Cotswold Way - Days 7 & 8

 Day 7

Woke up at 5.45, went down to the bar area for breakfast at 7. The landlady would not crack a smile despite my polite attempts at conversations. I gave up and ate in silence. Ate a cold breakfast of cereal followed by a full English veg and left at 8.17. Decided to take it easy. I took one or two wrong turns at the start but I soon corrected myself. During one particular stretch, when I came back to the trail after taking a wrong turn, I reached a gate beyond which was a large herd of cows. Luckily for me, I saw a couple and we decided that we would cross the field together. They were walking the Cotswold Way in parts and they have walked it over two years, one day at a time. Not long after that I came across a message box and left a little note in it. After a stone stile and a V-stile, I reached Cold Ashton. The shepherd's hut I was staying in was a bit off the track and I wondered about taking a bus but when I saw that the next one was not due for another two hours, I called Uber. The Portuguese driver took a wrong turn and I was charged more. I ordered some food from a supermarket and made myself pasta and salad for dinner.  Went to bed at 6.30 and was woken up a couple of hours later by fireworks. Bed linen smells of detergents. Tomorrow, I finish!

Old Sodbury to Cold Ashton

8.5 miles/13.5 kms

Stay at Shepherds Hut

Day 8

Woke up at 5.30. After breakfast and ablutions, called an Uber to take me back to the Parish hall where I finished yesterday. A black cat kept rubbing itself against my legs and I was worried that that was an ominous sign. Sikh woman Jas picked me up in her taxi at 7.30 and she was very surprised that I was walking on my own. Mother of three, she drove Uber taxis when her kids were in school. I began walking at 7.55 and quickly covered ground. Soon I walked past the site of Landsdown battle in the 17th century but otherwise, it was fairly unremarkable. But the last stretch on Dean Hill near Weston town seemed interminable. I looked at every church steeple and wondered if it was Bath cathedral. I walked through Weston and then up a steep stretch on Primrose Hill and through all of Bath city. Once in the city, signs were less obvious and I had to look for it on lamp posts and bollards. Every gold acorn (no more yellow acorns as this was Bath after all) I spotted was bringing me closer to the finish line and after the Royal Victoria park and the imposing Royal Crescent, I walked through crowds of busy tourists out on a sunny Saturday. One final turn left and I found myself standing in front of Bath Cathedral. And at its foot was the plaque that marked the end of the Cotswold Way. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for all the fickle set of circumstances that had made this adventure possible. I said my heartfelt thanks for my 104-mile expedition and began making my way back home. 

Cold Ashton to Bath

10 miles/16kms

Stay at home! 

Total distance - 104 miles/166kms

Cotswold Way - Days 5 & 6

 Day 5

I was up at 5.45 and after ablutions and breakfast of porridge (last night's posh dinner was a small portion), I was ready to leave by 7 when Ramu texted to say that he will be here for 9. When I stepped out of the hotel at 0850, I saw two familiar figures climb out of the car. The boys were here too! What fun! We stepped back into the hotel to breakfast and left around 10. After some typical arguments over the correct direction to take, we began walking and very soon, we were climbing. The directions at this point were very sketchy and some more arguments ensued. I was not about to complain as it made for such a welcome relief from walking on my own. Freed from carrying my bag, I just pointed this way and that as we fell into familiar patterns. My sons would alternate talking to Ramu and I and without the insidious distractions of a screen, we covered a lot of ground - from politics to sport to whether it was a discreet spot for a quick pee. 

I only wish they had brought some snacks with them as everyone grew quickly hungry and my own small stash was not enough to feed the mobs. At the end of a long sunken path with trees rising on both sides, we stopped to catch our breath on a bench in someone's garden and out came a lady who offered us tea and coffee. We accepted gratefully and resumed walking. There was some vociferous disagreements over whether or not to climb a small peak and I overruled any dissent and soon we were huffing and puffing our way up Cam peak. If we thought we were done with climbing, we were wrong as shortly after lunch at Dursley town, we climbed and climbed to reach yet another a golf course and not long thereafter arrived at Black Horse Inn which was to be my abode for the night. They served Indian food and after a quick shower and change we came came down for a big meal. The boys left by taxi to go back to Selsley where they'd left the car and I nodded off with a big grin on my face. Nothing could compare to today, I was sure. 

Selsley to North Nibley

13.5 miles or 21.5kms

Stay at Black Horse Inn

Day 6

Deepavali today. I called family and wished everyone before downing my customary porridge. Being mindful of the fact that I had to cover quite a bit of ground today, I left at 7.17 and soon began climbing. I was treated to some glorious views from above. I walked through fields and more fields, some of them through lovely countryside. At the next village, I stopped to get myself a coffee - my second this year! - and a banana. Later that afternoon, I was being overtaken by a lady who said that she had spotted me earlier. We walked and talked for a little while. There were gurgling streams that ran alongside the path which was really very pretty. Soon I came across two old friends who corrected me and set me on the right path. But not long thereafter there was a very long unmarked stretch and I walked back the way I came to check and took a detour before finally reconciling myself to the first route. I arrived at the Dog Inn with still some miles in the bag. After my second bath of the week to soak my tired limbs, I ordered a delicious roast veg tart with new potatoes and salad, brought it back to my room and ate it watching TV and fell asleep to dreams of Deepavalis past. 

