Day 81 - Sunshine, Saturday and Sore Feet

"I really think there's nothin' quite so fine
As lettin' the sun rejuvenate your mind"
(this post is dedicated to Skip Prokup (1943-2017) of the legendary Canadian rock band, Lighthouse. He was a neighbour of mine growing up in Mississauga, Canada)

A Saturday morning bathed in brilliant sunshine means only one thing...a long cross-country walk on a path we have not yet encountered. The night before, we had seen that the forecast was for sunny weather all day, so we awoke early to catch the first bus out to Chipping Camden where the walk would begin. We had used this lovely town as a starting point before, but this time we were going to head north along the Heart of England Way on a 20-kilometer hike that would take us eventually back to Moreton-in-Marsh. But first we had to go in an opposite direction from MiM that would eventually take us to the Diamond Way where we would then turn south. Just outside of Chipping we came across cultivated fields filled with late autumn vegetables, such as red cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Now I know why we're served these vegetables as part of Christmas dinner.

The first village that we encountered was Ebrington, which I am advised is pronounced Yubberton by the locals. It is renowned for the number of thatched-roof cottages and for its ancient church, said to have been founded in the early 14th century. The village lies on the side of one of the Cotswold Hills and has a lovely pub (2017 London Times Village Pub of the Year) called the Ebrington Arms, which has been on that site since 1640.

We continued southerly along the Diamond Way, but sometimes with great difficulty as it is not as well walked as other footpaths in the area. Most times we found ourselves at the edge of well cultivated fields with no indication of a path at all.  Thankfully Angela's diligent map reading found us the corresponding exit from the field on the other side.  You can tell which farmers are okay with walkers and which ones are not by the way they plant their fields. The pasture lands of course provide the best conditions for walking, but when they are ploughed or seeded you find yourself with plenty of mud wrapped around the soles of your hiking shoes.

Paxford

Our next encountering of civilization was the pretty village of Paxford, which lies nestled at the base of a hill.  By the point our feet were too muddied to allow us to enter the fine village pub, so we continued onward along the road leading out of the village. We had now entered a relatively flat portion of the valley in which the Cotswold trainline runs. If it weren't for the fact that this narrow lane was paved with asphalt I would swear we were following the yellow brick road.

We passed the Alpaca farm, crossed under the trainline and began our trek up the last hill before we would descend down again into Moreton.  With great surprise I found a raspberry bush still brimming with berries! The end of November and fresh raspberries...yummy.  It was also here that Angela had her brush with the electric chair, or should I say electric fence. Our footpath crossed through some pasture where the farmer had put up an electric wire to keep his livestock in the field. Unfortunately Angela hadn't heard my warning and as she stopped to review the map poor Ange accidentally brushed against the wire and received a shock. It took me 15 minutes to catch up to her!

As our day ended, we both knew that we had covered quite a distance.  So a rest was in order but not before we joined in with the crowd in Moreton to see the Cavalcade of Lights, the annual lighting of the town for the Christmas season.... but more about that another time.

Oh, yeah the answers to the turkey trivia from the end of our Day 79 post: 1. Lincoln  2. Benjamin Franklin  3. Plymouth U.K. 4. A Tom and 5. Superman.

Ale of the Day: Wickwar Bob Amber Ale, Wickwar Wessex Brewing, Wickwar, Gloucestershire