Fairford

St Mary's, Fairford

Another walking opportunity en route to Gloucester. The walk begins by the Bull Hotel in the market square, but before starting I made the short detour to see the town's chief glory, St Mary's church. The church was consecrated in 1497 and is unique for having a complete set of late medieval stained glass.

The windows have a lot of clear glass with lightly drawn designs, enlivened with splashes of colour. There are educational biblical scenes, but also images of fifteenth century life.



The route crosses the main road and quickly reaches the bank of the river Coln. You follow the left bank, heading east through meadows. The river itself is shallow fast flowing.



After a while, you turn left and make a tour around a lake, now a nature reserve, formed from a former gravel pit. The drawback is that the path is fenced off and is some way back from the water's edge. Lots of coots were in evidence and a single Great Crested Grebe.



On reaching the end of the circuit, a path leads back to the town.

Distance: Said to be four miles, but more like 3.25.

From: Pub walks in Gloucestershire by Nigel Hammond (Countryside Books).

Map: Explorer OL 45 (The Cotswolds).

Rating: 3 stars. Too short. The river was pretty, but the lake was a disappointment.


Flowers of the day

I saw this very pretty Water forget-me-not by the side of the River Coln.




And later, this impressive Marjoram in a meadow by the lake.



The dominant flower around the lake was this Himalayan Balsam (impatiens glandulifera).



The pink flowers are undeniably attractive, but the plant is decried as an invasive species, having escaped from gardens and vigorously propagated itself in just this sort of location. It is the tallest annual in Britain.