In recent months, i.e. when it has been warm and sunny I have been going out for walks exploring the local countryside. That is when I am not playing golf! My latest walk was relatively short from Cropredy along the Oxford Canal towpath to Claydon before doing a swift about turn to head back to Cropredy. Although the weather was not as good as in the past it still pays to take a camera as I found this gypsy caravan and a table for two on the bank of the canal not far north of Cropredy.
Table for two…….
Gypsy caravan and other ornaments…..
I had lunch at The Mulberry Cafe in Cropredy – only a sandwich and coffee but very tasty.
In recent weeks I have been making the most of the good weather and have embarked on some walks in the local area. The distance varies but, at present, my walks have been between 7 and 9 miles.
A Circular walk from Chastleton
My latest was a round trip of roughly 8 miles. I parked my car near Chastleton House, a National Trust property and set off towards Cornwell then making my way to Daylesford Organic for my lunch stop. There is a bridleway which cuts through the Daylesford Estate which emerges just along the road from the farm shop. A good point for walkers is that there are several walking routes on the estate that are well signposted. Visitors are encouraged to use these footpaths, a good excuse to visit the farm shop for something to eat before going on one of the walks.
St Nicholas Church, Lower Oddington, Gloucestershire
After Daylesford I walked along one of the “newly” marked footpaths to Lower Oddington before crossing the A436 to reach Adlestrop a quaint hamlet which once had a railway station.
The station sign for the long gone Adlestrop station
The railway station at Adlestrop was in existence from 1853 until 1966. All that remains is the station sign which can be found by the bus shelter.The station was immortalised by Edward Thomas in his poem following his train stopping at the station on 24 June 1914.
Stone corbel on the edge of a window in the parish church of St Mary Magdalene in the Gloucestershire hamlet of Adlestrop
As I walked around Adlestrop I came across this tap set into the wall of one of the houses. A small plaque informs passers by that this tap was the source of fresh water for the villagers up to the 1950s.
A disused water tap can be found by the wall of a house in the Gloucestershire hamlet of Adlestrop.
Whilst Lower Slaughter on the banks of the River Eye is perhaps more well known and photogenic its neighbour the village of Upper Slaughter about one mile up the road also has some photogenic buildings and things to see. Here is a brief gallery of 6 images taken on my recent walk there.
Lords of the Manor Hotel
St Peter’s Church
St Peter’s Church
Lavender and jasmine in flower in a cottage garden
Jasmine growing on the front wall of a house
A variety of plants including sweet peas in flower
I parked my car in Lower Slaughter before that day’s tourists arrived so needless to say also took some photographs of this village too. Having left the car there I undertook about an 8 mile walk.
Hollyhocks in flower
The Old Mill
The River Eye flows through the Gloucestershire village of Lower Slaughter
The River Eye flows through the Gloucestershire village of Lower Slaughter
At this time of year, July/August, the lavender fields at Cotswold Lavender are in flower. They make a spectacular sight, who needs to go to Provence to see lavender in all its glory?
In addition to the lavender the company have also set aside an area for wildflowers to grow. They are just as photogenic as the lavender! The fields attract a lot of visitors who, armed with selfie sticks, sit down among the rows and photograph themselves. A lot of the women wear sun hats and summer dresses to contrast with the purple of the lavender. Picking and processing starts in August.
A link to the website can be found here:- https://www.cotswoldlavender.co.uk
We enjoy cruising and it is interesting to see other ships and private yachts on our travels.
Elysian, the private yacht of John W Henry, the owner of Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC, berthed by the cruise terminal on the Garonne River in the centre of the French city of Bordeaux
Whilst we were in Bordeaux recently this luxury private yacht was berthed close to our ship.
Needless to say Bordeaux in one of the main wine centres of France and whilst on a walk around the city I came across this display of wine bottle sizes in a shop in Passage Sarget.
Wine bottles on display in Passage Sarget in Bordeaux, France show the different sizes of bottles that can be purchased
In 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic struck our holiday plans were put on hold. We had a cruise booked which sadly was cancelled for us. However, rather than get our money back we decided to take a Future Cruise Credit with Oceania, the cruise line. We had to book a cruise by the end of 2021 to take by the end of 2022.
We choose a round trip from Southampton visiting several ports in France and two in northern Spain. It was a 10 night cruise leaving on 3 June and returning on 13 June. Overall it was worth getting away from home for more than 2 nights in a row. The weather was mixed but going early season was probably to be expected.
Our ship was Sirena, one of 8 ships originally built for the now defunct Renaissance Cruise Line. Oceania operate 4 of these ships while Azamara operate the other four. Having sailed with Azamara a number of times we are used to the size and layout these ships. We had an overnight stay in Bordeaux and as we sailed out Insignia one of Sirena’s sister ships was sailing up the Garonne river. We had sailed on Insignia on our previous Oceania cruise from Miami to New York in 2018.
Oceania Cruise’s MS Insignia makes her way up the Garonne River to berth in the French city of Bordeaux. Images taken from her sister ship MS Sirena as she leaves Bordeaux en route to Bilbao, Spain in June 2022
Spring came to this part of England a couple of weeks ago which meant the I was out and about with my camera. My latest trip was a pleasant drive to Guiting Power where I parked the car and walked over to Kineton before making my return in time to buy lunch at The Cotswold Guy, a deli in Guiting power.
St Michael’s and All Angels Church in the Gloucestershire village of Guiting Power
My first choice of food supply was The Old Post Office which as well as being the village shop also has a cafe. Sadly it was closed for refurbishment, this was during Cheltenham Festival week which surprised me, but there you go. I’ll have to return some day to sample their wares.
The Old Post Office, a shop and cafe in the Gloucestershire village of Guiting PowerCotswold stone barn in the Gloucestershire village of Guiting PowerStone steps cut into a wall in the Gloucestershire village of Guiting Power
However, the weather these past few days has seen snow and overnight frost so maybe Spring is not quite here yet!
Crickley Hill Country Park is a National Trust run open space lying to the south of the Regency town of Cheltenham close to the Air Balloon public house and roundabout on the A417.
Open all year round with a lovely cafe with friendly staff and clean toilets it is a great place to go for a walk with or without a dog. In the park itself our four legged friends require to be on leads, however, there are parts where they can run free. Belted Galloway cattle graze on the NT land, hence the request for dogs to be on leads.
Panoramic view from Crickley Hill Country Park near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
The views from the escarpment are spectacular looking towards the Malvern Hills and in the distance the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains in Wales can be seen on a clear day.
Closer to the park Gloucestershire Airport at Staverton is clearly visible its three runways being a legacy of its use as an airfield in WW2.
View of Gloucestershire Airport from Crickley Hill Country Park.
My aim this year is to make an effort to get out and about with my camera as I am getting fed up with walks in the local area. There are only so many photos I can take of the area around Hook Norton.
So I recently drove down to White Horse Hill near Uffington for a walk along part of The Ridgeway.
Here are some photos from my outing.
From left to right:- Westmill Wind Turbines, Uffington Castle, Waylands Smithy, White Horse Hill, Lone tree, White Horse Hill and The Manger, White Horse Hill.
