Charles Dickens on Walking

The sum of the whole is this:

Walk and be happy; walk and be healthy.

The best way to lengthen out our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose.

Charles Dickens (1812 - 1879)

Any dry land near here?

Need to get the old welly's out!
Best
Anne
Walk the Landscape

Sunset over the Cotswolds in late November

Happy hiking

Anne

Walk the Landscape

A walk through the English Civil War battlefield at Edgehill

The Battle of Edgehill (23rd October 1642) was the first battle in the English Civil War, when Charles I went to war against the English Parliament.  They disagreed on matters of religion and on their rights to rule the country.  Charles raised his Standard on 22nd August in Nottingham and the first major encounter between the two sides was at Edgehill in the midlands.

The battle lasted around 4 hours and each side had about 15,000 fighting men.  1,500 men were killed and both sides claimed victory in this indecisive battle, the first of many encounters over the next 4 years.

Although there is not much evidence of the battle on the ground today we were able to walk over the Royalist positions on the southern part of the battleground.

Dragoons and musketeers from both sides hid in the hedges on the flanks of the battlefield

The trees on the slope at Edgehill were planted 100 years after the battle

Royalist Pikemen, Musketeers, Cavalry and canon ... 

had to make their way down this slope to the battle line 

 Looking from the battlefield towards Avon Dassett

Ridge and furrow, as seen here, covered the battlefield

Effigy of Captain Henry Kingsmill in St Peters, Radway, a Royalist officer killed during the battle

 

 Princes Charles and James (our future kings) stayed here in Arlescote 

on the night before the battle

The memorial to the Battle of Edgehill 

on the B4086, south of Kineton, Warwickshire

A good walk on a cool sunny day.

Best
Anne
Walk The Landscape

Malmsbury, a quiet, unspoiled Cotswold town

Went to a festival about the 'Philosophy of Walking' recently and it was my first visit to Malmsbury.
What a lovely little Wiltshire town it is, snuggled to the south-east of the Cotswold Hills. Here are a few pictures of the abbey, the town and the lovely Abbey Gardens.

Happy walking through the Cotswolds in our unusually warm autumn weather.

Anne
Walk the Landscape

A lovely day walk in the Cotswolds

Happy hiking

Anne

Shakespeare's 450th Birthday Procession

Stratford-upon-Avon, where William Shakespeare was born, is just a few miles from the beautiful town of Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds.

This year on Shakespeare's 450th  birthday, 23rd April, the annual procession was supported by hundreds of devotees from local schools, colleges and churches, national and international societies and organisations, as well as individuals, all wearing sprigs of rosemary for remembrance and carrying bouquets of flowers to lay at his grave. It also featured a very large birthday cake.

Band leading the Procession

The huge birthday cake celebrating Shakespeare's 450th birthday

A clergyman in the procession wearing a sprig of rosemary for remembrance

Flowers laid at Shakespeare's grave in Holy Trinity parish church
William Shakespeare is buried next to his family in front of the altar, and there is a bust of him on the left wall (see picture).   It is thought to have been modeled from a cast of his face taken shortly after his death on 23rd April, 1616, at the exact age  52.

You can also visit Shakespeare's birthplace and grave at the start of the Shakespeare's Way Trail, or as part of a customised walking tour through Classic Cotswold Towns and along the northern section of the Cotswold Way. Contact us to find out more.

Have a great summer of walks

Anne

Showers over the Vale of Evesham

Striking views across the Vale of Evesham from the Cotswold Edge when weather fronts pass through.

Happy hiking

Anne 

WalkTheLandscape

A Day Out along the Cotswold Way

Happy days,
Best
Anne

Cotswold Way Landmarks: The Devil's Chimney

The Cotswold Way, one of England's most picturesque National Trails

The Devil's Chimney

One of the most popular legends for the origin of this pillar of rock standing on the Cotswold Edge above Cheltenham, is that it is the home of the devil who resides deep in the ground below.  

Angered by the many churches in the region, it is thought that Old Nick, as the Devil is affectionately known, sat on top of Leckhampton Hill and hurled stones at pilgrims who were on their way to prayer down in the valley below. However, his wicked ways backfired as the stones turned and hurled themselves back up the hill, burying him beneath the ground for ever.  The heavy stones piled one upon the other, forming the chimney, locking him in and ensuring he could never escape. 

