Tag Archives: villages

Summer Walks

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.

Is Spring finally here?

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 Power
Cotswold stone barn in the Gloucestershire village of Guiting Power
Stone 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!

Walks around Hooky

Recently I have been testing the walking routes that will be in the revised Walks around Hooky booklet the local history group are producing. Here are a selection of images from my travels.