Heart of England Way (3) Longborough, Bourton On the Hill and Blockley

A beautiful Summer's day for a walk in The Cotswold's. We are on the edge of a heatwave according to the Met Office. Today should be more bearable than the 'scorchers' on the way over the next week or so hopefully.
Our starting point once again is the village of Longborough. We started here last time in April but walked in the opposite direction. We are parked up even closer to the village pub , a good sign for later I'm sure.   

Bit of an uphill climb as we leave the village, an early test for my knee injury. I have been resting it for 4 days and icing it regularly. It is well strapped up today, but I won't be pushing it too hard. Today we will be walking in an anti-clockwise direction for those who like to know these things. Picking up the 'Heart of England Way' path straight away.  

The views are already spectacular to our right. To the left are colourful wild flower meadows. 

We are now on the 'Sezincote' Estate, 3,500 acres of rolling Cotswold countryside. In the distance is 'Sezincote House'. It has a Dome! It was built in 1805 in a Neo-Mughal architectural style of Rajisthan. It really is a piece of India in The Cotswolds. The house was the whim of Colonel John Cockerell, grandson of the diarist Samuel Pepys, who returned to England having amassed a fortune in the East India Company.He commissioned his brother Samuel, an architect, to design and build the house.

 

 

 

Sezincote (pronounced Seezincote) is derived from Cheisnecote, from chêne, French for oak, and cot for dwelling. The interior of the house is purely classical – Greek Revival – and no attempt was ever made to Indianise it!

We only got a small glimpse of the Gardens from the footpath sadly. There are a number of water gardens and follies to be found by the look of things.I think it is a place I would like to return to in the future, and have a good look around the gardens. We continue on this lovely path meeting several other walkers too for a change.There are a few Americans tourists stretching their legs, also a couple of small groups from Japan.

We arrive at 'Bourton On The Hill'. It has really got hot now and I'm already regretting not bringing more drink on the walk. It is a stunning little village with great views overlooking Moreton In Marsh in the valley below. There are numerous plaques in the bus shelter commemorating wins, and highly commended achievements in the Bledisloe Cup.

Not to be confused with the annual Rugby Union series between The Wallabies and the All blacks. This is is a Gloucestershire and Cotswolds in particular, ' Best kept village' competition. I noticed strangely there hadn't been many recent awards?  A little bit of research revealed that the competition was scrapped in 2009 after 70 years. Costs and a lack of interest was laid to blame , quite sad really.

We continue on the path that is gradually getting steeper. We join the Monarch's Way once again as we pass close to Batsford Arboretum. Really enjoyed my visit there back in November (A write up is on my blog). 

Our elevated position gives us a fantastic view of our next destination 'Blockley'. I actually find walking down a hill more difficult than going up! Puts a lot more pressure on the dodgy knees. The village of Blockley is a unique collection of buildings reflecting its past glory of mills and silk production and is quite different in character to other north Cotswolds villages. Blockley bears some resemblance to the villages of the Stroud valley but the stone much more golden in colour.

We pass an area called 'Dovedale' scattered with ponds as we walk the edge of Bourton Woods. Wild Raspberries are growing in the hedgerow and provide a tasty treat. It is a private woodland owned by Lord Dulverton. However permits can be obtained from the Batsford Estate.  
 

We swap the shady and quiet cover of the woods, for a stretch on the fairly busy A424...Quite a contrast. Thankfully it isn't for too long as we turn off towards Bourton Hill House. Another beautiful valley opens up with more spectacular views. 

The 'Diamond Way' runs along here too. A diamond shaped walk was created by The Ramblers Association  North Cotswold Group to celebrate the 60th Jubilee in 1995. It takes you through a series of pretty Cotswold villages starting from Moreton In Marsh.

Down below us is the 'Grade II listed  Gentleman's Farmhouse 'Hinchwick Manor'.

We pass a large slate monument as we continue our climb. I suspect that Hase & Michael Asquith were former occupants at 'Hinchwick Manor'. On the back of the monument is an extract from the William Blake Poem 'Augeries of Innocence'. 'He who shall train the horse to war shall never pass the polar bar'.  A poem  around the theme of innocence vs experience.

We are on the homeward leg now heading back towards Longborough. The spectacular views just keep on coming and it is still very warm indeed. I do like to see a nice or interesting bench. The one in the photos below  is under a smashing Copper Beech Tree and commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the ending of the 2nd World War. (15th August 1995).

The end is in sight, the end being 'The Coach & Horses' at Longborough. A  pint of the local Donnington Brewery Best Bitter (3.6%) could not have gone down better! A superb walk, outstanding scenery and glorious weather. a touch over 12 miles in total.