Looking back towards the Monument
We picked up the route of the Cotswold Way at the Monument at Hawkesley Upton having done 78 of the 102 miles. It may have taken us 18 months, but the end is in sight!
After a short stretch along the road the route turns right along a fine drive track - this particular one seemed to be the walking equivalent of a motorway, without the traffic.
Soon, to the right there was a wonderful field of poppies, with other colours in front in a series of bands.
At the end of this, a grassy path passed above Horton Court, a National Trust property which has "fascinating remains of a 12th-century rectory, including a Norman hall and early renaissance decoration". The house is hidden behind the trees, but the church of St James the Elder can be glimpsed through them. The Perpendicular tower of this 14th century church created a fine sight.
The route then descends into the village of Horton and climbs past the early 19th century Widden Hill House. Just past the house is a folly dating from the year 2000, built for the purpose of providing a nesting place for owls and swallows. It is rather lovely - and it is wonderful that the art of the folly has not been lost.
We headed on to Little Sodbury with the handsome Victorian church of St Adeline. We thought that this was an unusual name and it is apparently the only church dedicated to this obscure saint.
The route soon passes through a large, but mysteriously unnamed, Iron Age hill fort. A large outer earthwork and an inner one are very well preserved. Of the hill forts we have seen, this one was unusual in that it is on a plateau with a slope on one side, rather than a genuine hill.
The next port of call is Old Sodbury, notable for the late Norman church of St John the Baptist. It is an interesting, but not very imposing building. The restoration of 1858 probably did not help.
The path descends over a field into the village and soon enters Dodington Park. The grounds of 240 ha were laid out around 1764 by Capability Brown, although later modified, and the current neo-classical house was built by James Wyatt between 1798 and 1813 for Christopher Codrington.The house is now owned by the inventor James Dyson.
We loved the park but could not get even a glimpse of the house.
After a steep climb, we crossed the busy A46 and headed into Tormarton where we had an enjoyable late lunch at the Major's Retreat while watching the first couple of sets of the Wimbledon final, seeing Djokovic well on his way to victory over Nadal.
Conditions: warm and sunny.
Distance: about 8 miles.
Map: Explorer 167 (Thornbury, Dursey and Yate).
Sightings
We saw a good number of butterflies, but this Scarlet Tiger moth, which fluttered out from its bush and then hid again, was the highlight.
No comments:
Post a Comment