LEJOG day 17: Old Sodbury to Dursley
I have had another lovely day waltzing along the Cotswold way- if you can call nearly 18 miles at an average pace of under 3mph a waltz, that is. The section of the Way between Old Sodbury and Dursley is really quite a show-off, taking you past two monuments, three woods, countless churches (meaning I couldn't be bothered to count them), two forts and a National Trust property, Horton Court.
I should have mentioned yesterday that the route took me over the site of the Civil War Battle of Lansdowne- which was adorned with metal flags and information boards, and I was on board with it all until one told me the battle was "especially poignant" because the commanders of the Royalist and Parliamentarian armies had been childhood friends. I sort of lost patience with the information boards after this point.
The weather was lovely, the path well-marked (again) and the people I said "hello" to mostly said it back- the only fly in the ointment was the constant steep ascents and descents, which my knees did not particularly appreciate. Tomorrow's route is a much more moderate 14 miles, although supposed to take 6 hours all the same, so I worry about the climbing involved there again. But it's a very mild worry, because I have had tea and shortbread. And have just been handed a glass of homemade elderflower wine, which makes it pretty hard to care about anything much.
Distance walked: 17.86 miles
Time taken: 6h 12
Percentage completed: 24.7%
Boot cost per mile: £0.33
Lunch: one ham and pickle and one ham and cheese roll from the general store in Hawkesbury Upton, and some biscuits pinched from last night's hotel
Last night's B&B: The Cross Hands hotel, Old Sodbury: an old posting house with a serious disconnect between the standard of the hotel (excellent) and of the restaurant (...not excellent), which would have been better off sticking with pub fare and doing it well rather than trying to be fancy.
The first of two monuments
Another monument- Tyndrum
View from Tyndrum, I think
I should have mentioned yesterday that the route took me over the site of the Civil War Battle of Lansdowne- which was adorned with metal flags and information boards, and I was on board with it all until one told me the battle was "especially poignant" because the commanders of the Royalist and Parliamentarian armies had been childhood friends. I sort of lost patience with the information boards after this point.
The weather was lovely, the path well-marked (again) and the people I said "hello" to mostly said it back- the only fly in the ointment was the constant steep ascents and descents, which my knees did not particularly appreciate. Tomorrow's route is a much more moderate 14 miles, although supposed to take 6 hours all the same, so I worry about the climbing involved there again. But it's a very mild worry, because I have had tea and shortbread. And have just been handed a glass of homemade elderflower wine, which makes it pretty hard to care about anything much.
Distance walked: 17.86 miles
Time taken: 6h 12
Percentage completed: 24.7%
Boot cost per mile: £0.33
Lunch: one ham and pickle and one ham and cheese roll from the general store in Hawkesbury Upton, and some biscuits pinched from last night's hotel
Last night's B&B: The Cross Hands hotel, Old Sodbury: an old posting house with a serious disconnect between the standard of the hotel (excellent) and of the restaurant (...not excellent), which would have been better off sticking with pub fare and doing it well rather than trying to be fancy.
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