It has been a good and busy week-and-a-half since I updated my blog. I had intended to blog last night, but a sudden drain on my laptop battery despite being plugged in prevented that from happening. Fortunately, a nearby laptop repair place was able to repair the problem quickly and inexpensively this afternoon with a new power cord for 22 quid.
I met Emily at Gatwick last Sunday morning. I forgot to give her all my contact information, so Immigration was rather unwilling to let her through, but after I contacted them and gave them some information she was allowed through.
We had a nice picnic in Green Park on Monday with David, and then went to see Oliver (Twist) that night. I was quite impressed with the props and different scenes they portrayed, from the church workhouse for orphans, to the funeral director's business where Oliver was sold into servitude, to the underground haunt of Fagin and company, to the streets of London, and Mr Brownell's house, and even the bridge where Mr. Brownell arranged to meet Nancy at midnight.
Tuesday, we began our trek through the Cotswolds. For the uninitiated, the Cotswolds is English cottage country, a quieter area away from the noise and rush of the city, with lots of sheep and horse farms scattered around. Lots of medieval villages and trails which are the remains of old (in some cases, Roman) roads dot the landscape. The Cotswolds are in southcentral England. If you find Birmingham, Cardiff, and London on the map, the Cotswolds are roughly in the centre of that triangle. Tuesday afternoon, we took the train from London Paddington up to Moreton-in-Marsh. As we didn't get started as early as hoped, and because it was raining when we arrived, we decided to scrap the idea to walk to Chipping Campden that evening, and chose to take the bus instead. We got settled at The Volunteer Inn that evening, so named because in the eighteenth century it was the office where men volunteered for the army. Then we headed out to find some supper. Emily was impressed with the cost of food at the pub we went to for dinner.
Moreton-in-Marsh main street
Wednesday, we set out about 9 am on the Cotswold Way, a trail of many historical roads/trails that has been recently established as a national trail. The area we traveled through was part of a nationally-designated AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). It was not difficult to see why it should be so called. Even shrouded in mist, it was breathtaking...lovely old stone homes with ivy growing up the walls, thatched roofs, brambly roses climbing the lattice, nestled amongst rolling pasturelands with sheep quietly grazing around us. What really surprised me was how the trail led straight through the middle of sheep pastures, or around the perimeter of wheat fields. These private properties have "public bridleways" cut through them, public access for hikers, equestrians, and cyclists.
Just outside Chipping Campden on the Cotswold Way
We got to Broadway Tower shortly after 11 am, and spent some time going up the tower where we had a lovely view of the surrounding area (each side of the tower had a sign telling us what we could see 5, 15, 25, and 50 miles away). The Tower itself was also called the "Earl's Folly," as it was created more for show than defence. One popular story sugests that the three turrets were for the earl's three wives. After another hour-long walk, we arrived in Broadway about 1 pm. Broadway was a beautiful town with tourist prices to match--like an older version of St. Jacobs, I'd say.
The town of Broadway
After spending the afternoon in Broadway, we headed out to our B and B accomodation, three miles out of town. It felt like a rather long walk after already walking 8 miles that day and we were glad to reach our destination around 6 pm. Our host was out at a golf game when we arrived, so we let ourselves in (she'd left the key in the door) and settled in. When she got home she made us sandwiches and left squares for us to eat. After a long day, we headed to bed in good time.
The next day, we decided to take the bus to Stanton, owing to Emily's blistered feet. Stanton is a secluded little village, a bedroom community where gardens are meticulously groomed and there is no rubbish on the streets at all. It felt rather like Whitevale to me--though again, much older. I loved all the old stone walls around, no mortar used, just stones roughly set one on top of the other. Stones and greenery combine in an organic way everywhere, as seen in the steps below.
Flower-covered steps in the village of Stanton
A quiet street in the sleepy town of Stanton
A home in Stanton
walking ability--and spent some time communing with the sheep in the pasture nearby, which Emily especially enjoyed. She managed to stroke a few sheep briefly before they ran away.
Emily on the main street in Winchcombe
On Friday, we took the bus into Cheltenham from Winchcombe and walked through the centre of Cheltenham to get to the train station to take us back to London. After some of the beautiful places we had seen, Cheltenham didn't impress me as much, but perhaps I was just jaded after our previous experiences. On Wednesday, we were snapping pictures left and right everywhere we turned!
We had English cream tea while waiting on the platform for the train to come in. That included a scone with jam and clotted cream (which is about halfway between butter and whipped cream) and a cup of tea.
After getting back to London, we joined some friends from the London Mennonite Centre for a game of Settlers...first time I've played since leaving Canada. That was fun, and we decided we should do it again sometime. Emily had very much enjoyed her time and was already commenting she wished she could stay another week.
After getting home around 9, we made plans to go to Windsor Castle the next day. I'll blog about that sometime in the next night or two.
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