Cold Ashton to Bath

It was cool and grey when we left Cold Ashton on the last leg of the Cotswold Way. But it never rained.

The last leg was 10 miles, with the Way formally ending at Bath Abbey. The path went through  a couple of valleys before a last climb onto the plateu before Bath. It took us around the field whether Battle of Lansdown occurred 350 years ago. This was a significant battle in the English Civil War, fought between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians.   350 years later you can still see where some of the dry stone walls were pulled down to let cannons through, and later repaired.

Just before the Landsdown field, we were crossing some farmland when we saw the trail above us was being blocked by a whole phalanx of cows directly in our way, and who looked at us like they pretty much wanted to keep the trail to themselves. So we took the low road, and crossed below them while they  watched from above, chuckling at us the way cows do. I almost thought they were going to throw mud clots, or worse, down on us.

The trail followed along the ridge for a ways before dropping down into Bath, then passing through some parks, into the  old part of the city, ending at the Abbey.

Bath is a beautiful city, not very big. But it’s a bit of a culture shock to be out of the countryside and villages we’ve been in the middle of for the past week and a half.

There’s a huge feeling of accomplishment at the end of these long walks, and this one in particular. There‘s also a feeling that you‘ve really seen and experienced the country you‘ve been through. As we were were walking towards our hotel in Bath, we stopped at an intersection next to a tour bus that was driving around to see the sights in Bath. Then, according to the sign on the front, it was off to Stonehenge, and probably the “best of the Cotswolds“ as well.. Marty and I both felt sorry for the people staring out the windows, who in a couple of hours of sitting in air conditioned comfort were going to see the “best of” anything.  I‘m pretty confident we experienced the “best of“ doing it the way we did. .
   

Hawkesbury Upton to Cold Ashton

Today’s walk started in Hawkesbury Upton and ended 13 miles later in Cold Ashton. We started in a light drizzle that ended a few minutes later. Unfortunately, when the drizzle ended, the steady rain began. And never stopped.

So, today was another slog. But was still interesting. Not too many uphills and downhills, and some more neat little villages.

We got to our B&B in Cold Ashton early in the afternoon, dried off, and relaxed. Cold Ashton is so small that the only pub closed three years ago (it still shows up in the guide book). Fortunately, there’s a lady in town that runs a tea house, normally open just for lunch, who’ll fix dinner if you ask her in advance. And we had. So, Marty had a fish pie (Jamie Oliver’s recipe!), and I had a curry(recipe unknown!). Both were great. Other than the Thai dinner in Cheltenham, these were probably the best prepared meals we’ve had on the Way. At a little tea house on the edge of a farm. For dessert I had Honey and Ginger Stem ice cream from a dairy a couple of fields over. Amazing. Only exceeded in my opinion by Baskin Robbins Chocolate Raspberry Truffle.

Downside of today is that, because of the rain, we didn’t get the cameras out. So these pictures are from earlier along the way.

The Warm Beer Experiment - A Counterpoint

I’m going to offer a counterpoint to Marty’s take on the warm beer experiment. Like Marty, I experimented with real ales for several days at the start of the trip. But I’ve got a different view, one that came about a few days ago.

My malt beverage epiphany occurred at a pub in Cheltenham. After a long day of walking 19 miles in the rain and wind, we went into a pub after a spicy Thai dinner. Warm beer just wasn’t going to cut it. So I asked the barmaid for a Guinness. She looked at me, smiled warmly, and replied with a phrase that I will not soon forget:

“Do you want a Guinness Extra Cold?”

My reply: “One for each hand, please.”

And then came the epiphany.

Guinness, probably the most savvy beer marketing company in the world, was putting as much marketing distance between their product and warm beers as they possibly could. Not only can you get a cold Guinness, you can get a Guinness Extra Cold.

You see, Guinness has figured out the nasty little secret about warm beer:

Nobody REALLY likes warm beer.

Don’t get me wrong. The ales are fascinating. It’s neat that they’re mostly from really local breweries. It’s brilliant the way they they’re part of the pub culture. And the best of them taste wonderful. The whole cachet around them is neat.

