Cotswold Way, Day 7 Old Sodbury to Cold Ashton

August 7, 2022 / runningforthegate / 1 Comment

Looking back at Day 7 on the Cotswold Way and our 16km hike from Old Sodbury to Cold Ashton.

This was another hot one – smack dab in the middle of the unexpected and inconvenient UK heat wave. Temps were forecasted to hit 36C but we lucked out and it topped out at a ‘comfy’ 33C while we were on the trail. Ugh! No matter, we were getting ahead of the heat by starting early again. We left the Dog Inn in Old Sodbury at 5am. It was even a touch chilly as we started out and I got to wear the thin long sleeve I had dragged from Canada for a good minute or two.

Our ramble the first hours of the day had all the things that make early morning walking my favorite! Great temp, amazing landscape, good friends and all is quiet. I find peace when walking and with these conditions, I was in complete Zen!

We walked across wheat field after wheat field, which were easy underfoot and had very little incline, as the sun came up – making the landscape (and our photos) looks pretty magical! Even the dew glistening off the spider webs in our path or across the wheat tops looked pretty and I don’t think I have ever put pretty and spider in the same sentence. Ick.

The icing on the early morning cake? We were blessed with a view of hot air balloons off in the distance. Beautiful! When planning this trip to the Cotswold many people asked ‘where is that’ and my answer was always ‘do you know those images of rolling green hills, clear blue skies and air balloons on calendars, puzzles and screen savers? That’s the Cotswolds’. I could not even believe we got to actually experience this in person. Wow, pinch me I was in a puzzle!

Following a lengthy and thoroughly enjoyable hot air balloon photo shoot – we are all scrapbookers and photograph junkies so you cannot even imagine how many photos we took collectively – we were on our way again.

Not too long later we came upon some signage that diverted the Way around a police incident on Beacon Lane or Road or some such place. The diversion didn’t change the distance we walked, just took us off then back to the route a little.

As we walked the diversion, which I think was about an hour, we discussed what the possible police incident could be. In my always very logical and pragmatic approach to life, I assumed the obvious – a multi person murder / suicide event. Oh wait maybe a horrible alien cult problem. Hmm no. Most definitely and had to be a serial killer. For sure. In stark contrast to my drama, Cheryl suggested it was likely just a grow-op. Which I interpret as a scary, international gang growing whatever makes heroine and amassing stock piles of weapons of mass destruction and serial killing. Obviously. Definitely. Whatever the reason, nothing came up in the media – we looked – so one of my assumptions is surely true if it was so very secret squirrel.

Back to the walk …

We stopped in Tormarton for our morning break – some snacks and a chance to get the feet out of our shoes and up for a bit. I personally had to break every 2-3 hours due to my pesky foot injuries and I needed to do some surgery on my hiking shoes. They were falling apart and I had been using duct tape, sports tape and a sewing kit for the last 100+ km already. They just needed to work with me for a few more days – so a bit more duct tape and sweet talking was required! ‘I love you shoes-sies, we got this! Please do not fall apart on me now’ may have been heard as I coaxed them back to hike-able condition.

Rosa was feeling the need to keep waltzing so spent a just bit of time with us at the break spot and then carried on the Way. It was fun knowing she was ahead of us and we would be ‘hunting’ her aka excited to see her again once the rest of us got going again. I am competitive person by nature so felt a bit like the greyhound with the rabbit on the track in front.

While ‘hunting’ Rosa, we passed through a fantastic forested area called Dryham Wood and came across a message box!

When Cheryl, Shar and I came across the message book, among messages from MANY walkers, we saw a note from Rosa. A proof of life that she was ahead of us and we were on her tail! The hunt continues.

After spending some time to add our own message – which included a hello to our New York friends who were behind us on the trail and a drawing of all of us by our resident artist Shar (she is mumbling ‘I am an artist’ right now as she reads this I bet) – the ‘hunt Rosa’ adventure picked up again.

Pleased to report, we found her not too far after the forest and it’s funny how good it felt to have the band back together. I think she got lonely and stopped to wait for us cause her long legs and steady pace could have our ran us all day if she wanted to.

After a bunch more kilometers, we were so excited to arrive at little cafe just off route. A dangerous road walk (think playing chicken with a big truck or 2) by Shar to confirm it was open, followed by a much safer jaunt across a field by the rest of us to join her, and we had a fantastic place for our Elevensies break. This may have included bacon rolls, hot tea, black pudding and more. Such a fantastic spot and we were out of the sun!

