Chipping Camden market - start of the Way
Odd house in Chipping Camden
The Punk Stone which took ages to find (spoiler alert - not in church yard)
Friday
Duncan at the official start of the Way
Our first climb onto the escarpment we'll be following for a week and our first view of the vales between England and Wales - this being the Vale of Evesham looking hazily over towards Malverns and Wales.
One of a few follys and towers built on the escarpment.
One of many scenic views you'll see
Duncan checking we're on the right track - although it's pretty well posted except for the golf courses
Broadway - the quintessential Cotswold picture postcard English village
One of many iron age forts - pretty exposed and windy up here
Trailing into the distance
A seat which apparently some general sat in to watch Gloucester being sacked
Typical beech wood scene with wild garlic as ground cover reminding me and Duncan of Beechen Cliff where we went to school
Saturday
Pill box guarding a ditch - bit like along the Kennet & Avon Canal
Belas Knap long barrow - after a steep ascent and the highest point of the Way - cave man type posing obligatory especially as wearing an Arsenal shirt
Duncan guarding his home - against skylarks I think which are abundant here
The view across to Wales from Cleeve Hill
Sunday
Once back onto the Way it's less steep through beech woods teeming with wild garlic, bluebells and birds
Still on the right track...
View from Leckhampton Hill
Windblown hikers
Devil's chimney
Vale of Gloucester
Gloucester
Coopers Hill of cheese rolling and broken bones fame
Painswick Beacon iron age fort - you can see the clouds gathering
Painswick Beacon - just as it starts chucking it down
Monday
Painswick church
Tramping taken too far - I lost both my soles on this trip
Halfway point
And we're still together!
Haresfield Beacon - glimpse of the River Severn
Or is the Beacon? Maybe it all is - a long slog today...
Dry stone wall, with view
Farm as we ascend to Selsey Common - in a terrible state of repair
All Saints Church...
... with stain glass windows by the William Morris company
Through more beech woods
And back up to the escarpment to look over the Severn again
A two chambered long barrow
And pretty impressive it is too
Tuesday
Just checking we're on the right steep road out of Dursley
Tyndale Monument commemorating the martyred translator of the bible into English
Duncan finds a place to sleep for the night
Wotton under Edge chapel simple farming scene
Wotton under Edge chapel and cottages
Typical beech wood track
I said it was typical
Somerset monument - one of the last as now we're coming down off the escarpment
Wednesday
Rising again but not so much now leaving the magnificent vista towards the Malverns behind
Little Sodbury church where Tyndale worshipped and where my sole finally came completely loose...
Tyndale..
Dry stone walling - apparently a 20 year contract...
View towards Lansdown - where we grew up and our destination
Post box as we approach Pennsylvania - I leave a vegan bar
Thursday - and the last day
Grenville Monument at the Battle of Lansdown Civil War site
Topsy Turvy man - Civil War era
Kelston Round Hill just above Weston from Prospect Stile - mist stops us seeing Bristol from here
Hardened Hikers at Prospect Stile
View from Kelston Round Hill up towards Lansdown
Weston All Saints Church where we spent many hours
View back towards Weston with ominous clouds
Bath Abbey Door - the end of the Cotswold Way
The route:
We stopped at:
| Chipping Campden | - |
| Winchcombe | 18 |
| Ham | 11 |
| Painswick | 18 |
| Dursley | 15 |
| Hawkesbury | 15 |
| Pennsylvania | 14 |
| Bath Abbey | 10 |
Route Profile:
161.1 Km (100.1 miles)
4,402 m (14,442 ft) ascent
309 m (1,014 ft) maximum height
Altitude profile:
