Day 171 - Downhill all the way

Time to get back out there walking! My foot feels great again, so ready
to put it to the test. We opted for a primarily downhill walk from Stow on the Wold back to Moreton that was paved path or roadway all the way. I grabbed a walking stick, just in case we got suddenly sidetracked — as we are apt to do — and ended up crossing a slippery field.

The Little Stocks Coffee Shop.
Source: www.oldstocksinn.com

We worked in the morning, and then caught the local bus just after noon hour from the nearby train station down the Fosse Way and up the hill to Stow. First things first: time for lunch. Today we opted to share a bowl of butternut squash soup and a cheese sandwich at The Little Stocks Coffee Shop just off the village green.  The café is rather cute inside with two comfy arm chairs lined up to look out the window in case you want to watch the world (slowly) pass by while you sip your coffee or tea.  The lunch was nice, but not as tasty as the one we had on a previous visit when we went to Huffkins tearoom … remember that for your visit.  ;-)

Painting of Stow on the Wold by Robert Burel.

We grabbed a bottle of water from the local Co-op store … always a necessity on a walk no matter what the weather.  However, before we could officially begin our walk, we had two more stops to make. The first was at the Clarendon art gallery. We had admired a painting in the window here around Christmas, and went in to see if there was anything else by the artist. Sadly, there wasn’t. However, we did admire the work of a French artist. The piece was in the colourful, somewhat animated style we’re always drawn to, and this got us chatting with the gallery manager, Oliver. Wonderful gentleman … friendly and knowledgeable. He encouraged us to attend a couple of shows he’ll be having in the next few weeks. We’ll probably only be able to make it to one, which will be showcasing sculpture, so we’re looking forward to going back to see that.

If you’re interested, the artist we inquired about is named Robert Burel. You can view his work here. He had done one painting of Stow when he had been there for a rare visit. It was in the main shop window and depicted the classic car show that is held annually in the town. But it was his painting of a London flower market that really caught my eye.

Next stop was to Hutchkin’s for a treat to share later in the day with a cup of tea — after we earned it by completing the 6.5 mile walk. We chose the peanut butter brownie. Decadent for sure, but since we’re sharing, only half bad for you!

Phil prepares for the flood at
Broadwell's ford.

Then we began our walk. North out of town along the main road before turning right to start our decent down toward Broadwell, joining up with the Monarch Way as we did so. Once in Broadwell (about 1.5 miles northeast of Stow), we took a quick offshoot from our path to look at the Village Hall. Something was definitely going on as the car park we filled with vehicles in what is otherwise a very sleepy village.  As we approached the hall along the road, we noticed that the local creek actually crosses over the road, creating an easily drivable ford … well at least on this day. We were left wondering what it would be like on a day when the weather hit in a deluge.

Looking back toward
Stow on the Wold.

From Broadwell to Evenlode, the road descends gently except for the rise at Stock Bridge that goes over the rail line. All was relatively quiet in Evenlode except for the cars passing for the after school pick-up and those racing home early to get their weekend started. The daffodils are now bursting, and this was most evident in Evenlode where we were greeting with hundreds of their sunny, yellow faces.

The daffodils doing their best to
lure us to take a rest on the village
green.

We resisted the urge to sit on a bench in the middle of the village green and pull out our peanut butter  brownie, and continued on toward Moreton.

A lovely day, and fantastic to be doing the long walks again. Next up … to try a long walk uphill. But first, Phil has put the kettle on for a much anticipated cup of tea … and that brownie!