Day 35 - Happy Birthday Becca!

Twenty-two years ago on this day, we welcomed our daughter Becca into this world, and for her birthday we decided to go for a long walk near Bourton-on-the-Water. In this way, we could introduce Becca to the prettiest town in the Cotswolds and satisfy her desire to get out into the countryside for a proper hike. To get there we had took the 801 bus through Stow to Bourton.

"Bah-Ram-Ewe"

When we got off the bus and walked across one of the many stone bridges crossing the Windrush river as it makes its way through the centre of town, we found ourselves outside of the Bakery on the Water. Here one gets the best baked goods in the area, and so I had to have a sausage roll.

However, as we left the town we came across Arnold's British cousin (for those who can remember, think Green Acres) who proceeded to have a very detailed discussion with Rebecca. Meanwhile my guilt at having enjoyed the sausage roll suddenly welled up inside me.


The plan was to follow the Monarch Way west and south out of Bourton towards the village of Clapton-on-the-Hill where it meets up with the Diamond Way which we would take to return back to Bourton. The Monarch Way is named for King Charles II who used the route to escape from his defeat at the Battle of Worcester.  This was the final battle of the English Civil War between the Monarchists and the Parliamentarians led by Oliver Cromwell. From Worcester the trail runs through the Cotswolds to Bristol where it turns south toward Yeovil and then east along the Dorset coastline, through Hampshire and along the South Downs to finish up at Brighton on the English Channel. The entire route is 615 miles.

The first half of the hike is uphill along the Monarch Way all the way to Clapton. As with many of the footpaths in this area, one comes across large patches of blackberries that can provide some refreshment. 

The village of Clapton-on-the-Hill has a number of stately homes and appeared to be a place where people with money retired to for the peace and quiet. We did not find a pub or a village shop here, but there were certainly lots of jags, mercs and bimmers in the driveways. At one village green, we came across the most brilliant coloured tree with a welcoming bench and a spectacular view across the Windrush Valley.

At this point we left the Monarch Way and joined the Diamond Way. The Diamond Way is a much shorter footpath of approximately 65 miles and was created in 1995 by a local hiking group to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's reign. From here it is downhill toward the river and a small lake. This lake is a private fishing reserve of approximately 26 acres and is stocked with brown and rainbow trout for local anglers to try their luck.

Our approach into Bourton was from the south, and we were racing to catch the bus back to Moreton and a birthday dinner at the local Italian restaurant. Of course Becca got to choose the type of birthday cake. So that night we had candles atop of chocolate lava cake!