its famous Yew Trees. Apparently, 99 were planted because the devil would destroy the hundredth, but an additional tree was planted for the millennium to destroy that myth!  I made my way out of the village towards Scottsquar Hill. My goodness, it was a tough climb! Initially, there was no view back to where I had come from, partly because drizzle came down, but mostly because of vegetation. I then entered some woodland, which was a reli...

 I’m not going to lie, today has been a tough slog.  The third day of a multi-day hike tends to be like that. Your body says “What? Not this sh*t again! Bugger off”!  Anyway, I slept fairly well again at Big Skies Cotswold Glamping. A lovely site which I can heartily recommend.  On a Lay-by just a few hundred metres from the site is a butty wagon, so I stopped for a breakfast roll! It really filled the fuel tank and was well worth the £6.  After that it was a climb up Leckhampton Hill with far reaching views looking north over Cheltenham.  I then walked over to National Star College, which is a place for young people with disabilities to get assistance in working skills. They have an excellent cafe, so well worth a visit.  I then walked over to Crickley Hill country park, where yet again there is a small cafe. I stopped and had an ice cream and chatted to other hikers.  There were some more spectacular views from Crickley Hill looking down to the ...

 I slept quite well considering it was my first night under canvas. I’d invested in some ear plugs and an eye mask, meaning I didn’t get woken up by the dawn chorus or sunrise.  I packed up and set off at 8:45 for the 2 mile walk into Winchcombe, where I had a breakfast bap at a cafe. In comparison to yesterday’s towns/villages, Winchcombe was nothing to write home about! Yes there were some quaint bits, but parts were quite tatty.  After Winchcombe, there was a steep 200m ( 650ft) climb up to Belas Knap Long Barrow. I had a good chat with various walkers on the way up. Firstly an Australian couple, who were also doing the CW and also a local man from Cleeve, which made the  climb more endurable! The views on the way up were worth it.  There was a short walk along the plateau before a descent through the woods into Postlip.  Of course, what goes down must go back up again! There was then a steep climb up to Cleeve Common, although thankfully the CW didn’t g...