So, there’s nothing wrong with drinking a warm beer. I’m sure warm beer drinkers enjoy drinking them. But do they really like it?

I guess I’m thinking that drinking warm beer is a little like owning a Prius. There are a lot of good reasons to own a Prius. Besides the gas mileage, there’s the whole cachet thing. You get invited to some great parties. You get the best parking spots at Whole Foods, the knowing smiles from other Prius owners while sitting ever so quietly at a stoplight, and you can get NPR on every button on the radio (even those marked AM.) The cars do what they do very, very well. I know Prius owners (including my wife) love their cars. But like the question for warm beer drinkers, do you think Prius owners REALLY like driving them?

See what I’m saying?

As for me, I’m concluding that what I really like is my Guinness Extra Cold.
And Porsches.      

The Warm Beer Experiment - A Post by Marty

At the start of our Cotswold adventure, Alan proposed the following Hypothesis: Is It possible to learn to like the Warm beers of Britain, with repeated, consistent Consumption? – Well, we launched ourselves into this experiment, with great enthusiasm. On our first night on the trail in Broadway at the Swan Inn and continued on later at the Eight Bells Inn in Chipping Campden. – We asked a lot of questions of the Bartenders and other locals and quickly learned some key information about the Warm British beers or what are fondly referred to as British Ales, Bitters,  Cask Ales, or what the Pubs officially call the “Real Ales”.

Apparently the Ales are ‘warm” because they are not refrigerated, rather kept at room temperature of whatever temperature the basement of the Pub is at, so you do get some variation based on how cold that Pub’s basement is. – This is one reason the kegs only have a 4 day shelf life once they are tapped and must sit for a day before being served. – Thus the ales must be delivered fresh on a frequent basis and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Pubs tend to rotate in several different brands besides the 2-3 Local favorites. These are called “guest”  ales. The pubs take great pride in the specific “real ales” they serve, and we find that these are the most common drinks consumed by the locals, over the lagers, Stouts and other beverages, such as Liquors, wine and Alcoholic Ciders. – I mention the Ciders because they are also, locally brewed, unique and have a following amongst some patrons, often the ladies, and Al!

In Uley, at the Crown Alan even found a thick book about 4 inches thick published by CAMRA – Campaign for Real Ale. – This book lists, reviews and awards the finest British Ales in each category and goes on to review the thousands of Pubs in each town of England, wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, that serve REAL ALES. This is serious business, folks! In fact, tonight in Hawkesbury Upton, we found a Pub that Is a CAMRA Award winning pub because of the variety and enthusiasm by which they promote the ‘Real Ales”. – they had 4 on tap, and of course I had to have a pint of Each.

Speaking of pints, did want to mention that these “bitters’  are usually served by “pulling on their tap several times to fill a pint glass to the rim without any real head. – It is an art form!

Most ales are between 4% and 5 ½ %  alcohol content. As mentioned before the ZPubs are serious about promoting their “Warm, Local Ales because that is what helps to give their Pubs a lot of character  and distinction. – As Pubs face more laws, (smoking banned) tax increases, various restrictions, many are closing and the fear is that the English pub will go the way of the neighborhood bar, in the states.

Back to the experiment; - on day three Al was seduced by some shiny big taps in Cheltenham for Guinness Extra Cold, and Stella Black, obviously designed by the big breweries, to tap into the Local Warm beer market by pushing ‘colder” beer on tap. – So he gave up on our experiment, and went back to our old Guinness, and left me to try every Bitter  I could find. I am always willing to further science, so I have been trying every “real Ale I could try (usually 3-4 pints a night) on the way to London! – There are too many to mention, but I will list some of my favorites,( because they have cool names), such as ; Otter bitter, Hooky Norton, Gloucester Jouster, Bob beer, Doombar, Maiden Voyage, Dursley Steam Bitter, Bettty Stogs (betsy), Pigs Ear, and On and on and On.  In short, there are Thousands of these “Real Ales” out there with more being introduced locally, on a weekly basis.. My suggestion would be, is to try 3 or 4 dozen of them, like me, and I guarantee that you will find one you like! -  (Insert picture of taps)

