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Saturday 03rd August - Nettleton to Bath

Day 10:

We made it !

We arrived last night in Bath train station just before 8pm.

After 30 km (should have been 25km !!) avoiding 3 fields full of cows gathered around the gate we needed to go threw, crossing one river ( to avoid cow), rolling under electric and barbed wires ( to avoid cow), 

crossing a golf course, going up hill, down hill, threw woods, 

crossing many more beautiful villages (favorite being Castle Combe), 

we got there.

We caught the next train to Banbury, << 4mn to go, she said >>.

the first one went to London and was full. We had to stand up in the corridor !! We stopped before London in Didcot. Then stopped in Oxford and finally took the train to Banbury where Steve picked us up just before 10pm. 

We were welcomed by my older son who cooked us dinner. 

What a day !

Thank you SO SO much to every one who donated. 

The last time I checked it was £194. That’s amazing !

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Saturday morning 03rd August 2019

  

We left the Fosse farm B & B (Nettleton) nice and early 

where we were pampered and 

had the best breakfast ever (quoting William!).

So at 9 am we were ready to go and to reach Bath by the end of the day !

 

Scrolled down a lovely lane to Nettleton Mill

 Found the swinging door behind the bush.

which lead us to the golf course.

There you have to ring the bell to announce your presence 

before you enter the golf course.

I was about to take a photo of this lovely neo-gothic stone bridge 

from the other side when I heard a loud shout  "OYE". 

We looked all round, couldn't see where it came from. 

I then saw up hill some golfers waiting for us to shift !!

So we moved on ! 

We first started to see Castle Combe church 

And here's the magic begins... when you enter Castle Combe

you feel like you are jumping back in time.

You first see the large perpendicular church tower built in 1434.

 Each one of those cottages are hotel rooms.

The street is private but a local lady told me I could scroll down to the end.

I couldn't resist to have a look !

Piggy is here to say DO NOT DISTURB !

Back in the village,

this little market cross remind us of wealth once generated here by cloth weavers.

This is the beautiful gutters of the houses

My photos don't give credit to the beauty of the village. 

On the road again... over the bridge and we went up gently into the woods.

Down hill into the pretty stone hamlet of Long Dean

Old mill which was once surrounded by water. 

Some cakes were there for sell and a trusty money box on the floor. 

Up steep on path 

Threw the village of Ford 

William really suffers with his triple blisters. 

Those compeed plaster don't work at all.

We follow our friend Natacha's advice. 

We use dressing and tape and clean it with my french disinfectant in spray.

 

We leave Ford threw fields, along the river "by brook" 

which we will often meet.

We now have reached Slaughterford. 

You can't see on the photos but the field had horses 

and a couple of young cows

which were too busy eating anyway.

We still went threw at a hasty paste. 

Its 200 years old church

   

Now I try to read the OS map and 

in the same time read my Macmillan booklet as I move forward,

which describe the path from beginning to end in details.

It also gives me a bit of historic information in each village and 

in that particular case I read too late that 

Slaughterford has a very old and rare postbox from the Edward VII vintage.

We are enjoying the beauty of the woods and its quietness 

before we reach the big town.

We will follow it for quite a few kilometers.

Lunch time

Down narrow bridleway

That's where the problem started !

We are coming in a field where the signs are there...

We are sometimes warn in advice of cattle presence

or we found fresh prove on the floor !!

Then my younger son gets in his funny mood:

" I AM NOT GOING THREW THAT FIELD"

"We spend the next 5 mn to convince him to go round the field and

everything will be alright"

Bear in mind we are still in a hilly region,

so they get me to run up hill 

(in case the cows follow of course),

with my heavy rucksack,

breathing like an asthmatic, reach the top, red like a tomato,

we then roll under an electric wire and a barbed wire 

and walk round another wheat fields

surrounded by dead ravens hang at the end of a stick as scarecrow.

  

Back on the road again

But we soon meet the same problem ... COWs

This time we crossed a river to avoid them and

walk in the field on the other side.

Here's the guilty one, sitting just in front of OUR gate. 

But nothing stopped the "Macmillan team 2019", we are on our way again.

At the entrance of Box,

passing under the railway 

which will take us home later on today  

That's where we say good bye to the "big" Macmillan Way which

takes you all the way to Abotsbury (near by Weymouth) on the coast.

I am determine to do it again with my husband 

from Boston to Abotsbury one day.

Today we will finish our MW to Bath.

The booklet lead us in a new direction 

to complete the Cotswold part of MW 

but I decided to make my own road, 

as short as possible for the boys. I knew we will have a long day.

Thow I am not far from theirs.

We don't mind going threw sheep field. 

We have now left Wiltshire and came in Somerset.

Guess what ? More cows.

We still went threw the field at the top, passed in the next field and

back again in the 1st field by the gate which we had to climb.

That diversion allowed me to get closer to Shockerwick House, a care home.

Followed a minor road up hill.

We start to enter Bath valley.

Down the valley to pass under a railway bridge again. 

A well deserve stop/drink in Batheaston Pub.

This time we are going over a minor railway line.

We soon arrived at Kennet & Avon Canal which will takes us to Bath station.

At this stage we are thinking that it will be now a short stroll to the station.

How wrong ! 4 long... very long kilometres !!

We met there 3 lovely ladies - maybe in holiday- who question us 

on our where about with our big rucksack.

We explained our long walk and our link with Macmillan Cancer support.

They kindly donated to our cause.

I really wish my photo would have showed you better 

the beauty of Bath on this photo in the back ground. 

We certainly had the WOUAH factor 

when we arrived at this stage of the canal.

We now switch on the other side of the canal.

There is some beautiful back garden facing the canal side. 

Back to the civilization, crossing zebra ! 

Our last steps before we reach the station !

My boys are running ! 

Here it is, Bath station after 30 km walk ! 

We made it !

We have arrived in Bath train station just before 8pm.

We caught the next train to Banbury, << 4mn to go, she said >>.

the first one went to London and was full. We had to stand up in the corridor !!
We stopped before London in Didcot.
Then stopped in Oxford and finally took the train to Banbury
where Steve picked us up just before 10pm. 

What a day !

Thank you SO SO much to every one who followed us and donated to our adventure.

And to anyone who is planning to walk the Macmillan way, 

I will be happy to help !

Marie and the boys.