Walking in the Cotswolds, Day 2

Our second day went from Bourton-on-the-Water to Winchcombe, about 13 miles (for us a total of 15 miles for the day again), but this day had 1400 feet of vertical, which meant we had several long, sloggy hills to climb.  Like the day before, the skies were overcast to partly cloudy, with some dark clouds at midday that threatened rain, but never made good on the threat.  We walked in long sleeved shirts in the morning, but changed to short sleeves after lunch.

Early on our walk, we found this sign, telling us of even more "perils" on the walk.

Since it was a weekday and pretty early in the day (before 9am), we didn't hear any shooters, but it gives you an idea of the multi-use nature of these pathways.

Here is a typical path along the edge of a field.  It's pretty obvious where the path goes, though not at all marked (sometimes it wasn't that obvious, but hundreds of people are on these paths every day, so it does get worn down).

Here are some more shots of gorgeous Cotswolds views.

A random village below us:

 Another of these stone walls (and another village):

A typical view from the top of a hill.

We had lunch in Guiting Power, where I had a very nice ploughman's lunch -- 3 slices of ham, a hunk of cheddar, an apple and some pickles.  I felt very British.

We walked by Sudeley Castle, where Catherine Parr, the wife who outlived Henry VIII, lived with her 4th husband (the one after Henry) and died there.  The grounds are lovely, but we were too tired to go in.  The castle is stilled owned (and possibly lived in part time) by the family who has owned it for 150 years.  It also has a very large children's play area/climbing structure that makes it a great outing for families.

On the walk we encountered plenty of other walkers (especially on the third day, which was a Saturday) and talked to local people in the pubs and tea shops we stopped in.  The locals were all very interested in the fact we were walking (though they must get tons of other walkers). They gave us great advice "go around the front of the manor at the edge of town; the views are tremendous", "be sure to check out the Jersey heifers in the field after you get to ... They are so cute".

We decided to stop for an English tea (tea, scone, clotted cream) today, as we needed the break and dinner was latish.  If I lived in England, I would die of heart failure from clogged arteries very quickly, because I would not be able to resist the clotted cream.  It even looks like the sort of material that sticks to your arteries, but it tastes so good.

Winchcombe was the largest town we stayed in, large enough to have a restaurant with a Michelin star and another with an AA 2 rosette award, but we opted for something a bit more down to earth (and English) -- I think I had the lamb loin that night.  Apparently the mainstays of English restaurants in this area are: lamb loin, seabass with salsa verde, salmon, and roast chicken. They were all good, at least the versions we had. There was quite a lot to see in Winchcombe, but by then we, especially Jay, were so tired that anything that involved more walking was not appealing.   We slept very well that night.