Basically, they are tasty, ‘earthy’ full bodied beers, with a slightly Flat taste, and obviously served warmer than we are used to. – But I like them for several reasons; -

1) I like beer, and these are tasty

2) they are all unique tasting, and satisfying

3) they are mostly produced by small local micro- breweries to satisfy the taste of people that have known and loved beer for ages

 4) they got great names and are fun to drink

 5) they help support and cultivate the local “Pub culture”, which is really great and should be preserved in Britain and other places

6)  I always like to drink what the locals drink, because it helps put me in touch of what the local culture is like

 7).it is good for Great Britain, which is good for the Queen, and after seeing how much these people love their Queen, - I say

“God Save the Queen” and drink Local Warm Real Ales, daily!!

Wotton under Edge to Hawkesbury Upton, via Nanny Farmer’s Bottom

Short day today (8 miles) and the weather was excellent - for and English summer. Cool, partly cloudy, and only a few sprinkles.

Mrs. Grimes, at Sunrise Hill B&B, made us an excellent breakfast, and even with a relaxed start, we were off around 9:30. The path took us through High Street in Wotton under Edge, past the churchyard where the church bells were announcing Sunday service, then along a stream out of town.

Then, uphill to the ridge, circling around Nanny Farmer’s  Bottom (possibly more on that later), and through the really, really small villages of Wortley, Alderley, and Lower Kilcott, then on  to Coombe Farm in Hawkesbury Upton.

Passed through a lot of horse country today. Lots of them in the fields, and saw several riders.  Also spotted a red fox diving off the trail in front of us as we were entering some woods.

Coombe Farm is our B&B for tonight. A real farm, and their B&B rooms are in a separate building with a separate garden area. We got in a little after one, cleaned up, watched a little UK Antiques Roadshow, then went to check out the village of Hawkesbury Upton, about a quarter mile from the B&B.

Hawkesbury Upton is small. Looks like only one store (closed on Sunday), a couple of churches, and two pubs. We did the pub crawl of Hawkesbury Upton, looking both for a place that has wi- fi (our B&B doesn’t), some interesting beers, and a decent dinner menu.

The Fox Inn has a couple of real ales, Guinness, wi-fi, an “Italian” menu (pastas, pizzas, and an Italian chef that makes his own Italian wine), and a modern feel. The Beaufort Arms feels like the 200 year old inn that it is, has several local ales, Guinness, skittles, will be showing Northern Ireland vs. Croatia on the TV tonight, and a great pub menu. But it doesn’t have wi-fi. So you can see our dilemma, and maybe you can predict our answer.

We’re going back to the Fox Inn in a while to have a couple more beers and use their wi-fi. If you’re reading this, you’ll know that was successful.

Then we’ll move on to the Beaufort Arms, where we now have a table reserved (they know us now), for a Steak and Guinness pie, a selection of beers (warm and cold), and an evening of Sunday night Football.

I think we’re getting this walking stuff sorted out.

Go Ireland.

A Couple More Dog Stories

Partway up to the top of Cam Long Down this morning, Marty and I stopped to catch our breath and look at the view of the valley behind us down below. When I looked down, there was a black lab puppy (teenager) looking up at the two of us, wagging his tail so hard his whole body moved, obviously proud of what he was carrying in his mouth. What he was carrying was a rabbit about half his size that he’d just caught. And he was one proud puppy. His owner was following him down the hill, and told him to sit so I could take this picture. After I got the picture, the lab dropped the rabbit in front of us and tore off through the underbrush looking for some more adventure. After we talked dogs with his owner a while, Marty and I started uphill. The lab was nowhere to be seen, but his owner started down the hill and said that sooner or later he’d catch up.

When Marty and I got to the top of the field several minutes later we turned to watch  what would happen down below. The lab’s owner was several hundred yards away from where we last saw the dog, and a long way downhill. It was hilarious to see what was now a little black speck appear from the underbrush at the corner of the field and race down the hill, giving wide berth to every cow along the way, until he caught up with his guy just as he was going through the stile.

