"They arrived in Bath. Catherine was all eager delight; her eyes were here, there, and everywhere." - from 'Northanger Abbey' by Jane Austen

A day of rest and learning some of the rich history of Bath. Some of the firsts of Bath include the first department store, the discovery of Uranus a new (at the time) planet, the first buildings constructed in a crescent, and the first postage stamp.

 Hundreds of 'brollies' suspended over a laneway in Bath.

 The Royal Mail being delivered. On one occasion during the hike we were walking down a narrow woods road not expecting to see anyone and along came a red Royal Mail van. It seems they deliver everywhere.

 We went on a 2 hour walking tour this morning with this sprightly guide. She probably had 20 years on me and I could barely keep up with her. She would finish explaining something and then say, "All right, then, come on." and away she went. Add British accent there.

 See the above picture for the wall this was set into. It was formerly a small opening and there would be someone responsible for collecting human waste (night soil) from the home on the other side of the wall. A boy would go through, collect the buckets and add them to the cart.  Then it was taken to the allotments farther on. Apparently, it is still very fertile ground.

Known as the Royal Crescent, this building houses 33 apartments which currently sell for 600,000 British pounds, about a million Canadian dollars, for a one bedroom flat. Must be the exclusive address!

 Inside the Bath Abbey. The architecture in here was breathtaking. The stained glass alone was so incredibly beautiful and we had to just sit for a few moments and take it all in. Originally on this site was a Benedictine monastery established in the 7th century. The abbey was rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries with major restoration in the 1860s. On this site, the first King of all England, Edgar, was crowned by the archbishop of Canterbury in 973.  

 Stained glass depicting the woman washing Jesus' feet with perfume - the colours were so rich and deep - hard to take it all in.

 Lots of street musicians out on this lovely day. The Roman baths are in the opening behind the statues at a much lower level. A very romantic setting!

 "Water is best" says this temperance statue. The same inscription in Greek is on the Roman Baths building.

 Anna, this one's for you. A bookstore with the necessity of rolling ladders.

 This street with shops on either side is actually the Pulteney bridge over the Avon River. It was built in 1774 to entice shoppers to the new developments on the other side. 

This is the same bridge viewing it from the water side. Perhaps Kentville could copy this design for the new bridge over the Cornwallis river.

 Heading back to our B&B for our last night in Bath. Onward to Gatwick tomorrow.

Youngsters getting ready for a cricket game. The Bath cricket grounds were established in 1859. Seems to be a very civilized sport. Nearby were the rugby grounds for the more rowdy,
with a sizeable stadium for spectators. 

The Cotswold Way - Done and Dusted

"Done and dusted" is a fairly common term heard in this part of the world and we thought this suited the end of our walk quite well. We arrived in Bath around 3:30 and to actually get to the Abbey, the official end of the Cotswold Way, we meandered up and down the hills of Bath for about 20 minutes. We have walked 100 miles (or 161 km) in 9 days, seen and experienced the quaint English countryside and encouraged each other along the way. It has been unlike any vacation I've ever been on. A very challenging walk but yet rewarding to know I could actually finish.
We left Pennsylvania at half 9 and felt that we had to take our time today, as it was our final day and we wanted to absorb as much of the landscape as possible. So we have settled into Bath for the next 2 nights and hope to take in a walking tour tomorrow, then a train to Gatwick on Tuesday.

 The first little village we came to today, Cold Ashton and this beautiful old church which has been here for over 900 years.

 One for the grandchildren! We have enjoyed poached eggs on toast for breakfast the last 3 days.

 Flower of the day ~ herb robert (Geranium robertianum). We have seen lots of this throughout our walk.

 The site of the civil war battle of Lansdown in 1643. The commanders Sir Ralph Hopton (Royalist) and Sir William Waller (Parliamentarian) were old friends and Hopton wrote Waller a letter a few days before the battle affirming that friendship.  Our path continued over this stile in the wall. 

We did meet up with the fellow travellers we met yesterday and they took our picture for us.

 Heading down another lane. You can see I gave that horse a wide berth.

