Stanway House Summer Fete

Apologies for being offline for such a long time.  You see, there are just too many brilliant summer fetes and festivals going on here in the Cotswolds, and I haven't had time to write!  Today was an especially good one- the summer fete at Stanway House, home to the 13th Earl of Wemyss (Jamie Neidpath), and a truly stunning place to visit.

Stanway House is home to a 300 foot high gravity powered fountain, that can often be seen as one travels around the North Cotswolds between Broadway and Winchcombe.  The fete itself was quite an event.  All manner of traditional games (I spent some time having children throw wet sponges at my face), the local Morris side was out dancing up a storm to some lively traditional tunes, there was a brass band performing throughout, a hog roast, and some very special ale.

The ale.  So very good!  Stanway House was built during Elizabeth I's reign, and included a brewery.  The old brewery had been in disuse for many, many years until a local brewer convinced Lord Neidpath to let him fire it up again.  Now, the Stanway Brewery is producing some outstanding real ale, only to be had at a very tiny number of local pubs.  Luckily for me, they had come to the party with take home two-pint ale cartons.  So, hours after returning from the fete, I sit writing this post with a cool glass of Stanney Bitter.  Top hole!

Shipton Oliffe & Withington Circular

I like cows.  And horses.  The problem is that my dog doesn't.  In fact, she wants to eat any animal she sees, and makes it very clear.  Even if the animal is ten times her size, and is in a herd with 25 other large animals.  The result is that my walks around the Cotswolds are getting longer and longer.

That's because I am continuously following some footpath only to discover that it crosses a field full of cows or horses.  Although serious trouble with them is rare, aggressive dogs often provoke their defenses, and can have a very bad result.  So, when this happens, I am forced to turn around and find an alternate route.  This can easily add an extra kilometer sometimes.

This walk, which should have been about 9km, was 12km.  I suppose its for the best.

We started in the little known village of Shipton Oliffe, famous for having nothing in it at all apart from a few houses and two very beautiful Norman churches, and takes in the quintessential Cotswold village of Withington.  Quite a lot of the route follows the River Coln.  Trout, anyone?

In case anyone would like to try this walk, here is the link to my ViewRanger upload:  http://my.viewranger.com/track/details/MzIxNTAyNg==

Idyllic Circular Walk Around Turkdean, Hazelton, and Salperton

I took this circular today, a hot, sunny, Sunday morning, and managed nearly two and a half miles without coming across a single person, apart from when I passed through Hazelton.  The views are incredible throughout- one of the most beautiful Cotswold walks I've been on.  I've included the map at the end, and am happy to share details if anyone wants them.  It starts at a small car park in Turkdean along the Sabrina Way, turns along the Gloucestershire Way, and then uses a few public footpaths over open farmland and pasture.  Give it a try!