I took the second picture as we were walking into Dursley. We passed a lgate where some folks were getting ready for a lawn bowling game (bowling match?). We stopped to look, and from the far side of the field a dog started running toward us. At first I thought he was coming to chase us off, but when he got up to us, we could see he had his ball in his mouth and he was was up for a game himself. He dropped the ball at our feet and watched it while he waited for his game to start. We played ball with him for a few minutes, then figured we’d get tired before he did, so we moved on.      

Cam Long Down

More pictures from Cam Long Down. Outside of Dursley, it was our first high point today. Seemed like some of the best views we've had so far.

Off in the distance in some of the shots is the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain.

Uley to Wotton-Under-Edge

Ta-Da!! 14 miles today, and the weather was great. Partly cloudy, a little cool, and a little windy. But don’t think that we’re complaining.  It was nice enough that at a point in the route today where we had the option of taking an additional two mile route looping around a golf course, we did that.

The first big uphill today took us up onto Cam Long Down. That sounds like a Vietnamese name, but in reality, it’s a big long ridge with terrific 360 degree views. I’ll put some of these pictures in a separate post. Then, a long downhill into Dursley. We had a couple of great dog encounters that will also be a separate post.

Speaking of dogs…. In the first couple of hours walking this morning we probably passed a couple of dozen people out for a Saturday morning walk. And with one exception, they all had their dog (or dogs) with them. It’s really true that the British are a dog loving nation. Every day, even in terrible weather, we’ve seen people taking their dogs out for a run. On the other hand, we’ve seen only one family out with their children. It also should be noted that all the dogs we’ve seen have been really well trained. Does anyone besides me remember the TV show from years ago that featured the kind of dowdy British lady who trained dogs so well? This was way before the Dog Whisperer. Can’t remember the name of the lady, or the show.

Marty said he read someplace that when they banned smoking in pubs it wounded the pubs, but if Britain ever banned dogs from pubs it would be the death of them. One of the locals at the pub we ate in last night had his dog with him. The dog laid quietly on the floor next to him for the most part, only occasionally walking around the room introducing himself to everyone.

This was market day in Dursley, the downtown was busy, there was a little market in the square, and there was a small group playing Celtic music by the market. Really felt neat.

Another uphill from Dursley onto Stinchcombe Hill. This was where we decided to take the long way, which took us two miles around Stinchcombe Hill golf course, but around a ridge with some terrific views. Busy day on the golf course, but not a sign of an electric cart - other than some battery push carts. Marty kept wandering off the path into the rough trying to find a golf ball even though we were still way off the fairway. He found one, and the owner had put their mark on it to distinguish it from others’. The mark was a little heart. It was all I could do to keep Marty from looking for the golfer to return it. (Just kidding).

Stopped and talked to a runner who was taking a short break. He’s practicing for the Cotswold Way Relays coming up in a couple of weeks. Teams sign up to race the whole 102 miles in 10 sections, starting in Chipping Campden at 7 in the morning and ending in Bath late that evening. Every runner does 8 to 12 miles along the Cotswold Way. Kind of like what we’re doing, only a little faster.  This particular runner had missed a sign and had wound up doing the extra two miles we had just done. He was concerned that this was going to make him late getting to Wotton under Edge where his stage will end and his wife will be waiting. But not so concerned he didn’t want to stop and talk for a while. It’s probably best he gets this sign thing worked out before the relay itself.

For us, it was down into the village of Nibley, then up (of course) onto the ridge outside Nibley and past the Tyndale monument. The monument to Sir William Tyndale was built in 1866 in memory of the man who in 1536, defying authorities, proceeded to translate the New Testament into English. For this, he was burnt at the stake. And got a really nice monument sometime later.

The trail up to the monument goes up 118 steps, and there are terrific views from the ridge. There are another 121 steps inside the monument that take you up to the top of the tower, and supposedly even more terrific views. I offered to wait while Marty went to the top, but ultimately, we both passed.

From there, it was an easy three miles along the ridge, then down into the village of Wotton under Edge, where we’re staying tonight.

Great day.