 The final march toward the Abbey and the official end of the Cotswold Way.

 And here we are - done and dusted!! An elderly English gentleman exclaimed, "Well done!" which made the finish that much sweeter.

 Finished our evening off at Bath City Church. They hold their services in a beautiful old theatre.

And another pic of the Abbey at dusk.

"Lead me, Guide me, Walk beside me" - saying above our bed at Swan Cottage

Although the title of this blog may have a spiritual meaning, it is appropriate for this adventure because it is invaluable to have a walking partner who is good with maps and between the two of us, we see most of the signposts. This quote is on the wall of our room at Swan Cottage where we just arrived after a 13.5 mile day (~22 km). It is always a welcome site to find our B&B, this time in a village called Pennsylvania, just 10.5 km from Bath, the end (or the beginning) of the Cotswold Way. One interesting aspect of journeying in this fashion is the fellow-travellers that you meet. It is easy to start conversation since we are co-sojourners. At breakfast we met a father and son from France who were spending three days walking in the Cotswolds. The father, according to the son, was addicted to walking the Way of Saint James in France and Spain and he does this pilgrimage in sections. He has finished it twice and intends to go back. He advises to walk it alone, without prior reservations, and be open to experiences along the way. He has a network of friends that he has met in this way.  We also met (actually they passed us) a couple of English blokes who we later caught up with at a pub for lunch. They have done a lot of distance walking in England and commended the Southwest Coast Trail to us, Cornwall in particular. I wonder if we will see any of them tomorrow at the end of this walking journey........

 Necessity breeds invention. Andrew was very creative in making curtains for our door last evening.

 Come in to St. Adeline's Church ~ these old churches tend to all be open to travellers for rest and reflection. This church was built in 1859 from the stones and plans of William Tyndale's original church located nearby where he heard the call to translate the Bible in 1520.

 Andrew trying out the pulpit!

 This is a millennium folly built to provide nesting sites for barn owls and swallows. Pretty fancy, huh?

 Flower of the day ~ meadow cranesbill, a wild geranium.

 Coming down the hill from a Norman church built between 1200 and 1225 AD. As we entered the grounds of the church there was a box with leaflets, encouraging walkers to take one.  Inside there was a blessing for walkers and these words "God has given us a beautiful world. As you walk be aware of His presence surrounding you, listen to Him speaking to you..."

 This is a primary school - how fun would it be to attend here? Lovely to see these old buildings being restored and used.

A new stone drywall being built in sections. Quite a feat and I assume quite time consuming. This was a long wall!!

"If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one." - Dolly Parton

Andrew has volunteered to do this post and there is another one coming shortly. We had no internet last evening, so we are trying to do some catch up!!
The 7th day of our stroll took us from Dursley to Hawkesbury Upton, a meagre 14.5 miles (actually we took the shorter, original route of 12.5 miles or 20 km). We passed through towns with curious names like North Nibley and Wotton-under-Edge.  Wotton was notable because it was the place with a public toilet, a very important consideration and a scare commodity. The toilet was behind a Baptist church which had a banner notifying people of an alpha course. Today it rained in the morning and we got soaked from the waist down when walking through a wheat field, but it cleared up later and we dried out, except for our boots. We are now passing through Tyndale country and one highlight was the Tyndale monument erected near the site of his birth. Tyndale translated the Bible into the English language. We were in Dursley for the night when the British election results rolled in and now the country is in a mess, according to two men who were caretakers at the monument, because of the "hung parliament".

 In Dursley, note banner on the yew.

 Tyndale monument erected in 1863.  William Tyndale (1490-1536) graduated from Oxford in 1512 with a BA. He translated the Bible into English and was eventually burned at the stake for his "heretical" teaching in Germany. Click on panel below for details.

Plant of the day is field poppy of "In Flanders field where poppies blow" fame.

 The trail passes through a dripping wet wheat field. The public footpath heritage here is amazing. We have nothing like it in Canada where No Trespassing signs abound.

 Creative street name in North Nibley.

 A highland cow needing a hair cut.

