A Day with Annie and on to Norwich

It was wonderful meeting Annie. I've been following her blog and she's been following mine for several years. I watched her exciting journey as she went through school and then decided to move from Whitehorse (in Canada) to the UK!! After visiting I can understand the allure - I would love to live there myself! Oh...if only I could afford it!

Annie braved the highway to come all the way to Moreton-in-Marsh to pick me up - about a 2 hour drive I think. She didn't sleep much the night before. After a breakfast sandwich we got back on the road in her spiffy "new" car as I was spending the night at her and her cousin's place and then I was taking the train to London then onwards to Norwich.  We got a little confused with the roads on the way back and saw a bit of Oxford :) but otherwise the drive was brilliant - Annie is fast becoming a pro driving on the left side of the road. Me - I'd be terrified to even try!

We stopped here at Morrisons to get a few groceries - the prices were surprisingly low!

Look at the gorgeous sky! The clouds were spectacular and quite unusual!

Although only 2 hours from the Cotswolds the landscape and architecture were quite different. Instead of the golden limestone here everything is built with bricks.

And I didn't see any PALM TREES in the Cotswold villages. It still amazes me to see them! We were much closer to the southern coast of England and the effects of the gulf stream could be seen everywhere. By Annie's house there was a cage with a couple of guinea pigs - they stay outside year round!! I said - "what about when it snows?" Silly me - it doesn't snow!!

We were quite content to settle in for a relaxing tea-drinking afternoon and talked and talked and talked!! It was my first day NOT walking and I had woken up with the sniffles. I was happy to rest and I think Annie was happy to be safely back home after the busy highways!

IF ONLY I had room in my suitcase I would have brought home this pile of "cozy mysteries" but I had to settle for taking a photo instead and will borrow them from the library. Annie and I both love this genre of literature!

At dinner I treated Annie to a big meal from "The Carvery" at the local pub. It wasn't our first choice of meal but we discovered that on Sundays that is all that is available. So we filled up on roasted turkey, yorkshire pudding, tons of veg and potatoes and gravy - it was really really good! I haven't had yorkshire pudding since my mother was alive, so probably 20 years or more ago. I enjoyed it immensely! There was a game of trivia going on and we did our best :)  My brother Gord had suggested I try a pint of bitters while in England and I saw that this pub had bitters on tap so of course I sampled some. Found something else I like!! Thanks Gord!

We talked and talked some more after our dinner and we both encouraged each other with writing projects. Annie's done her part - posted to her blog a couple of times - but I'm still in the pre-writing stage with my plan. So much to get done before I can engage in a project. But someday...

The next morning we headed off to the train station and saw a few animals along the way :) A couple of cows having a walk along the side of the road and horses roaming freely in the forest. I missed seeing the pigs eating the acorns unfortunately!  Go HERE to see the pigs on Annie's blog!

It was sad to say goodbye to Annie knowing that we'd soon have the entire Atlantic Ocean between us but I had to carry on with the rest of my trip. I promise I'll come back!! (for a longer visit :)

 After a 2 hour train trip to London, 2 rides on the underground and another 2 1/2 hour train trip to Norwich, and a taxi to my B & B in the little village of Mulbarton it was time to settle into my room - "The African Room" for THREE NIGHTS!! What luxury not having to pack up my suitcase every night!  It sort of felt like I was in an entirely different country so the name of my room was fitting!

If I were to redo this trip I would have stayed in Norwich instead of Mulbarton. I had to take a bus into Norwich each day and there was no bus or other transportation to Dickleburgh which was south of Mulbarton and where I had hoped to visit as some of my ancestors were from there. There was a bus to a village near Dickleburgh from Norwich but by the time I would get back to Norwich the bus to Mulbarton was no longer running. So next time I go I'll stay in Norwich and won't have to worry about the rural transportation.

Not that I minded taking the bus into Norwich!! I loved it! It was a double decker bus so I sat on the 2nd floor right at the front and managed a few photos of the lovely views.

