Tewkesbury to Worcester-19 miles

The weather forecast for this morning had been filled with doom and gloom with wet weather and strong winds by 11 am.I felt that my best plan was an early breakfast and to try and get as near to Worcester before the deluge began. Leaving Tewkesbury I crossed two large rivers,the Avon and the Severn. My plan was to follow the Severn all along the Severn way footpath to Worcester . After three mile of doing this all seemed well, all I had to do was to follow the river. Suddenly without warning everything changed. The path I was following stopped and disappeared into a large jungle of Hymalian  balsam . This was about 8' tall and provided no clue on where to go. I thrashed my way through and by now my coat was soaked and covered with pink debris from the flowers. After about 20 yards more of jungle warfare I found traces of the path again and arrived at Shipton upon Severn. I decided after this episode that I would take the minor roads along side the Severn until they took me via a cycleway to the centre of Worcester. As I reached Worcester the cathedral bells were ringing and I found my B and B and reflected on my days adventure. It had stayed mostly dry all day and the prophets of doom were proved wrong. My journey had come to the end for another year. Next year it would be time to visit Shropshire and Cheshire God willing.

Cheltenham to Tewkesbury- 13 miles

It had rained most of the night and the morning had a similar theme to it, as I broke free of the urban area and out into the countryside. My route left the Cotswold way and followed a series of minor roads and footpaths in order to join up to the Gloucester way that would take me to Tewkesbury. There is always something very uncertain about public footpaths, that centres around their maintenance (or lack of it).This is how it was to be today as the footpath I had been following suddenly headed into a maize field with just a very muddy track through the middle. I emerged through the other side with mud laden boots only to be confronted by the path continuing across a ploughed field. This was too much for me and I headed around the narrow field margin to ensure I picked up the minimum of mud on my boots. I still managed to reach the other side walking like an astronaut with heavy space boots on. It took a few miles and lots of wet grass to shake off the farmers field.  Eventually I reached Tewkesbury and found a tea room where I ate my way through a toasted sandwich,some carrot cake and ice cream, washed down with a pot of tea and a glass of beer. I thought I would push the boat out! I found my B and B which was friendly and comfortably and showered away my aches and pains before finding an Italian  restaurant for my evening meal.

 

Painswick to Cheltenham - 15miles

As I drew back the curtain I could see that it was going to be one of those damp drizzly mornings. I had breakfast with some Australians, before loading up and heading out of the town, via a footpath across the golf course.  I was back on the Cotswold way again which headed over the hills to Birdlip through a series of dark damp woodlands. Every so often I would meet American walkers dressed in ponchos which they must have found useful as the rain got heavier. The woods following overnight rain had become sticky with mud and slopes had to be taken with care to avoid falling over. The swirling mist got denser the higher I got as I approached Birdlip. It was a bit like a scene from the Hounds of the Baskervilles. At Birdlip the welcome sight of The Air Balloon pub came into view and I stopped for lunch and to dry myself out. After lunch the sun came out and I descended off the hills to Cheltenham. After a while I reached the town centre and found my bed and breakfast. When staying in B and B's you have some pleasant surprises and unpleasant ones. This definitely fell into the latter category as the lady of the house had to be one of the least humorous people I have ever met. She seemed totally unsuited to the role that life had appointed her to of meeting and greeting  and reminded me of one of the Stepford wives, although less helpful. Breakfast next morning was a poor affair so I left early for the road to

Tewkesbury.  

Wotton-Under-Edge to Painswick 19 miles

Coughing and sneezing I washed,packed and went down for breakfast. Weatabix ,tea and toast were the order of the day. I decided to "man up" stock up on Lemsips and Vic vapour rub at the local store and hit the road. Getting out of Wotton is a hilly affair and the first two miles were tricky for a man with a blocked nose, but as the day went on my throat felt better and I was back in the groove of lo

ng distance walking again. This is one of the most beautiful parts of the Cotswolds as you get nearer to Painswick. Wonderful woodlands with great views to little valleys and mellow stone villages.  I descended from the hills across a Nature reserve into the splendid small town of Painswick. My B and B was excellent and after a long hot shower I meet up with my nephew Nick for a meal at the Falcon Inn. It was the perfect end to what had been a challenging day.

Tormarton to Wotton-Under -Edge 14.0 miles

Morning broke and after breakfast I packed and hit the trail which started just outside the door of my B and B. A gentle flattish walk began across farmers fields which eventually lead to parkland and then onto rolling hillside villages. I made good progress and just around mid day found a really good pub for lunch run by the local community. The sticky toffee pudding was particularly excellent and refreshed by this I came to the hilly woodlands and deep lanes that make up the "Edge" that Wotton nestles beneath . These deep lanes are beautiful and wild. As the day went on and the effects of my glass of Butcombe bitter wore off I became aware of a feeling of slight unease. My throat felt slightly sore and by the time I reached my B and B things had got seriously worse. It was very sore by now and I had started coughing with a streaming cold. I purchased some throat sweets and druged myself up for the night. I awoke about 3 am feeling really rough, and wondered would I be able to go on in the morning? At 3 am in a strange place, feeling rubbish, everything seems bad, but I prayed that I would feel different when daybreak came.I thankfully

fell off to sleep until the murky light of morning crept through my curtains and woke me up.

Bath to Tormarton 18.5 miles

Alison waved goodbye and drove away down the narrow lane from Pennsylvania farm and in a minute she had disappeared from sight. I find it always hard starting out on a journey by myself, but once under way I relax and enjoy the moment. Perhaps I am just very poor at saying goodbye. I followed narrow tracks past travellers wagons and trucks parked in an old lane before crossing the busy A4 and finding the cycle path that leads from Bath to Bristol. After a few miles and having been "buzzed" by  middle aged men in Lycra, I left the cycleway and joined a footpath that took me along side the river Avon. I then headed into the hills to join the Cotswold way. The sun had broken through and I peeled of my layers as the path rose upwards.The Cotswold way is fairly well signed, but has occasional moments where it does not bother very much and you and your map are left to fend for yourself. My afternoon settled into its routine of ups and downs, of wind and sun, but as always happens when I feel hungry,  there is nowhere to stop. I face the fact that I am going to have to eat another Milky Way when out of nowhere, two miles from Tormarton a burger van is parked in a lay-by. As is the case with this type of "dinning" it usually smells and looks better than it tastes, but it was cheap and I was very hungry!  My B and B at Tormanton was lovely and a bath takes away all my aches and pains. I wondered what tomorrow would bring?