I’ve been walking in The Cotswolds all my life and yet I’m still finding new paths and places to explore, sometimes in areas I thought I knew well. This past week I headed to an area just a few miles from where I grew up. Under a wintry pastel sky with a less than favourable forecast I laced up my boots and struck out to explore.
A narrow lane led me steeply down to a ford, the water deep, I was thankful for the ancient clapper bridge that crossed the stream. A white egret startled by my presence scuttled away before gaining flight.
Crossing the rolling wolds, a landscape that has been inhabited since at least Bronze-age times, I found myself strolling into a remote Cotswolds village. Charming cottages set around the green, dressed with its Christmas tree in anticipation of the upcoming festivities.
The sheep grazed the meadow beneath the perfectly proportioned manor house, a scene unchanged for centuries. I plunged through the woodland and happened upon two happy pigs foraging the ground looking for hidden gems.
As I arrived at the ridge the wind was quickening, the weather was on the change just as forecast. Red Kites (birds of prey) danced on the gusty winds, swooping low to check on me as I passed. Stunning views before me, descending the hill, the end of my trail was in sight.
Strolling into this medieval market town the glow of the fire through the window lured me in, time to sit beside the fire and refresh just as many a pilgrim may have done before me.
A day hiking on the ‘Journey Across The Cotswolds’ trail, by David
