Painswick

The day started near Ullenwood  and crippets long barrow, the first of many ancient monuments of the day.  The Cheltenham area seems to be strewn with them.

We basically walked the Cotswolds Way the whole day.

We went through Crickley Hill Park with its glorious views.















and huge skies

And an Iron Age fort, a big battle took place here.

The rain poured in the distance but it blew around us and we managed to miss it although other groups in the club walking nearby got soaked.

The Cotswolds Way is easy walking and a lot of it was through woodland.

Easy except when it isn't and I had another trip (seems to be one every walk at the minute) and landed flat on my face again.

I rested my pride with lunch in Witcombe Wood.

We went past the bottom of coopers hill,  this picture really doesn't do it justice for how steep it is.
















The roof of the house is where we were.  We walked up the side of it.

This hill is famous for the annual cheese rolling.

An event probably as old as the hills and not one to let health and safety stand in its way.

Thank goodness health care is free here!

 It is well worth the climb for the views over the valley to the Malverns.

We headed onward across a golf course past another for towards Painswick

A well attired local gentleman (who was stood watching a mouse!) pointed out that our method of bus drop off and finish is the same rules as a shotgun start golf tournament.

The last time we were in this area we saw a slow worm, there wasn’t much fauna around today but a special shout out goes to the very flat snake spotted on the road.  I think is was an adder, hard to tell with the tyre marks over it!

 

The church In Painswick has 99 yew trees.

I already knew that yews grow in church yards because they are poisonous to grazing animals so before the enclosure act they kept animals safe and that we had to grow them to make bows and arrows.








What I didn't know was that yew tree clippings are a good source of the basic raw material for the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel. Specialist contractors go to this churchyard to collect and ship them off for processing.

So it was a lovely 12.5 miles with 1700" ascent and perfect walking weather.

Another really good day.