Blogs from Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 32

This was the day to walk over Cleeve Common , a high plateau. After the initial climb (1000 feet above sea level, of which the hotel is half way), the walk is gently rolling. At the south edge are the remains of a hill which was use for double-ditch protection over 2000 years old. Much further on and around is Belas Knap, a burial mound over 4000 years old. Built into the mound were small stone caves for the bodies (over 38 were found, according to the information board). More gentle walking, then down, down, down over fields, descending to the village of Winchcombe for lunch. This was the scariest (steepest) terrain and the longest leg – 6.5 miles. Our reward was a quiet visit to url=https://www.bri... read more

From the hotel, we were dropped off by Mike, a part-time driver (when he’s not working for the County cutting grass). He chatted with me all the way, since I rode in the front of the van. Peter is our guide. We walked along well-defined paths and roads. Houses and beautiful gardens were seen with some frequency. These groups of houses are nominally villages, although none have any services beyond a mail box and a (red) phone box. Most of the houses have been extensively refurbished, repaired, and extended. Apparently they are expensive. Some villages are farm yards, in which all the outbuildings have been converted to houses. We saw this in Devon, too. To get to lunch we walked along a paved road to the Highwayman Inn, an old coaching house, now adjacent to the ... read more