Painswick to Uley

A 13 mile day today, but it seemed longer. We started out in a light rain, but rain turned out not to be the problem with the weather today. It was the wind. The 50-60 mph winds that were forecast really happened.

A couple of times today the route followed long open areas on top of the ridge open to the southwest, where the winds were coming from. Blowing hard enough to make it an effort to walk into it.  In the wooded areas we walked through, the path was typically And in the wooded areas we walked through, the path was typically littered with leaves, branches and small limbs, with more limbs cracking in the trees overhead.

But there were some great views.

Got into Uley at the Old Crown late in the afternoon. This place feels like a local pub, which it is. The pub was filled this evening (Friday night), while I had beef and Uley ale pie and Guinness, while Marty had lasagna (a pub food staple) and worked his way through the local ales.

Dog Story

Just outside of Stroud today, the trail took us through a field where we saw a border collie hard at work. That is, he was resting in the field next to his equine herd that he was pretty obviously watching out for. I stopped and got the picture below. The collie wasn’t aggressive or anything, but he didn’t  take his eyes off us for the whole time we were there.

As we were going through the stile at the end of the field,  a lady was entering with her two dachsunds. We surprised the dogs and one of them gave us a couple of barks. The lady said, “Never mind him, he thinks he owns this field.” I replied that
It looked to me like the collie up ahead owns this field. She looked ahead, saw the collie, laughed and said “You’re right, that one does own this field.”

Marty and I watched as the lady crossed the collie’s territory. Sure enough, he got up and met the dachsunds where the trail crossed near his horses. He sniffed the intruders, as they moved on. No drama. But the dachsunds never strayed one step off the trail.  

Cheltenham to Painswick

The forecast for this part of England today was for “disruptive” weather (great description). “Disruptive” weather means steady, heavy, rain, and strong winds, up to 60 mph inland, 70 mph on the coast.

With that forecast in mind, we left Cheltenham this morning on our 14 mile leg to Painswick with our foul weather gear already on, in a steady rain and a steady breeze.

Our hike began on a track that was also a bridle path (there are a lot of these), and after a ways we passed a couple on horses, one of whom smiled at us from her saddle, with the rain pouring down, and said “Aren’t we keen?” Marty and I discussed how this phrase might translate and we figure that it has one of two meanings:

The first possible meaning is that the phrase is intended to show irony.

The other possible meaning is that in Britain, the term “keen” means “dumbasses”.

A little further on, the path passed a golf course. And in 50 degree weather, a steady wind, and a heavy rain, there was a group of golfers out there. No carts, electric or otherwise.   But in deference to the weather, it needs to be said that: there were only three of them, one of them had a small umbrella, one had a small hat. Yes, this means the third had neither a hat nor an umbrella. But I’m guessing he had a pretty good round going.

Even further on, as we went through a county park, there were several folks out taking there dogs for a run. Apparently “disruptive” weather in England doesn’t disrupt golf, horseback riding, or walking your dog. Or American walkers.

The trail today pretty much followed the escarpment, a lot of it through wooded area. We passed Cooper‘s Hill, where the annual cheese roll was held just this past Monday. If you’re wondering, a cheese roll is an event where someone rolls a large round of cheese from the top of a steep hill and dozens of keen individuals chase it. Ambulances are lined up at the bottom of the hill to take away the remains. Apparently there were as many as 18 “casualties” a few years ago.  Think there‘s some warm beer involved in this as well?

So, today‘s walk was pretty much a grind. But we made great time and got to the Falcon Inn in Painswick in early afternoon.  Things got a whole lot better after that. Hot shower, dry clothes, a nap, a walk around Painswick (great little village), Guinness, Warm Beer, steak dinner, and Jameson’s rounded out the day pretty good.

Not many pictures today. Couldn’t really take the camera out until after we got to  Painswick. So I’m throwing in a picture I stole of the cheese rolling. And we just missed it by a couple of days. Maybe next year.

BTW - the picture of Marty is not our B&B. The Falcon Inn is a great old inn. Marty has an interest in old doorways that have lower doors than those today. Likes to have his picture taken standing next to them.