Woke up several times in the middle of the night with cramping calves, then realised that it was actually hunger pangs. Had some porridge and promptly fell back asleep. 

I had just two days left on this trip! Do I break my promise to myself and start celebrating too soon?

North Nibley to Old Sodbury

15 miles or 24 kms

Stay at Dog Inn

Cotswold Way - Days 3 & 4

 Day 3

After a porridge breakfast in the room, I left at eight quickly climbing Cleve Hill and its winding paths realising just how easy it would have been for me to get lost in the dark last night. I had to keep consulting google maps to ensure I was following the right path and before I knew it. I had covered a couple of maps in the guide book and I was starting to celebrate too soon (never ever do that). I kept pushing my lunch hour until I found a nice spot and soon found one on Charlton Kings Common with beautiful views. Soon I came to a junction where I could follow one of two ways. Google pointed me one way and the signs on the route another. I followed the signs and at Crikley Hill Country Park cafe I had a gnawing feeling that I had missed the turning. One of the rules I had made up for this trip was that when I had had enough, I would not hesitate to call a taxi to take me to my hotel. Just as well I am not in the plateaus of Tibet! My Uber arrived within 10 minutes and took me to my hotel. I was only half-a-mile or so short so it was alright. For the first time in 17 years I filled up the bath and lay in it and soaked my tired legs. Stepped out for battered halloumi, chips and peas for dinner. Early start tomorrow!

Clevehill to Birdlip

15.5 miles or 25.5kms

Stay at Royal George Hotel

Day 4

Day 4

Alarm at 5.45, hotel breakfast at 7 and checked out at 7.37. Brisk walk until signs pointed me to turn left but confronted me was a steep hill of trees* with the path hidden under a thick bed of leaves. I began climbing and soon a fell runner came skidding in the opposite direction telling me that what I was doing was much harder. I was dripping with sweat from the exertion when I reached the top but unsure which way to go, I turned left and found myself on a boggy path when all of a sudden, the fell runner came running back to check if I had dropped a key. I replied no and began squelching my way down the path. On a particularly slippery stretch, I lost my footing and ended flat on my back saved only by my backpack. I picked myself up gingerly and after a bit of a wobble found myself back on the trail. 

As I walked through a golf course, I turned my wrist to check the time only to find that my watch was gone. I called the hotel to check but it wasn't there. My trusty Timex must have slipped out sometime after the fall. Sadly no fell runner followed me this time to check if I had dropped it. 

A little while later, I arrived at a Trig point but found that there were loads of Fresian cows and not wishing to walk in their midst, I took another path and soon enough I was lost. A mother and her son who were out walking their dog pointed me in the right direction. She told me that she wasn't scared of cows and that once in Australia she had once herded 10,000 cows, 800 at a time. She had hung up her cowboy boots and was working as a PCSO these days. Presently I found the steps I had missed on the maps and began climbing it. Within a 100 metres, I went through a gate and a man coming the opposite way asked me which way I was headed and when I told him, he pointed me the right way. It turns out I should have descended the steps instead of climbing it. Ian is a retired insurance salesman who climbs and walks in his free time. His 60-something wife was climbing a wall in Bristol that day and he was out walking. "Your company made my walk more pleasant", he said, waving me off. I walked on but soon our paths crossed again and we walked amicably for a touch longer. I climbed over stone stiles and squeezed through squeeze stiles. I walked towards Selsley but got lost in the fields and had to be redirected more than once. I walked past a vineyard and at the next town I had one of two options for the route to take. I took the shorter route and promptly got lost again at which point I had been walking for eight hours and done my mileage for the day. Fed up, I sat by the roadside and called a cab. I arrived at the posh 16th century inn which was to be my abode for the night a short while later. I showered, changed and went down to the pub where I was the object of curiosity for a few locals. For the second time in two days I was asked by a man what my husband thought of my adventures. I replied I didn't know as I had not checked with him but the fact that we had remained married for as long as we have must mean he was supportive of it. I brought my delicious butternut squash rice back to my room and called it a night. 

Soon it will be Deepavali. Who knew I would be celebrating it with a walk on the wild side? 

Birdlip to Selsley

17 miles or 27 kms

Stay at Bell Inn

*Later I learnt that the steep hill I climbed is not far from the place where the annual cheese rolling competition is held. 

Please note: the collages above are a mix of both days 3 & 4 and not exclusively each day. 

Cotswold Way - Days 1 & 2

 Day 1

I slept badly last night. Nerves kept me up. I had planned to take the 6.56 train but lay in for a bit deciding to take the next train which was due to leave an hour later. My anxiety was high and my stomach was twisting. After ablutions, I had a breakfast of porridge and left at 7.35. Just a few minutes into our ride to the station, I realised I had forgotten my poles behind and went back to pick it up. As I bid Ramu goodbye, I asked him if I would be alright. You have done it 6 or 7 times already, you will be fine, he said. I had to dash to catch my connecting train to Moreton-in-Marsh. A few minutes after I arrived, I boarded the bus to Chipping Campden. 