This is what I could see from the bathroom window (not a good photo, there's a bit of a reflection). It was a very rustic spot my B&B - they had dogs and a couple of horses. In fact they weren't even IN Mulbarton, they were outside of it so I had to walk a mile to the bus stop which seemed like nothing after my wanderings.

When I think of Norfolk County this is what I think of - the misty trees.

 My B & B - isn't it glorious? My room looked over the conservatory on the right.

This is on the way to the bus stop in the village.

And this is coming back - the B&B is to the right of the opening.

One night walking back from the bus stop I got a little lost (more about that later) and when I asked several people if they knew which road I needed to take to find Brick Kiln Lane which was the road the B&B was on they'd never heard of it!! This is a closeup of the street sign - it was falling over and a bit hidden.

They have poppies on this side of England too!

Getting closer to the village...

Lots more berries - yes, I sampled!

And public footpaths here too - believe me, I was tempted!!

This is a scarecrow in someone's garden - I don't know who the person is in the photo?? but I thought it was an original way of scaring off the birds :)

The village green in Mulbarton.

Unique style of homes - I really like them!

The Purple Line! That's my route.

 And off we go to Norwich!

Still a bit misty here and there...

And now we're in Norwich. I've asked the driver to tell me when we're in the "City Centre".

Which he did! I spent two days exploring Norwich - a village called "Old Catton" (my mother's maiden name), Norwich Cathedral, the outdoor market etc. Stay tuned...

Back to Moreton-in-Marsh

I don't have a lot of photos for this part of my journey - I know, unbelievable eh? Well, here's the thing - as I was walking along I decided to videotape my walk with my wee camera and although I had to start and stop a few times due to checking my map and other walkers happening along they turned out pretty good. So once I'm done with my regular photos I'll be posting a few short video clips. EXCITING, I know!  You can walk along with me!

So these few photos cover the portion of my trek from Blockley to Moreton-in-Marsh - not a long distance and most of it now on film.

Goodbye Blockley!

You are very quaint!

Beginning to climb...

My last day with sheep!

And they all totally ignored...

...me! A sheep-whisperer I am not!

Looking back...

Lots of hills on my last day - I'm getting used to them. Blockley in the distance.

Just before I climb over what might be my last stile I'll say farewell to my bovine friends...they do take such an excellent photo :)

And here's my stile, conveniently located at the top of several fields and hills so that I can sit, have a drink of water and eat an apple.  Once my snack was finished I had my last map problem.  We (my fellow walkers and I) were given a new page of instructions to replace a change in the route. However, when I looked at the new instructions they turned out to be word for word the same as what was in the booklet! So, we had to figure out the next few steps on our own. Well, my friends had some canine help, I wasn't that lucky!

Where I was supposed to turn left there was a large pile of rocks and the field gate was smashed to the ground. And no path. Obviously this was not the way to go. I checked around to see if I could find another path - no luck. Then, off in the distance I see a couple of people walking up yet another hill to my right.  I decide to throw my luck in with theirs. I went over to where they were walking and within about 20 minutes I find a landmark and get back on the right path.

Later at dinner with my walking friends from the Boston area and Quebec I hear how they were helped by someone's farm dog. While they were looking at the same pile of rocks and smashed field gate and wondering what to do a dog ran past them and went a little ways up the hill, it stopped and barked at them. The dog barked a couple of times and they realized the dog wanted them to follow it, so they did. It stayed a little ahead of them and kept turning and barking. Once they were at the top of the hill and had found the path they needed to be on the dog ran back down the hill! Wow! What a great story!

Back on track!

This is the path I needed to be on.

The rest of the walk was pretty uneventful. It was a Sunday and there were more people out walking than usual.

What a magnificent tree! Lots more people walking...

