Wednesday 31st July - Cirencester to Avening

Day 7:
To start with a quick update of the kilometres we walked:

Banbury - Epwell:                        12,9 km
Epwell - passed Long Compton: 19,2 km
LG - Lower Slaughter:                 18,6 km
LS - Yanworth:                             15,8 km
Yanworth - Woodmancote :        11,72km
Woodmancote - Cirencester :     11,8 km

I let you adding up but we could say a big BRAVO to
my 3 boys aged 12, 13 & 14 years old.

This would well deserved a donation to Macmillan Cancer support.
You can give as little or as much as you want by pressing on the icon on the right side of this page on “Just Giving”. It will go directly to them.
And I take this opportunity to say a BIG MERCI to the one who already gave.
Me & the boys are really touch by your support.

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We started the day by breakfast home made in Youth Hostel’s kitchen.

Left Cirencester around 10.30 on a sunny day.

We will still follow the Monarch Way for a little while

After 2 km to get out of town, we enter green spaces again.

We have a break there. Our rucksack are heavier today.

A lot of its content is very wet.

I am surprised how our shoes dry so quickly

as we walk the day after being soaked !

We walked pass the Royal Agriculture College

its entrance

We walked pass two ladies picking blueberries, 

after a few meters I turn to Edward who was walking behind me

to talk to him... he had disappeared !!

We are walking between Coates ,north of us, and 

Tresbury, south of us.

We can glimpse a big property called Bledisloe Lodge,

In 1848, 22-year old Thomas Gibbs came to Coates 

as Curator of the church. 

He later built the the Royal Agriculture College, largely at his own expense.

 The school, probably built originally on the site of a workhouse, 

first opened its doors in 1849; it was closed in 1987 and 

sold by the Bathurst estate as a private house.

The stone varies in colour from north to south,
being honey-coloured in the north
(remember Broughton village on the 1st day) and 

north east of the region, as shown in Cotswold villages
such as Stanton and Broadway; 

golden-coloured in the central and southern areas, 

as shown in Dursley and Cirencester; and pearly white in Bath.

When I was a child my father will collect big rocks 

in every region we visited and 

will bring them back home for his rockery.

We would mock him a bit.

Today I am the one who brought one back (not the one on the photo !!)

 for my rockery as a souvenir

of our Macmillan walk in the Cotswold.

Fosse Hill Lodge.

We see more and more horses in the field.

I initially thought that it was a disused railway line... for some reason !?

Not at all ! It is an overgrown canal bed

 - remains of the Thames and Severn Canal.

We followed this towpath for 4 km.

we see better in reality where the canal 

was running its water

but now overgrown.

Had a break under the railway bridge

 

Ruined 18th century Gothic canal round house

The empty bed of the canal

As we follow the old canal we can see a bit more water

We  finished our canal walk to a picturesque pub, the Tunnel House Inn

where we had - discretely - our own pack lunch on their garden table.

 

A bit windy today but the sun is out.

We are back on our beloved Macmillan way.

Our next destination is the village of Tarlton

Here's our next track

I wish I could add sound and smell to my photo.

We entered a small wood and I quickly recognized 

the smell of mint under our feet.

Quick pause

This time we are walking along edges covered 

of clematis embalming the air

of their perfume.

We do feel important when I read in MW booklet that

"now on permissive path - 

Macmillan way / Cross Cotswolds Pathway walkers only"

When I was expecting just a farm building,

we discover over to left a beautiful Hazleton Manor - listed building.

On the way out, another beautiful house

Just before Cherington, we see another beautiful restored barn

We now aiming for Avening where we are going to meet

Bailey's uncle who will bring him back home.

It looked so close on the map

but I didn't expected it so hilly.

Poor Edward is struggling.

Good bye mate !

As agree previously with the owner of the B&B

Roger picks up in Avening to take us 2 miles down to the B&B

in Nailsworth where we will stay for the night.

Cirencester to Avening (Nailsworth ), we clocked up 20 km for Bailey’s last day with us.

He had family commitment and we knew we would say good bye to him that day.