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.