For extra protection, Cheltenham inhabitants would climb to the top of the chimney to leave a coin as insurance against the Devil's anger and, as some believe, to ensure the privacy of its most infamous inhabitant.

Generations of young people have climbed the rock, including 13 brave souls who hold the unofficial record for the largest number of people to stand on the top at the same time.   Sadly, owing to the gradual erosion of the landmark, climbing has been prohibited, but it remains one of the iconic sights along the Cotswold Way.

Contact us for hiking holidays along the Cotswold Way and other National Trail in the Heart of England.

Happy hiking
Anne
Walk the Landscape

Exploring Adlestrop

Wandering through Adlestrop in the spring sunshine.

A magical time of year to go walking.

Best

Anne

Walk the Landscape

Cotswold Way Landmarks: Broadway Tower

The Cotswold Way Walking Holiday 

enjoy superb rolling countryside with stunning views, 

pretty towns and villages and historic sites

Broadway Tower

This folly in the style of a Norman Keep was built by the Earl of Coventry for his wife on their Springhill Estate between 1797 and 1800.  It is in a prominent position with views over 16 of the original English counties and it can be seen from the family seat in Worcester. The Earl's wife took great trouble to find the most suitable location.   Before it was built she had a flaming beacon lit at the site, then drove around the surrounding area making sure that it could be seen.  

The hill was previously called the Beacon and Barrow Hill and was likely to have been a site for bonfires transmitting important national news such as the sighting of the Spanish Armada. For a short time in the 19th century the tower was home to William Morris, a founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement and was used a observation point during the Second World War.  There is also a Cold War nuclear bunker close by.  

Broadway Tower lies at the northern end of the Cotswold Way above the village of Broadway and about 5 miles south of Chipping Campden.  It now lies in a country park with a herd of red deer and a café.

Contact us to find out more about walking holidays along all or part of the Cotswold Way

Best

Anne

Cotswold Way Landmarks: The Market Hall, Chipping Campden

The Cotswold Way Walking Holiday 

enjoy superb rolling countryside with stunning views 

The Market Hall, Chipping Camdpen

The Market Hall on the High Street, Chipping Campden was built in 1627 by Sir Baptist Hicks, the town's generous benefactor, for a cost of £90.00. 

It was used to shelter the local market traders selling cheese, butter and poultry and the worn stone floor is a reminder of its regular use through 400 years. On market days wooden pens were also erected around the hall to hold sheep driven down from the hills for sale.  Imagine the hustle and bustle of a market day when people from the town and surrounding areas turned out to sell their produce or to buy a fat chicken for dinner or a few sheep for their flock. 

Chipping Campden lies at the northern end of the Cotswold Way so this lovely building in honey coloured limestone, is one of the first or last landmarks that walkers will have of the Cotswolds.

Contact us to find out more about walking holidays along all or part of the Cotswold Way

Best

Anne

The first day of spring in Windsor - on the Thames Path

Daffodils in the park by Windsor Castle (in the background)

Windsor Castle
The Royal Standard was flying from the round tower so the Queen was there for the weekend

Enjoy a leisurely lunch and watch the river boats

Why not spend a few days ambling along the Thames Path where you can visit historic towns, watch the river boats go by whilst enjoying a leisurely pub lunch.

The Thames Path starts near Cirencester in the Cotswolds and follows the river for 184 miles / 294 km long to the Thames Barrier, east of London.  Whilst you can walk the whole length in one holiday, many people walk a shorter section of the Thames as a short break.

Contact us to find out more about Thames Path Walking Holidays. 

Anne

Coln Saint Denis in the Coln Valley, one of the loveliest valleys in the Cotswolds

Coln Saint Denis

The Coln Valley is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Cotswolds.  A tributary of the River Thames, it lies on low ground to the south of Northleach and meets the great river near Lechlade-on-Thames.
It is best walked on foot, starting from the source at Withington in the north and passing through picturesque villages like Chedworth, Coln Saint Denis and Bibury.
A quiet walk north of Bibury, which is one of the main tourist attractions in the Cotswolds.