 The organ in the 13th century Saint Mary the Virgin church, in Wotton. The plaque says, "The gift of his most sacred majesty King George, 1726".

A little doctoring on Laurel's heel. Taking the extra skin off with a jacknife and yes, that is gold duct tape you see, invaluable on this trip!

"The rain to the wind said, You push and I'll pelt. They so smote the garden bed That the flowers actually knelt, And lay lodged ---- though not dead. I know how the flowers felt." - Robert Frost

Three more days left to walk and they are going to be long ones. We have logged 100 km thus far but the Brits calculate in miles here, so we still have about 65 km to go. It has been another wet and cool day here, which makes the trekking slower and the dispositions a little more somber. Nevertheless, when we emerge on a hilltop overlooking the patchwork fields of the Severn Vale, we can't help but remark on the beauty, even without the sun. Think of the Look-off back home in Kings County, with even better views, with a different view every hour or so, especially enjoyed because we have earned the view by walking up.  Our mantra is "up, up, up and down, down and up." After a fairly short walk today of about 8.5 miles, we arrived at our B&B in Dursley (map challenge!) early, so it has been lovely to just relax, watch the rain fall outside and enjoy a cup of hot tea.

 Andrew spotted this little guy (a robin) outside this morning - such a great picture, it almost looks like a watercolour painting.

 Walking by a piggery this morning and Andrew sneezed from the trail and these guys quickly made their way up the hill wondering what the noise was! The brown one, we think, is an Oxford Sandy and Black breed.

 This was almost a vertical climb. There seemed to be lots of ups and downs today. Fern gully!

 Sweet brown sheep.

 "Andrew, it's raining! Please catch up!" See that far hill with the well trodden path???

 Still 4 miles to Dursley, soaking wet and half smiling.

 A massive limestone wall - Andrew trying to find shelter.

 First gate we've seen like this - possibly to let the sheep through (or maybe hobbits)?

 Bad hair - don't care!

Great use for the old phone box!

The sky started to clear, so I'll leave you with one more of this beautiful English countryside.

We'll have to tuck in early tonight - breakfast at half seven tomorrow and we start with a major uphill.

"To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts." - Henry David Thoreau

Left Painswick late this morning, at 11 am, as our host was doing our laundry and apparently their dryers here aren't very high heat so it took a loooooong time but we are so thankful for clean clothes. We set off, well rested (the bed was so comfy, I don't think I moved a muscle after my head hit the pillow). We also hit the halfway mark to Bath, so that was exciting.
A little trivia about the Cotswold Way. The word 'cotswolds' comes from the word 'cots', meaning stone sheep shelters and 'wold', meaning rolling hills. It aptly describes the beautiful scenery we have been enjoying the past 5 days. Hard to believe we have only 4 days remaining of walking the Cotswold Way, but two of them will be very challenging. Tomorrow is election day and the polls show Labour getting close to the Tories. Might be interesting.
It's also amazing how quickly the views become commonplace as we get more walking in. At the beginning of our walk it all seemed so breathtaking and now we only take a few pictures of the landscape rather than dozens per day!

 Waiting patiently on the window seat for our clothes to dry so we can depart!

 The streets are very narrow. This is the home across the street from our B&B.

 Come on, Andrew. Stop taking pictures and catch up to me!

 The halfway marker to Bath - only 55 miles to go! (Actually the trail is 102 or 103 miles so not quite half.)

 She almost looks fake, but she decided to pose for us!

Plant of the day ~ spotted orchid. These are quite common throughout the meadows. The leaves have dark spots, hence the name.

Two ladies offered to take a pic of the 2 of us which was kind. This is the Cromwell Stone commemorating the siege of Gloucester - 1643 in which the Parliamentarians of Gloucester defeated King Charles I. This was part of the English civil war.

 Another stunning vista! The distant water is the River Severn, indicating that we are moving south although in a serpentine way.

 Walking through a shaded path in Standish Wood - where's Andrew??

 At the end of a long day - so happy to shed the hikers and air the bare feet.