Hitz Adventures: "London Calling" – Hiking the Cotswold’s Way (Part 2 of 3)

Today is another 15 mile day. We hiked 7.5 miles to Hawkesbury. The Cotswold Way follows a stream out of Wotton-Under-Edge before climbing back up onto the escarpment, passing close to the National Trust property of Newark Park. The Trail then makes for the village of Alderley down a delightful sunken woodland track. From Alderley, the route passes through a peaceful valley where you can see remainders of Medieval ridge-and-furrow either side. On reaching Lower Kilcott, a clear millstream runs alongside the quiet road that the Cotswold Way follows. The Trail then climbs gently up to the Somerset Monument before heading towards the village of Hawkesbury Upton.

In Hawkesbury we had lunch at The Beaufort Arms. The usual crowd was holding down court in the bar at the noon hour. One gentleman was rambling on about the trail, but the mix of alcohol and accent left me a few sentences behind and a couple words short.

Passing an ancient drover’s pond, the Cotswold way follows Bath Lane south towards Horton. Before reaching the National Trust property of Horton Court (probably the oldest vicarage in England), the Trail climbs up onto Horton Fort with extensive views opening out over the Severn Vale and beyond. The Trail then crosses farmland to the villages of Horton and Old Sodbury

We stayed in the Cross Hands that night. Our favorite lodging of the trip and a big step up from the night before where I felt like we were camping inside, as the bed was slanted down and I kept waking up almost on the floor.

There were not many options, so we ended up having dinner at the Cross Hands. We had a good breakfast the next morning and were on our way to Cold Ashton. Only 7 miles today so we took or time on departure. The Trail leaves Old Sodbury then on to Tormarton to the south along the Marshfield Road, then crosses arable land that eventually leads to a path passing round the perimeter wall of Dyrham Park – a William and Mary mansion nestling in an ancient deer park. From the village of Dyrham, the Trail climbs up through Dyrham Woods before continuing through farmland into the village of Cold Ashton.

Walking across an open field I accidentally ran into an electric fence.

It was the kinda jolt that wakes you up, but then after you settle down you kinda want to try it again. Amy was just coming by the unmarked fence. I considered not telling her to see her jump, but in a rare moment of clarity I decided it was best to alert her of the impending danger.

There was no proper lodging in Cold Ashton but I was able to secure a room at Hill Farm house for a pretty penny.

The arrangements were not bad, but it was a bit expensive for what they offered. During COVID they must have modified things to avoid actually contact, but here it was 4 years later and we they were still abiding by the same policies. The dinner we reserved was left in a small dish, requiring heat up in the microwave, something similar to the NASA found you might get on an airplane flight. In addition, they charged for any clothes cleaning. In the morning, they offered “scrambled eggs”. We had to laugh when she pointed to the skillet and the basket of eggs. “Do we have to cook them scrambled like the menu says?” I wanted to ask. The cherry on top was when she showed me the area outside where we could sit and watch the sunset. Not 30 minutes later she came up and told us there was a guy camping and he was going to set up his tent in our “sunset spot”. Oh well, not a big deal, but a bit comical I thought.

The final day of hiking was upon us. The Cotswold Way leaves Cold Ashton and descends into the beautiful secluded valley at Lower Hamswell. The next climb takes you up to the site of the bloody civil war battle of Lansdown.

The Trail levels out across the plateau, passing the promontory hill fort at Little Down and the famous Bath Racecourse. The path then emerges at Prospect Stile (now a kissing gate), where the first views of Bath can be glimpsed in the valley below.

The guy in the picture above walking towards us, once learning we were from America, asked who we were voting for. I cringed as one look at him and his pit bull made me knew I would regret this, but I admitted I we were voting for Kamala Harris. He went off on a tirade about the end of the world if Trump lost. I thought as we kept moving, "he would fit in perfectly with the nut jobs back home." Amy wanted to engage in him a bit, but like most rationale people back home, I am just done with these people, and opt for silence.

After the Trail passes through farmland and emerges into Weston, it changes in character, becoming more urban as the walk draws to a close. The Trail continues to offer glimpses of fine parks and regency architecture on its way to Bath Abbey, where a carved stone disc set into the pavement outside the ornate west doors marks the end of the Cotswold Way.