Good walking
Anne
Walk the Landscape

Late afternoon shadows over Snowshill

A lovely view of sheep on the hillside above Snowshill, taken in late afternoon just as the sun was going down.

Happy hiking
Anne
WalkTheLandscape.co.uk

Rainbow's End

The end of the rainbow at Beckhampton, North Wessex Downs.  A great sight at the end of a good day's walk.

Happy walking
Anne
Walk the Landscape

Sunset over a flooded valley

The floods make walking in the valleys dangerous and impossible.  However, they bring their own beauty to the landscape.

Best
Anne
Walk the Landscape

Trails for all - from amblers and ramblers to serious hikers

Amble along the Oxford Canal

Ramble through Cotswold villages

Hike along the Cotswold Way

Happy days

Anne

Walk the Landscape

Snowdrops, a sign that spring is round the corner

Snowdrops coming into bloom in a Cotswold churchyard

Make most of the bright, crisp, sunny days of late winter.
Good walking
Anne
Walk the Landscape

Sunset from Broadway Tower on the Cotswold Way

Happy hiking

Anne

Walk the Landscape

The Cotswold Lion

The Cotswold Lion

During the middle ages, wool from Cotswold sheep was amongst the the finest in Europe, and the reign of Henry VII (1485 - 1509) woollen cloth contributed half of England's wealth. Hence, the sheep producing the wool was called the 'Cotswold Lion'.

St James, the 'wool church' in Chipping Campden

The wool trade made the merchants living in the Cotswolds very rich indeed, as wealthy as Bill Gates is today.  The merchants funded impressive 'wool churches' in towns like Chipping Campden, Northleach and Burford, hoping their charity and benevolence would ease their path to heaven on their death.  

These 15th century churches are the lasting legacy of the times. 

Enjoy your walking.
Anne
Walk the Landscape

The Thames Path - a journey through English history

The Thames Path, a National Walking Trail from the source of the river in the south Cotswolds, through prosperous and historic towns west of London, to the capital city and the Thames Barrier in the east. 

Easy walking along the flat Thames Valley. Some walk the full distance of 184 mile (294 km) in one trip, others walk part of the trail.

Lechlade Bridge, over the young River Thames

Willows in spring at the Rose Revived, Newbridge, near Oxford

The Houses of Parliament and London Eye, Westminster, London

A great walking tour for people who like history, passing by Oxford University, Abingdon Abbey, Henley the home of the Royal Regatta, Windsor Castle, the Houses of Parliament, St Pauls, the Tower of London and many other famous sites.

Happy hiking

Anne

Holiday Memories

Still think of our wonderful walk in May, The Thames Path. Have told everyone how beautiful it was and how well we were looked after. Read 'Wind in the Willows' and ' Three men in a boat' again. Our friend from Australia joined us for a day and is still talking about it. 
Walking is the best way to see the countryside. 

Anita Campbell, December 2012

The Classic Cotswold Walking Tour

Discover

historic market towns

picturesque villages

rolling hills

Take a few days out to relax and enjoy walking through the beautiful landscapes of the North Cotswolds. 

Walking 5 to 12 miles (8 to 12 km) per day with B&B, luggage transfer, maps, directions and info on places of interest, the tour can be tailored to meet your preferences.  

Contact us for more information.

Happy New Year
Anne 
Walk the Landscape

The Cotswold Way in midsummer

The Cotswold Way runs north-south along the Cotswold Edge for 102 miles / 164 km, from Chipping Campden to the city of Bath in the west of England.

It offers great views to the west along the full length.  Across the Severn Valley, to the Malvern Hills, the Severn estuary and south Wales.

The trail follows the sinuous route of the Cotswold edge and passes up and down the escarpment slope. The full length (102 miles / 164 km) is normally walked in 5 (strenuous) to 10 (relaxing) days - although shorter tours over part of the route are also available. 

If you are thinking of walking the  Cotswold Way, why not Contact us to arrange a walking tour.   We book accommodation, arrange luggage transfer, provide maps, directions and guide books, give advice on travelling to and from the holiday within the UK, and provide support in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Wishing you a great walking year in 2014

Anne
Walk the Landscape