My feet felt great, but my shoulders were very sore and red because of the weight of my rucksack. The thin t-shirt I wore offered no protection against the shoulder straps and it wasn't long before the irritated skin from the previous day started to turn a deeper shade of angry red.
It was quickly apparent that I was entering the Cotswolds, a region in the heart of England that I would argue is among the most beautiful this little island has to offer. Picture postcard thatched cottages, nook and cranny pubs dating back 600 years and views dominated by arable farming. Walking through this landscape is like being on the sepia movie set of a film in a bygone era. It's old, beautiful and right there waiting for you to walk in it.
With a few miles under my belt, I came across what I had been dreading since I set off; man eating cows. Don't underestimate these beasts. They may seem innocent with their slow munching action, docile expression and comedic methane expulsions. But what lies behind those murderous cold eyes is a driving lust for revenge against mankind for generations of enslavement and humiliation at the cold hands of the milking maid. And when these brutes charge, it's 500 pounds of beef heading your way with only dainty trotters as brakes. Nope, you won't get me within a hundred yards of cows. Luckily for me on this occasion, barbed wire and mines kept them at bay in an adjacent field (it just looks like an innocent fence in the picture).
The first hamlet I came too was Cherington. I emerged from woodland to see that a village fete was being dismantled from the day before. Everyone looked very much the worse for wear, including a few that looked like the hay maze had been their bed for the night. I quickly proceeded on my way because it looked like I may get roped into striking tents and dismantling coconut stands if I dawdled.
Leaving Cherington, the map showed that I had a little pull up into the next stage of my route. It was only a few hundred feet of ascent over a short distance, which is nothing compared to my usual weekend excursions of walking up 3000-4000 feet mountains, but in the midday sun, a heavy rucksack and wearying legs from the day before, that 300 feet felt more like 3000. And it was getting hotter. So hot, in fact, that I realized that my boots were leaving an imprint in the road!! I also realized that I needed to radically increase my intake of liquids in such heat -- probably a contributing factor to the exhaustion I felt after such a girly climb.
But the next few miles were glorious. I walked through deep woods on Redliff Hill, over wheat fields in full growth and through Long Compton Woods into the little village of Long Compton. I stopped here for lunch at a local pub; two pints of shandy and a tasty pie put the wind back into my sails. I think my bear feet and steamy socks put the people next to me off their Sunday lunch, but it had to be done.
As the afternoon wore on, it got hotter and hotter. I later discovered that it reached 34 degrees that day. The vistas continued to stop me in my tracks, but my thoughts were becoming dominated by the increasing pain from my shoulders and, due to a stupid jump over a little brook and the badly judged landing on slippery mud, my right knee was beginning to ache rather badly.
But the pains were temporarily forgotten as I came across the delightful little hamlet of Little Rollright. Three grand homes surrounded a 14th century church, all of which was nestled in a valley that looked more in keeping with Nappa Valley in California than middle-England. After another quick drink stop, I continued to stomp out the remaining few miles of the day through fields of corn into Chipping Norton.
Chipping Norton is an attractive town of large, Edwardian (or is it Georgian?) style five story buildings built in light colored stone that cut a very grand, imposing figure. The pub didn't have any record of my reservation, which was going to be a real problem in a busy tourist destination, especially with three Americans joining me that night. I didn't have the energy to complain, so I just ordered a large cold one and told the lady that I'd be outside while she worked out what to do with us. It worked to our advantage - we got a house to ourselves for the evening at a bargain basement rate.
All that was left to do was soak in a long, hot bath, do my laundry and sit on the enormous bed with two bags of frozen peas on my knee and shoulder. This was the sight that greeted my friends from the U.S.! And so the night began.......
Miles Walked: 16.52
Steps: 29,558
Time Walking: 5hrs 8mins
Calories: 1343
Weather: Blisteringly hot!
(Regarding the pictures: double click to enlarge so that you can see them better)
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