Stow-on-the-wold
My B & B host, Jill, had suggested I do this hike called The Windrush Way. She said this was about a four mile hike that looped through the beautiful countryside ending back in town on the other side, with little farms & quaint homes to snap pics of along the way. Sold!
After languishing in bed awhile, I felt the need to walk & I opened the cattle gate to the trail about 10 o’clock. The day was overcast, but no wind & about 14 C. The trail cut through farm fields & the most gorgeous countryside, along a little river & beside wild blackberry bushes. A young girl on a horse came up behind me, said a quick hello & galloped off. I then noticed three men walking ahead, two with walking sticks & all three of them had backpacks on. I tried not to overtake them, but they weren’t going at a great speed. The meadow gave way to forests & the big oak trees created a canopy overhead. I wished I knew the kinds of trees, fauna & foliage that surrounded me…just stunning!
I broke out into a sweat, despite the cool air…looking down at my watch I realized I had already walked 6kms, which I thought was about half way at that point. I rounded a bend in the trail & there were the three guys sitting picnic style on the ground with water bottles & granola bars in their hands. Stopping to talk, halfway catching what they were saying, I learned that they were from Spain & were walking the Cotswolds. Cool. One guy asked, “how are you pacing yourself?” & I shook my head, “what do you mean?”. This trail is 14 miles…about 6, 6.5 hour hike….what are your break points?” Oh, fuck. 14 miles? Hahaha….nope. I wasn’t embarrassed to tell them I thought I was halfway through a four mile loop walk back to Bourton. They showed me their map & told me there were no side trails or any other way other than to either finish or turn back. They sort of chuckled & said, “we wondered what kind of super woman walks with leather boots on & only carries a water bottle on 14 mile hike!?”
Bye Spanish guys!! I’m going back!
I got back to my B & B with tired feet & a sweat soaked shirt…freshened up & hit the road with my auto for Stow-on-the-Wold. Just a 5K jaunt down the road & a completely gorgeous little town. If Bourton-on-the-Water was Banff 2023, this was Banff 1975. Jesus, I love this town.
Like the nerd I am, I wandered the streets, looking into whatever little shops were open on a Sunday, & found Otis & Belle Artisan Bakery & Patisserie to have a cappuccino & pastry. So much for not eating sweets today :-/. Dang me.
Kevin messaged asking if I fancy a lunch this coming Saturday & I had to note it in my calendar since everyday is turning into Friday in my mind. I’ll be in Worcester by that time, but lunch with a handsome Englishman…a girl can’t say no to that!
I continued to dawdle around Stow-on-the-Wold, popping in & out of shops…halfway craving a beer, but when the rain started coming down…pretty heavy…I dashed into Huffkins Bakery & Tea Room for a pot of tea. I’m honestly paranoid about drinking alcohol & driving, especially on these twisty roads + everything opposite than I’m used to + a manual transmission…tea it is!
So, here are some thoughts on this drizzly Sunday, sitting here drinking tea in The Cotswolds….
So many towns here have three word names; Moreton-in-Marsh, Clapton-on-the-hill, Bidford-on-Avon, Lechlade-on-Thames, Milton-under-Wychwood, Abigdon-on-Thames. It just conjures up all sorts of images of tweed jackets & flat caps…driving country roads in a convertible MG…having a whiskey in front of a fireplace.
The fish & chips are really better here. What do they do to them? Even if I order fish in chips in Vancouver, where there are fresh fish, it’s still not the same as here. Why? Englishmen, tell me your secrets!
The architecture is stunning. Even row housing is made of brick or stone & has character galore. Why can’t we build houses like this? The grand homes in the new subdivisions in Canada that are obviously a pretty-penny are still significantly boring looking. If I had the money to build a big home the thing would be made out of stone…that’s a fact! Plus, the homes are landscaped so beautifully. Window boxes with flowers spilling out of them. The stone homes with ivy climbing up the facade. The attention to detail on these structures is at testament to the craftsmanship they take pride in.
The restaurants here all support a 50 mile menu. Is that so hard to do at home, where we live in an agricultural hot spot? Why are we buying imported anything? Sure, our growing season is short, but dear God, it’s mighty. As a kid, my mother & grandmother kept root vegetables right through until spring & if we ran out of the fresh, we had row upon row of our own canned or frozen goods to battle through. Everything here is seasonal. It used to drive me insane to have to tell my chefs that making butternut squash soup in June was effin blasphemy IMO. I don’t care if you can buy butternut squash in the spring, just don’t. It’s gross & it’s a misrepresentation of freshness. Also, while I’m on the food topic, every place has a window box with fresh herbs growing. We can do that, so why don’t we? Instead of growing petunias & geraniums in the boulevard boxes in our towns & cities, why not grow vegetables & herbs. Who cares if people steal them…plant more…god knows we have space!
My God can these people que!! No pushing or butting into a line! They have manners & etiquette that should be noted by all other cultures around the world.
Currency is odd. Irish, Scottish, English all have different currencies, but can be used anywhere in the UK. The money slang is really confusing as well…quid, pence, pound, farthing, tuppence, note, shilling, fiver, nicker, pies-&-mash, bees-&-honey. What the hell?
Expressions are amusing: when leaving a building, instead of seeing EXIT signs, you’ll see, WAY OUT signs. People say SORRY for everything…I thought that was Canadian, but it’s absolutely British. KNACKERED means you’re tired. They say, BLOODY before a word they want to emphasize. A MATE is a friend. RUBBISH isn’t garbage, it’s bullshit. If something is ACE it’s awesome. Instead of saying, ANYWAY, they’ll say ANY ROAD…but that doesn’t mean something you walk down! ARGH! Already people are asking me where I’m from because I’m starting to mix up accents & as it sits, my English-Canadian is DISHY. Well, BOB’s YOUR UNCLE!
Breakfast, lunch, tea, supper. Tea is their 6 o’clock meal. Supper would be eaten around 8-9 p.m., if at all.
Oh look, it’s stopped raining. Enough philosophizing & procrastinating the day away!
