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!!

Chipping Camden

 What a great town Chipping Camden is! Bigger than all of the villages I've been visiting with many more opportunities for SHOPPING!  And being just down the road from Stratford upon Avon there were bus loads and bus loads of people strolling the streets. Not like the quiet little villages I've gotten used to!

Sheep Street: as with most villages and towns in this area the streets radiated out from High St. so that the mighty sheep could be herded to market.

Ummmm, dropped some cash here...jewelry (say no more say no more!!)

 A trio of private school girls walking home from a tough day at school :)... (note the bus)...

There's my hotel - The Noel Arms!

 And through here was a nice outdoor patio where I read the newspaper, had a coffee and lemon tart while I waited for my luxurious room to be ready.

More of the hotel...

 Nary a parking spot to be had!

 I bought a book of maps and routes here...for...you know...my next trip!!

This shop was full of funny signs plus they had a huge selection of scarves and jewelry - I bought myself a scarf covered in owls so I could remember my "tawny owl" encounter and also a pair of earrings that had little gold skeleton keys dangling on them to remind me of all of my B&Bs!

There were a couple of vintage stores here too and I bought a set of hand woven placemats. All easily packable items for the trip home!

A very old town dating back to the time of knights and chivalry...

 Yes, this crest is dated 1487...

I love this photo...it's like a glimpse back in time...

 Do you suppose those guys have sore necks?

 Hi puppy!

 Anyone know what a wool stapler does?

 ME!

 Again! I need a haircut!

 How the hotel staff knew I needed a bottle of champagne...

All the mod cons!

 I met up with my fellow walkers to eat in the dining room of the Noel Arms. The chef is known for his curries and it was spectacular! Lots of wine, lots of good conversation and we made plans for a final dinner tomorrow night at the White Hart Hotel in Moreton in Marsh. We're feeling a little sad that tomorrow is our last walking day!!

And now that I've found my room for the last time I'm off to bed. Tomorrow I walk full circle as I end up back in Moreton in Marsh and stay at the Redesdale Arms once more. And then I meet Annie!!

But one last thing. When I was walking today I found a bush with these berries on it - I'm certain this was the berry in my seasonal salad the other night!!

Walkabout in Moreton-in-Marsh

 This will be a challenge: I have one kitten to the righ[t [[o
f-----[[ of me (that's her gibberish, not mine) and one kitten to the left of me who is acting as an arm rest for my left forearm (thank you Luna for at least being somewhat useful!!!) Sheesh!!

Ok, here we go.  The door to my room at the Redesdale Arms in Moreton-in-Marsh is between the two large baskets of flowers in the photo below. I was all checked in by 3pm so I had time for a little walkabout in the village.  The order of the photos is not exact because of uploading from both my camera and my iPhone and perhaps even my iPad, who knows, not me, I can't remember, but bear with me.

But isn't it the sweetest little room??

 Finding the motherlode of elderberries happened a bit later but in the grand scheme of events in the world...who cares? They were at perfect ripeness, lushness at its best and I dug right in :)  I was raised eating bucketfulls, literally, of elderberries - do you know how long it takes to take enough off their stems for a pie??? LOADS!!

Then, much later, I had dinner at a sweet little restaurant and had elderberry tea - how perfect!!

 This is the courtyard of the restaurant - there were people there when I arrived but within about 30 minutes I had the place to myself. Yes, I showered.

Dinner was to die for veggie lasagna and what they called a "salad garnish". In other words, very little salad.

Here's a picture of the front of the restaurant - it was called "The Marshmallow"!! How sweet is that!?

Here are some photos of my hotel room - I think they thought I was 80 years old or perhaps every bathroom looks like this...handles everywhere, even a place to sit to shower in the "wet bath".

 A huge bed for one. I was able to open my suitcase up on one half of the bed and still have plenty of room for sleeping.

I love British telly!!

Free sherry!! Guess what - I don't like sherry!  Too bad it wasn't scotch...

Lots of free tea, coffee and hot chocolate.  Cookies in each cup too :)

 A closeup of a flower from the baskets outside my door.

Some of the buildings on High St. (which is what the main street of each village/town is called). Most buildings are constructed from the local limestone and thus have stood for hundreds of years and will likely continue to stand for hundreds more.

 The front door of my hotel.

How fences are built in these parts - dry stone walls they're called since no mortar is used.

A pond down the street from the hotel - there were lots of ducks swimming around.

Photo of my hotel from across the street.

  Another entrance leading to the back of the hotel.

Above the door: "Every noble life leaves the fibre of it interwoven for ever in the work of the world."  by Ruskin (John Ruskin, I presume, a prominent art critic and social thinker in the Victorian era.)

  I spared you about 1,000 photos of the village...you're welcome....but here's just a few more...

 

It was further along this street that I found the elderberries...

 I had a nice wander in this cemetery...you'll see as the days go by that this isn't the only cemetery I visited!!  But it was one of the prettiest!

  Flower identification anyone??

And finally one last gorgeous view from Moreton-in-Marsh!