"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.

"Walking is man's best medicine." - Hippocrates

My apologies for the link not working for "The Barrows" on the blog before the last one. It seems to be linked up now, so if you want to check out the history on this,  it is quite fascinating. Also if you click on the individual pictures, you will get a larger version.
Today was walking through mostly forest (very quiet but really muddy after the rain we had) and the end of it was through a golf course, so we had to be cautious of airborne golf balls. There was also a very busy roundabout we had to get through dodging the cars!
I must say this is an interesting way to travel. New vistas every day and you never know what your B&B will look like, but if you have a comfy bed, it really doesn't matter. We may get porridge this morning, which, for me, will be a welcome change from eggs, boiled tomatoes and mushrooms!!

 Upper Hill Farm, a beautifully restored 18th Century farmhouse with hand-hewn beams, near Cleeve Hill where we stayed for 2 nights. 

A beautiful view from Crickly Hill. Enlarge the image to see the white dots (sheep).

 Wind blown Crickly Hill. Good thing the wind was blowing the other way and there was a dry wall to keep Andrew from tumbling down the steep hill.

 Very narrow path on the edge of a very steep windy hill.

 This tree had blown across the path and there were lots of branches down from the rain and wind.

 Plant of the day ~ Hart's tongue fern thriving on moist banks trailside.

 And my inclination for correct spelling just cringed when I saw this! (Fayre is a pseudoarchaic spelling though, so I shouldn't get my knickers in a knot!)

 Copper's Hill, where they have cheese rolling competitions - yes, it's a real thing, but the local council does not support this and will take no responsibility for injuries. This pic does not show the steepness of the hill, it was an 80 degree angle and really bumpy. If you saw "The Amazing Race" a few years ago, they actually did this for one of the challenges.

 And here we are in Painswick (map challenge for the grandchildren), staying in a 17th century B&B with very slanted floors. But we had a great sleep!

"Being soaked alone is cold. Being soaked with your best friend is an adventure." - Emily Wing Smith

It's taken 3 days, but I think we have finally settled into the rhythm of what we have come here to accomplish. We enjoy each other's company and support each other in many ways: rubbing the Voltaren into the aching spots and bandaging each other's feet before we don our hikers.
Our day was cold and wet but we managed to hike 10 miles in about 5 hours. It was quite easy after yesterday's epic hike. Not too much interest in stopping to take pictures because of the weather.  It was more level walking today, which I was very grateful for, just one big slippery hill down into a valley then up the other side.
We have spent the last two evenings with fellow Cotswold walkers, who are also staying at the same B&B. Our host has to drive us 10 minutes to a local pub so we can get something to eat for supper, so we all end up dining together and getting to know one another. One couple is from Melbourne, Australia and the other from Ottawa, Ontario. So, that has been a lot of fun.

 A couple of 'animal' pics for the grandchildren. Above a Roman snail - they were very large and plentiful and below, a black slug. I think the rain brought these lovely creatures out in full force.

 Andrew admiring the wild holly that was growing in a woodland area. 

 "Heritage Tree" ~ a 400 year old beech tree.

 Okay.......gotta figure out which arrow to follow. I'd be lost 10 times over if Andrew wasn't here, he seems to have an amazing 6th sense of direction.

 Low cloud cover and rain all day long.

 We thought the little door in the wall might be for bunnies, but there was also a way over for humans. Hmmm, there might be a story here.

 And this just about sums up our day. Time for a nap and warmth.

"Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far." - Thomas Jefferson

Day 2 ~ we are completely worn out. A long 14 mile day, 9.5 hours of walking (actually plodding by the end). We are tucked away in a lovely B&B near Cheltenham and the Voltaren and Advil are going to be my best friends tonight.
The landscape here never fails to disappoint and we had good weather until noon. Then it started to rain, but we put our heads down and kept on. A lot of ups and downs today and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish, but we arrived just in time for the innkeeper to take us to town for a bite.
A few photos to give you a glimpse of our day.

 Shenberrow Inn in a little town called Stanton. The B&B business must be doing okay by the look of that car. We ended up with a room with twin beds - that was kind of a shocker! We haven't slept in separate beds ever!!

 A lovely picture of a thatched roof, also in Stanton, on our way for day 2.

 Lots of sheep and lots of poo to step around. We are now at the point where we just trod right through it!

 Hikers soon become acquainted with this plant that often borders the path. Stinging nettle. When you brush against it, the stinging sensation lasts for 10 or 15 minutes. Seasoned hikers wear gaiters.

 Andrew prepping for the rain we can see in the distance.

 Cows are big. I was glad to get through this field and shut the gate. Especially with a bull in the far corner.

 The Barrows - 5,500 year old burial ground. Read more about this by clicking on the link. There is also an aerial view which gives this a different perspective.

 Taking a peek inside to see if I really want to join Andrew in this crypt. I did, just to get out of the rain, but felt a little claustrophobic and creeped out after about 10 minutes.

 It seems we walked miles around the Cleeve Hill Commons which had a golf course. They had fencing to keep the sheep off the green, but this little guy paid no heed to that.

Please, oh please can the end be near? But it was not to be - another 2 hours before I could rest. I'll admit there was a lot of whinging going on, but Andrew stayed calm, bless him. Unfortunately tomorrow looks like a more seriously rainy day.

Bucolic ~ adj. of or relating to shepherds or country life

Today we started with a full English breakfast which prepared us for our first day of rambling. There is not too much to share when you spend the day walking but there is something to be said for getting out of bed and knowing that what you have to accomplish today is the challenge of reaching the next destination. The trail was definitely not designed to take the most direct route from point a to b, but the ups and downs through woods, sheep pasture, and farmland was ultimately more scenic and well worth the pain I'm feeling this evening.

 Chipping Campden, nervous, excited and seeing the post with 100 miles to Bath was a bit daunting.

 An embedded medallion at the beginning of our trek.

 Shinkicking??? A world championship??

 And those cute black-faced sheep, lots of pictures of them!

 Contemplating how much work it will be to build a stone wall on Klondyke Street.

 Resting on the top of Dover's Hill. Lovely view from here.

Broadway Tower.

See definition in the title.

 Still smiling, about midway!

 Well designated sign posts.

See that building in the distance? The end point for today, we hope!! The hips are starting to feel the strain!