Surprise!! More sheep - these guys look friendlier :)

And back to the Redesdale Arms where I stayed on my first night. I had a different room, but just as nice.  I sure wished I liked the free sherry!  This is the back of the hotel and the entrance to my room is on my right. Once I showered and changed and relaxed for a bit I headed over to the White Hart Inn for a final dinner of lasagna, garlic bread and a couple of pints with the folks from Boston and Quebec. We discussed the reasons we had for going on such an adventure - mine to build up my confidence by "finding my way" from place to place. I was pretty proud of myself at this point and so glad I completed my adventure - there were times when I felt pretty homesick and not up to the challenge but I kept going.

WE DID IT!!

I DID IT!!

Heading back to where I started!

My last day of walking (sort of)... I lingered over coffee and a newspaper before I made my start...at this point I was wishing I had another two weeks of walking ahead of me. I'm feeling fit and I love the routine of getting up and back on the road each day.  My confidence is stronger and I can't remember a time when I've enjoyed myself more. The combination of hiking through the most gorgeous countryside imaginable, the history-filled villages, the amazing adventurers and locals that I've met, meeting up with fellow blogger Annie, exercise, fresh air, good food - I just don't want it to end!!

The stairs to ? I am standing in the back courtyard of my hotel, getting ready to start on my walk back to Moreton-in-Marsh.

Ok, I'm going, I'm really going now...goodbye Chipping Camden!

Goodbye plump pigeon!

 I followed a little stream, or canal, out of town...

 Looking back of course...

 It was right about here where a number of paths intersected and for the life of me I couldn't figure out which way to go. I couldn't find the landmark and the instructions were very confusing:
"Here turn left by Meadowback House (there was a sign but NO house!) and immediately turn right following the field boundary before the path heads across the open field towards a post and kissing gate." 

Well, not knowing where to turn left and then immediately right I was at a loss... a woman came along walking her dog so I asked her if she knew which way I should go in order to get to Broad Campden and thankfully she was able to head me in the right direction.  I have no idea what happened to "Meadowback House!" Even the map I had showed NO turns (left or right) between Chipping Camden and Broad Campden so I was a bit confused, but no matter, I was back on track.

I was on the Heart of England Way and it wasn't long before Broad Campden came into view.

 The path took me right across the front lawn of this cottage..

There's the path and the cottage is out of view to my left.

 ...and there it is behind me...I had emerged from those trees past the car...

 I loved the path through this little area...first a gate...

 ...and a winding stone path between houses...

...until I emerged onto an open road once again...

 Time for a snack?

 What a gorgeous little village...

...the requisite church...

...and thatched cottages...

 ...back to the countryside and a few hills to climb...

 ...I started to hear some shots!...

 ...and really hoped I wasn't in the way!!  And no, I didn't stop to find out what was going on... any ideas?

 I concentrated on getting out of range...puff puff puff...

 ...and then got lost in the incredible views...

 ...I had a LOT of fields to walk through...and found lots of poppies growing wild...

 ...the path I was on was also a bridlepath. And I wasn't alone on the path!

I went through another farm yard...

 ...where I took a TON of photos to allow some other walkers time to get ahead of me...

...then it was back on the road again...and such a beautiful road it was...

 I enjoyed every moment of it...

 This photo shows where I'm going...you can see the path in the bottom left hand corner...I'm going down the hill, over a fence and then up the next hill. See you there!

 I'm down and now heading up...

 and up...

 ...what's through here?

It's the village of Blockley!

 The houses you see to the left are the old mill worker's cottages...

Love the path cutting across a cultivated field! Can't get lost here!

 And here is Blockley. There is supposed to be a little store/cafe with washrooms. It shouldn't be too hard to find.

 I'll just head to the church, usually that's the centre of the village...

I had a nice refreshing ginger beer and a snack, used the washroom and explored a little. I met up with new friends from Quebec in the cafe but they were just heading out - I'll see them later at dinner in Moreton-in-Marsh.

 I explored the beautiful church of St. Peter and St. Paul and picked up the path again on the other side of the church.

 Next stop: Moreton-in-Marsh!

 So long Blockley!!