Heart of England Way (2) Longborough, Stow On The Wold and Donnington (Plus add on).

 

The second leg of the 'Heart of England' Walk is starting in the Cotswold village of 'Longsborough'. In September 2001, Longborough was the winner of the Bledisloe Cup competition for best kept village. It looks pretty good today too.

Taking a bit of a gamble with the weather and a risky three layer approach.If the last couple of days are anything to go by it is going to be a very mixed bag of weather. At least we are starting out in sunshine as we set off in an anti-clockwise direction. I take advantage of one of several 'wells' we will encounter on the walk today. 

The picture on the left might look as though I'm being violently ill. However I am merely sampling the fine Cotswold hills natural spring water. It is only afterwards that I notice the sign that says 'unsuitable for drinking.....As I'm writing this several days later I can safely report that there have been no ill effects. At least none that I am aware of? We very quickly pick up 'The Monarch's Way' path.

'The Monarch's Way' is a 625-mile (1,006 km)long distance footpath hat approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester. It runs from Worcester via Bristol, and Yeovil to Shoreham, West Sussex. 

The logo is a drawing of the ship 'Surprise 'above a Prince of Wales three-point feathered crown on a silhouette of the Royal Oak Tree. The route was established in 1994. 

Rolling Hills

Set amongst the idyllic countryside is the Donnington Brewery. Richard Arkell began brewing on the site of a 13th century watermill in 1865. Today, the mill wheel is still used to drive pumps and machinery to brew the beer the same way 150 years on.The honey-coloured buildings sit quietly in the valley next to the mill pond, with its black swans, the logo of the brewery. Sadly the brewer is not open at weekends....

We re-trace some of the route that we finished with last time just as darkness was setting in.The uphill climb will take us back to 'Stow on The Wold'. The other other side of the wall lies the The Grade II-listed Abbotswood country estate. 24 times bigger than an average house, boasts 10 bedrooms and six bathrooms, while there are 13 “out” buildings in the grounds.In 2015 it was the most expensive country house for sale in the UK.It was thought that the Beckham's were very interested in purchasing. I am just happy to enjoy the views for now , albeit ' over the wall. 

 

 

 

 

Oh dear, just as we reach 'Stow on the Wold' the wind gets up and we get our first snow shower of the day. 
 

It's hard to believe that it was almost twenty degrees last weekend. We are now walking down 'Well Lane' no prizes for guessing how the name came about.Stow was, until recent times, supplied with water from springs below the town. For centuries, women and children had carried water with yoke and bucket from the spring on Well Lane. Water carts plied between Well Lane and the town where the water was sold to the townsfolk at the price of a farthing a bucket. Several systems had been tried to force water up the hill including windmills, horse-mills and water wheels but all had failed. In 1871, Joseph Chamberlayne-Chamberlayne, lord of the manor, donated £2000 to the town for a deep well to be bored and this was a success. Mains water was laid on in 1937. 

As quick as it started the snow has stopped and the sun is back out again. This is going to be a familiar pattern today. We follow the 'Monarch's Way' to the village of Broadwell. The parish church of St Paul was built in the 12th and 13th centuries. Throughout the middle ages the manor, or estate of Broadwell belonged to the Benedictine Monks of Evesham who were responsible for appointing the rector. There seems to have been a here before the Norman Conquest. As early as 1086 the Domesday Book records a priest as an inhabitant. Nothing is known about the Saxon Church, or exactly when the Norman Church was built. 

It's a lovely little village with around 500 inhabitants.The churchyard is looking very pretty with the Spring flowers in bloom.

Between Broadwell and Donnington lies some really stunning scenery. Large wide open spaces and total peace. Or at least that is until a strange looking aircraft comes overhead.

The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing and short takeoff and landing capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft. They don't come cheap either! an average cost of $110 million per aircraft, including development costs...

From Donnington we make our way back towards our starting point at 'Longsborough'. We now have a choice. Call it a day and go to the pub, very tempting. Or do an extended loop along the Monarch's Way? As it was such a decent day for once we decided to forego the pub. It was worth it too with more great views. Thinking about it we have actually done quite a lot of the Monarch's Way, more than the Heart of England Way I expect. As always a really enjoyable walk and a total of 11.65 miles in distance.