The card machine on the bus was not working, so I rode free. Loads of roadworks and diversions meant it was almost 45 minutes before I arrived at my destination for the start of this adventure. A quick ask around and I found the starting point. A circular plaque placed on the foot of the market hall with a line of poetry by TS Elliot would mark the beginning of a 102 mile journey on foot. It was a gentle walk, some easy climbs and some gentle slopes past a tower and some fields. Blue skies and stunning autumnal colours all the way. Stopped for soup and bread lunch at a pub in pretty Cotswold village of Broadway with some questionable items on the menu (local faggots?). Fell into conversation with Helen - a 50-something woman with a campervan who drives to a campsite by herself every other weekend, takes photos of insects (dragonfly is a favourite) and tries to identify them without the help of Google but using her big book of insects instead. Postcard pretty countryside. Found the Vine B&B. My room has a shower in the room but the loo is in the corridor. Had tea on arrival and porridge for dinner later. Hit the sack early.

Chipping Campden to Wood Stanway

Distance - 12.5 miles/20 kms

Stay: The Vine at Stanton

Day 2 

Met an American family of five - husband, wife and 3 daughters - from Oklahoma at breakfast which was not served till 8. They homeschooled their kids and led a gadget-free life. We sat chatting with the unmentionable American election looming large in the corner. The cooked breakfast was slow to come and by the time I left it was close to 9 and since the clocks had gone back an hour I wish I had left sooner. As I had come to predict, I began walking the wrong way before correcting myself. Some easy stretches in the morning and then some really steep climbs where I found myself repeatedly lost in fields. Then took a slight detour into an orchard to pick some apples that had fallen on the ground and was held up by a tractor rally. By the time I arrived at Winchcombe I was not hungry at all but for some reason, instead of carrying on walking, I stepped into a pub for a bite. The pie I wanted would take 45 minutes and so I asked for a salad instead. By the time it arrived and I had eaten it, it was 50 minutes since I sat down for lunch. Kicking myself for taking it easy and worried that it would be dark by the time I reached the hotel, I quickened my pace. As I began climbing I saw a man a bit further ahead dawdling. He had neither a bag nor a dog with him which made me queasy. Rather than climb ahead, he was pacing side-to-side which seemed a touch odd. There was no one else in sight and when I saw the man turn around to take notice of me, I instinctively  exaggerated my slowness. As I was on an incline, it wasn't so hard to be slow but sooner or later I would have to pass him, so I made a group call to my family but when it went unanswered, I sent them my live location. In the blink of an eye I did a mental calculation. If he wants my money or phone, I’d hand them over but if he were to assault me, I’d use the sharp ends of my poles to attack him, throw my bag at him and run down to the town I’d just left. He was bigger than me but relieved of the bag, I figured I can still get away quickly.

I recited my favourite line from Hanuman Chalisa* and kept walking. As I passed him, I said my usual hello while trying to keep my voice from shaking. Don’t mind me, he said, I’m injured. I brushed aside my instinct to offer help and quickened my stride to get away as quickly as possible. Once away, I checked to see where he was, he was much further back and quickly receding. Soon I met another lone woman walking the other way and I asked her if she knew if the local area was safe for women. I hope so, she replied and waved me on. I was angry and upset that the lecherous bastards who had molested me as a young woman walking along the streets of India had managed to reach beyond time and space to strike terror at my heart. I reminded myself that the walks I do are in defiance of what we have endured. That they will no longer hold power over me and that I refuse to be a victim of their perversions. As I walked on, it was starting to get dark and I walked through some woodlands, I began making a note of places I could stop and call for a taxi. I passed a B&B and soon I reached a field which warned me that there were horses roaming free. And sure enough, there were two horses by the gate blocking my way. Just as I was wondering where to go next, I turned to see a couple emerge from a path that was descending towards mine and they asked me if I needed help shooing the horse away. The man used my poles to jab the air in front of the horse and after a couple of attempts, they moved away but not very far. The wife told me that they would walk with me across the field but soon realised that they would have to walk past the horses again to get back on their actual trail. 

The man asked if it would be better for me to go with them to my hotel. I only had another half-an-hour's journey left but it was getting dark and I would have to step off the trail to get to my hotel. So I agreed instantly. Julian and his Czech-born wife Anna were spending some time with his mother in the Cotswold. We walked back the way I had just come and we had a wonderful conversation about everything and nothing really and before long we were at their car and they dropped me off at the hotel wishing me a safe rest of the journey. I ordered an Indian take away dinner and fell asleep shortly thereafter. I had just completed a quarter of the journey, what new adventures lay waiting for me?

*tum rakshak kahu ko darna - why fear when you are the protector?

Wood Stanway to Clevehill 

Distance - 11.5 miles/18.5 kms

Stay - Rising Sun Hotel, Clevehill