Today’s final walking destination was Cold Ashton, a very-tiny-wee town (read that as a grouping of houses and a parish hall) where we would be getting a pre-arranged taxi to Bath where we had our next B&B. The taxi was meant to come for us at 4pm but we were due to arrive in Cold Ashton by noon and we wanted to get the Bath asap to get out of the heat. A morning of calling and texting via WhatsApp with the taxi transport company while I walked (good thing it was easy walking today or I would have fallen in a death gully) – and we had a taxi pick up for noon!

Following our break, we made our way to Cold Ashton to make sure we were ready for the taxi. The time between arrival and pick up afforded time for a little photo session!

Our taxi was on time and made quick work of the 20min ride to the Walton’s Guest House in Bath. We would be staying at this B&B for the next 3 nights and we were excited about not packing everything each morning.

We had showers and naps and then headed out about Bath (in the sweltering heat) for the evening – this included an amazing Italian meal on the riverside for Cheryl’s birthday. The best Carbonara I ever had that day and the worst sleep ever for all of us that night – historic buildings are not built for heat waves. Sweat, toss, sweat, hit pillow in frustration, sweat, toss, and morning alarm. The belly full of pasta and pints did not help but totally worth it!

More on our Bath excursions in a future post and our final day on the Cotswolds Way too!

Brande

Cotswold Way, Day 5 Haresfield to Dursley

July 17, 2022 / runningforthegate / 1 Comment

Day 5 of 8 is in the books and wow what a scorcher! We are in the middle of a heat wave here in England. I could never have guessed we would be up against 35+C temperatures! Too hot!

To beat the beat, we got our day started as soon as possible – skipping the included hot breaky from the Beacon Inn for a granola, fruit and yogurt option. We also got a ride from Jaguar Jenny (her name is Jenny and she drove, you guessed it, a Jaguar) back up to the trail head to save us a 2km CLIMB up a country lane that is not part of the Cotswold Way! Seems like a small distance but a climb like that in this heat takes time and energy we needed for the actual trail. Thanks again Jenny!

From there, we still had a climb though. The Path started with a forest climb up to our first high point of the day and great views! Which we immediately followed with a decline and another climb to the next one!

After that it was a lot of agricultural land walking – a corn field, wheat field, vineyard and pastures for the rest of the morning.

We stopped for ‘elevensies’ on a grassy, shaded spot in the town of Ebley. A chance to pop off the boots and socks to dry, get the feet up and enjoy some yummy snacks and good company.

At Eberley, we had a choice to make – a scenic route up and around the town with views across the hills OR an urban route through the little towns. The routes met up again in Pen Wood.

We maximized the experience and split 2 and 2! I had the pleasure of walking the scenic route and while I did not enjoy the burning hot, steep, long pastures we had to climb or the edge of the gully we had to walk … the views were pretty awesome!

The band was back together again in a couple hours in one of the highlights of the Way, Pen Wood, for our’twosies’ break. Then we started to make our way to our home for the night, Dursley.

But not before the Cotswold threw us another curve ball with a final, STEEP climb that near did my fear of heights right in! This pic does not do it justice – how steep and and how high the path is was so intimidating from the bottom. I could reach out and touch the hill as I slowly trudged my way up and may have resorted to a few very unattractive Gollum moments.

The reward was amazing though – great views and a long downhill trudge into Dursley where we found some delicious cold pints and a fantastic dinner at the King’s Head to end our day!

Brandé

Offa’s Dyke Path, Day4 Llangollen to Trefonen

June 29, 2022June 29, 2022 / runningforthegate / Leave a comment

Day 4 of 14 done and today was such a pleasure. I am between mountain ranges and very much appreciated the valley time today. Do not get me wrong, there were some doozy climbs but loads of rolling slopes too and these stems can eat those kilometers right up!

After a ride back up to Dinas Bras at 930am I started my day. A couple+ hours later than my preference but that is how B&Bs roll … if you want the breaky part of the B&B that is!

The day started with a lane walk but quickly shifted into fields and a lot of forest walking too – so quiet and so soft underground in the forest! Trevor Hall Forest was perfection!

From forest to canal! I was excited to walk along the canal for a while – seeing the very long passenger boats go by was so neat. Next time I think a canal ride between towns and then walking the rest of a day would be magic.

I chose the low path along the canal to get photos of the 126 foot high aqua-duct that the canal runs across (even the boats). The walk way on the aqua-duct is an alternative Offa’s Dyke Path route for those who like heights and we have established I do not!

After my canal time, it was field to lane to rocky trail again for the rest of the afternoon. The threat of rain hung in the air all day – but only torrential rained twice for a short time (less than 30mins) and immediately followed by sunny skies! Yahoo.

I did have a run in with some very stubborn milk cows .. these little jerks would not move so I could walk through. They just looked at me and kept eating grass. When I did a little arms wide ‘move on ladies’ they all stopped eating and looked at me.

