Day 106 - Alex and the Nuclear Bunker

Broadway Tower. Photo by Alex Walsh.

A glorious day in the forecast, sunny with temperatures around 4 degrees C although the potential for blustery conditions.  Time for a long distance walk with Alex.  However, with the previous rains we had to choose wisely as most walks would be muddy and a bit of a slog.  So we thought of the Chipping Camden to Broadway hike that takes a route that is relatively elevated with stony paths. We were joined on the bus from Moreton by half a dozen elderly women who were chatting away about their day to come which sounded like it would involve a long lunch, some drinks and plenty of chit-chat.

Of course the best laid plans.....as soon as we got off the bus in Chipping the sky began to cloud over and the wind picked up.  However, the walk was, for the most part, relatively dry with only two small sections of muddy terrain and eventually the sun did come out and the temperature did get warmer.

We have chatted about this section of the Cotswold Way in a previous blog, but for Alex the interesting section was near the Broadway Tower where we stopped to look into the Nuclear Bunker site. Built in the 1950s as the Cold War progressed, it is one of many bunkers built across the United Kingdom and manned by members of the Royal Observer Corps.

The purpose of this site was to monitor radioactive fallout from global nuclear testing that might have made its way to this country. Given that the Broadway Tower sits along one of the highest points of the Cotswold escarpment, it isn't surprising that they located this facility here. Each bunker was designed to house members of the Corps for three weeks at a depth of 15 feet below the surface. This bunker was eventually closed by the government in 1991, but it remains open to visitors as part of a volunteer operation. They only open the bunker in the summer but the entrance and various ventilation ducts can be seen at the surface.


Today we were even treated to the view of a lone glider, taking advantage of the warmer thermals rising up against the escarpment. Ironically, where we stood was a marker that commemorated the deaths of airmen who crashed in a WWII bomber during a training run. On June 2nd, 1943 they were completing a training mission when they encountered poor weather conditions on their approach to a nearby RAF airbase. Two of the crew were young Canadians, the pilot and the bombardier.

Below us beckoned Broadway and a couple of stores that specialize in outdoor clothing for hikers and hunters and purchasing some was one of Alex's trip goals. He picked out a nice tweed jacket but they did not have it in his size, so with a promise that they will eventually get one in stock (we will be able to bring it back to Canada) we left to catch the bus back. 

Don't let them get on the bus

Upon boarding we realized that the same group of women who joined us in the morning were now also on their way back to Moreton except that now they were all sloshed! The trip back was loud and boisterous with suggestions being made for the next day out. It reminded me of the Monty Python skit (MP fans should know what I am referring to but I will provide a picture to remind everyone).

Ale of the Day: Battledown Amber, Battledown Brewery, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire