Sixth day walking The Cotswolds - from Painswick to Uley

Nowhere to sit and rest, except the first step of a steep set up!  Spare shoes on my back in case of rain...check my face in picture further down when I see the steps...

This was the evening view from our bedroom at The Falcon Inn which was an important coach stop.. Built in 1554, renovated in 1711... The floor slopes from room to room.. Books used under one side of many pieces of furniture to level them!

Glorious morning... And we walk across the road to St Mary's Church to look at the 99 yew trees.  (Legend has it that the devil won't let the 100th one grow). Painswick was a prosperous wool town, the elegant stone houses built by wealthy wool merchants, while the workers lived in poorer villages outside of Painswick.

Can you see the orbs in the yew trees?

Painswick has wonderful elegant street lined stone buildings.

This was the start of our walk, Rob checking we are on rhe right path...

And up we go...

Passing the odd farmhouse..

To the top and on this common many people are walking their dogs... He has 7!

Leaving Painswick behind...

Walking through many farms.

And through the woods... A wonderful woody day...

This was taken just before I sat down to rest!  Eek!  time needed to sit....

Lime rockface - can imagine the caves were inhabited by ancient people..

And we get to the charming little village of Uley.

Nothing much has changed in Uley...love the pillar red post boxes

We spend two nights at Stinchcombe Hill guesthouse outside Uley....

Fifth day in The Cotswolds, Coopers Hill and the most dangerous sport in the World!

Live for today!  We certainly are!  A wonderful day walking through many woods, mostly beech.

Part of 4000 miles of walling in The Cotswolds... I love the moss... Busy reading The Signature of all things... Makes one look at moss differently

Coopers Hill where the most dangerous sport in the world takes place annually end of May- ( we walk up a path to the right through the woods- still steep, but not quite as sheer as this hill!...

Picture a giant  Double Gloucester cheese ball tossed down the almost sheer hill and contestants chasing after it with no other reason than to catch the cheese - and gain the glory! The cheese can get up to a speed of about 100 km per hour.  Watch this short clip to see the most dangerous sport in the world .....hugely risky!  Mad dogs and Englishmen...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dtvG9XDtjv4

More woods... 

We walk into the town of Painswick, and book into The Falcon Inn- Painswick is a town, the stone used in the buildings is whiter, not as golden.  

Fourth day in The Cotswolds walking to Birdlip

The start of the day with stretches...before we hit the uphills!  Feel so priveleged to walk in such beautiful forests and farmlands...

Rob thinks this was the photo of the day...the yellow against the Cotswold post showing us the direction to walk in..with the wood we are about to walk through behind..

Or this one also by Rob...my camera doesn't take good close ups.  The iPhone camera is great.

This is the photo I took which I think is the photo of the day... For me it captures the wild flowers, the open fields,  magnificent views, ok a bird and no bird song, but birdsong accompanies us daily... and Freedom!

Whew! A hill and a half up .. Spectacular views.  Enjoying the different shades of green..

Nearly at the top..

And around the corner where the trail crossed the road is a diner with a difference... A converted bus. 

The owner has converted the inside of the bus with tables and seats..and a little kitchen.  Toasted samis taste wonderful!

The view along the escarpment over a quarry..

In the distance the Black Mountains of Wales

How lucky are we with the weather, wonderful sunny day mostly, sometimes cloudy, with a nip in the air.. The weather changes all day...

From the other side looking back at the cliff face we have walked along.

More woods..

The woods seem to welcome us.. And maybe there are others accompanying us?

Walking up to the Royal George in Birdlip, our stay for the night, after 18 km walk.  Relieved to be here.  I have blisters and aching feet and Rob is walking well in the new Keen sandals he bought in Vancouver, rather than his boots.  Moon boot is strapped onto the back of his rucksack in case... But so far, cross fingers, his stress fracture is not playing up.

Looking forward to a long ale and rest!  Although we are getting plenty of exercise, the beeer and pub food don't keep the kilojoules off!  And we thought we would loose weight!

Third eventful day in the Cotswolds Winchcomb to Cheltenham Kings

It's a windy but clear day and this photo was taken by a couple we met a few km into the walk.. We took their photo too... Not many people on the walk, which we are surprised about...but we are told that there are 120,000 walkers every year, which means that there are a lot of walkers we don't see... Amazing...

Our walk began with a muddy stile- both Rob and I are wearing sandals so not keen to walk through mud at the start of the day...

So over we go.. And walk around on the wooden fence till we could step onto grass..

A Neolithic  barrow...used as graveyards by Neolithic people over 5000 years ago and also used for ritual and religious purposes...

Many skeletons were found inside the four chambers  .. What do you make of the white blobs?  My camera lens was clean...folklore has it there are still energies around...orbs?

A different burial chamber

Walking through Beautiful forests 

Exquisitely shaped branches of the trees

Walking out of the Forrest down the road, we pass this beautiful bnb.. Unfortunately not the one we are staying in ...

The English have so many "commons",  carefully preserved

Pretty Shetland pony

We pass a field of cows, and I begin to sing to them ...( I love cows, it's the reason I don't eat them.). They stare at me, and white faced cow moves towards me up to the fence...

It's like she wants to talk to me?

And then all the others move to the fence, and I'm singing to all of them...

After some minutes, Rob pushes me to walk on, so I do... And as I walk, they run along the fence next to me...?  I felt like the cow whisperer!

We arrive at a beautiful manor guesthouse, wonderfully luxurious.. It's been a fascinating day...

Beautifully decorated, fab views out of our door onto part of their 100 acre garden.. We see squirrels and rabbits...