Leaving the village of Longborough and heading toward Stow on the Wold...
What a quiet tranquil little spot...
Goodbye kitty!
Not a soul out and about...
Heading out of town, following the public pathway...
Past a lovely spot where the villagers used to get their water long ago...
The sun was shining and the colours were glorious!
Back out into the countryside once again...
It's a wonder I got to where I was going - there were so many amazing distractions...
and I had to take photos of them all!
dried flowers...
Holly bushes!
and a nice little "stump table" where I sat and had a snack...
at which time I looked back!! and saw Longborough from a distance!!
I learned to ALWAYS LOOK BACK!! Some of the best views were behind me!
Back on the trail after my snack break...
My hard working feet! I LOVE my hiking boots - they are so comfortable which is rather important!! I heard lots of horror stories about people struggling with blisters but not with these boots!
Getting up much higher - Stow on the Wold is on a hill so up up up I go!
The public footpath took me right through people's property, sometimes right across their front lawn or through their back lanes...past their outbuildings...most folks were friendly, thankfully.
A rather large manor house...
Sometimes the path takes you down narrow paved lanes and you'll see the occasional car zipping along fearlessly!
A beautiful bush with large red berries, not sure what it is...
The path is now taking me through this gateway...
and through a churchyard...
there's the church...
and past another manor house...
through another gate...
and I thought I had arrived!!
But apparently NOT!! No, I had the longest, hugest, steepest hill of the day yet to climb!! And I wasn't alone. In a funny incident there was a fellow on a bike following a map for bikes...the hill was SO STEEP that he was in his last gear and he pedalled furiously while I walked along beside him - we were able to carry on a conversation quite easily until finally the path levelled out and turned to the left and off he went...
and I followed along behind...
...the path opened up and there, finally, was my first stop - Stow on the Wold!!
I followed my map which took me towards the town square and the ever present High St.
From there I had directions to my next B & B called The Lime House....
And tomorrow I will share with you what I found in the lovely Stow on the Wold - perhaps my favourite little village of them all???
Oh my, the pictures of the villages are so charming. I wonder if their residents know they live in what I consider a fairytale? The picture of your boots cracked me up. The way you are holding your foot looks like you have the right boot on the left boot. I know this wasn't the case or you wouldn't commenting how comfortable they are. Thanks for taking us along on your trip. I would like to do a similar trip, but by bicycle.
ReplyDeleteKim, I thought the same thing about the boots... It must have been the angle... Love the pics!
ReplyDeleteWhat stunning sights! Amazing.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait! The public loos there had me in stitches.Did you see the cottage with the huge wisteria covering the front? Last time I was there I went into a hotel bar...uber modern on the inside, so not what I was expecting.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm enjoying this almost as much as you did!
Jane x
Yes, that's England! Oh I do miss it all of the time.
ReplyDeleteJane, I'm curious. Did you just buy a map of walking trails and follow along at your own pace or were the accommodations and such set up for you? This trip looks absolutely wonderful and I'd love to do the same thing in the future.
ReplyDelete