That scared me a little, so I used the barb wire fence to try to gracefully cross a cow crap / bog swamp thing and well that failed miserably when I slipped off a stone into the ick and could feel my blister burst on impact. Ugh so sanitary.

Finally made my way across the poo bog and gave all the cows a wide berth to get across the field. But then they started following me. Ugh I double timed it big time! I am not drinking milk for a week – that will learn em!

(When I did Hadrian’s Wall Path in 2008 I was literally chased by a bull so I may be a little sensitive to the whole bovine thing.)

One of my big highlights today was meeting a fantastic couple on this bridge. They retired in Australia and are on a 3 month walking holiday, they have done a few Paths here I Uk have done (like Wes Highland Way) and a few I want to (like Coast to Coast) and … believe it or not .. they will be doing the Cotswold at the same time we are! Chess and Susie – hope to see you again but maybe let’s not stand about chatting for 30mins on the Path next time 😉 Pub would be better!

I finished up my day at 21km today and caught my transport into Oswestry – another fantastic little town to check out!

That last one there is my wee home for the night and my room has a Nespresso and a milk frother in it! I have not had a coffee since I left home – I may have done a little happy dance and forgave the cow jerks from earlier.

Tomorrow I am off to Welshpool which will be a 24km walk with more time on the canal – my foot is loving the easy walking. A good ‘rest’ as the next mountain days are looming.

Brandé

Offa’s Dyke Path, Day3 Clywyd Gate to Llangollen

June 28, 2022June 28, 2022 / runningforthegate / Leave a comment

Day 3 of 14 complete and what a beauty – I got a bit of everything today. Quiet lane waking, some hard work up and over livestock fields, quiet and dark forest paths, and even a lengthy and amazing stone pathed bog (my favorite!)

I topped out at 26 kilometers today in just over 8 hours and honestly I felt every step. Maybe a good time for a foot update…

4 months ago in a soccer / futbol match I tore 2 ligaments in my right foot. Not ruptured but a grade 3 tear aka barely hanging on. You cannot fix ligaments except with surgery and they don’t do that until they are fully torn (ruptured). The result was months of physiotherapy to make my foot and ankle and calf and hamstring stronger so they compensate for these now wimpy ligaments.

Well as I walk farther and harder (up and down steep sections of which are around every corner or stile) my muscles get tired which then let’s those ligaments misbehave. Long story long, we are only day 3 and every step feels like fire in my heel and a punch in the arch. Once I get a good clip on it feels much better (not gone) but after any break or pause it’s a bit of torture for a while and I am pretty super sore at night. Combine that with the rocky surface or cow churned up field and holy-heck-ouch. I have pain killers (not sure they work) and topical pain killer cream (I think helps a bit) and stretches but it’s feeling pretty ick.

I may need to build in a rest day and that makes this long distance hiker’s heart break – i will think about it over the next few days and pick it strategically if I do. I don’t want to mess up the Cotswold Way Walk that I do just after Offa’s with my sister Shar and our besties Rosa and Cheryl. I do have a rest day between so that’s good this and that – so that’s good!

Back to the good stuff …

I put up a compilation video on @runningforthegate Instagram off some of the different trail bits to give you an idea of that too.

What I didn’t get to do today was the scree crossing – this terrified of heights gal just couldn’t make it happen. I thought it was pretty short like 100-200meters and was fully prepared to make it /happen. But, oh no my friends it is over 2 MILES or 3.2 KILOMETERS long and there is NO exit and is largely just shoulder width with nothing on the edge. You have to strategically think about how you pass people. That is just too much for me. Ugh thinking about it makes me all tummy floppy. The tipping point was honestly 3 different walkers I passed who had just come from that section encouraging me (without prompting) to take the alternative lane route – that is was awful. Lane it is!

To give you an idea of what this scree crossing is all about … here is a photo of the scree path from the nice, flat, quiet and quaint lane I was walking (it runs parallel). See that line across the mid point of the scree slide? That is the path! The second picture is the same shot just super zoomed in to show you the hikers up there that you cannot even see in my first photo it’s so high and scary and awful and no thanks!

My day near wrapped up with a break on a bench (that they call seat around these parts) admiring the ruins of the Dinas Bras Castle – or as one old gent put it when he asked where I was headed as I walked past his farm ‘that there is a real castle not like one of those pretty Edwardian things England offers’. While having my break, I ate my classic apple and a chocolate as another old guy and I exchanged stories of our long distance walks, his favorite was West Highland Way. Me too!

From there it was a 40 min lane stroll down into Llangollen where I am staying at the Squirrels B&B which is amazing! My room is so great and perfect and I enjoyed a warm tea, some cookies and a little nap with my feet up the wall as soon as I strolled in.