Thursday 31 January 2013
30th JAN. HARESFIELD HILL to DRAKESTONE POINT nr. Dursley Golf Course
I did not sleep well, it had rained heavily all night and I had woke to find that ,due to the slope, I had rolled against the tent wall and my bag was damp.I shuffled toward J but was paranoid that I may roll over again. I woke numerous times.
I lay from 5 listening to the rain hit the tent. Got porridge going at six. We were lucky the rain stopped around 6.15, which meant we could pack up relative dry.
I climbed out and was amazed at the street lights below from Haresfield.J said he had see misty lights through the rain last night ,but I was to intent on getting tent pitched to notice.
We were away with damp everything by 7.50.
We made our way up to Harefield Beacon, a grassy nobley out crop, with stone trig.
Much of today was walking on the edge of an escarpment with panoramic views below. Either that or walking through wind battered woodlands, a dead branch fell on my shoulder. Most of the route was good path , excellent walking.
We decended to Stroud, leaving route to get food and fuel supplies. We grabbed a wetherspoons breaky ,charged phone batteries for a spell before re joining the Way via the canal and up to Selsey.We faffed about a little, deciding to walk to Middleyard as opposed to taking the wind exposed common above. It was a very wind torn, tree battering day, and we walked a great route up PenHill.
Trees clung to the steep slopes, mainly beech, the tops were bare and exposed which we discovered onto of Coaley Peak picnic site. A long barrow,Nympsfields, was fairly interesting .A fantastic vista of the severn and Wales stretched before us.A distance board said Hay Bluff was only 41 miles away...Offas Dyke days! Hard to believe we were that far west again.
We stopped to dry the tent and capes, flapping in the wind.At least the sun shone. It was actually a warmish day of 10 degrees, and we wore light fleece tops. I had to fix the tent, as stitching went.A couple of blokes flew radio controlled gliders .
We eventually got moving, following the edge of the escarpment , quite often under cotswold stone cliffs.
We eventually made our way up Cam Long Down , a bugger of a climb but well worth for views.
The wettest part of the day was on route to Dursley, cow hoof chewed up water logged land again....fun!
We finally got meths , the town feeling northern. We bought 4 litres of water from the supermarket, and then climbed steeply with the added weight to Dursley golf club.We debatteren taking the short route as walking the edge of the golf coursedid not sound fun, we did the walkto Drakestones Point, pitching on the point in failing light . The car lights of the M5 below, the Severn and Wales beyond, worth the longer route .
We ate a variety pack of custard creams before having our prawn rice tea.
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Tuesday 29 January 2013
28th JAN. STANWAY to WISTLEY GROVE
Again a tiring day so will give basics.
We got going at 7.45 muddy start to Wood Stanway . Windy from SW. Highlights Cleeve Common. Fairly heavy driven rain .
29th JAN. WISTLEY GROVE nr.A436 to RINGHILL FARM, HARESFIELD HILL.
We were really on the ball this morning, awake and breakfasted ,packing up at just before 7. We were away in half light by 7.30. I had been expecting rain this morning but had packed a dry tent.
We had cheese sandwiches for breaky instead of porridge due to our water leaking away last night, we only had a third of a cup of mint tea each.
As we made our way to a busy Seven Springs round a bout we were tempted to stop at the snack bar in the nearby layby. Traffic was pretty heavy.
Having crossed we gained a decent track/path to Hartley Hill, lousy mist view over Cheltenham, obviously well walked popular destination. We sought and found the Devils Chimney, a tor like stack.
Light drizzle started, pretty much set in for the day with the odd increase in intensity.
Alot of the route today was fairly clean, that is mainly track or decent path for this time of year, the odd wet muddy patch, or snow drift refusing to disappear.
I felt pretty tired all day, feeling the lack of a good breaky....porridge And picking up rich tea bics instead of digestives.
It was a day of hills, which means ups And downs , my legs felt it , the pack felt heavy , so did I....I felt old!
After Leckhampton hill we walked over a deep snow drift to Crickley Hill country park. There was a loo there so was able to have a drink before moving on to the Iron age fort, which was no more than hummocks of grassy banks.
We dropped sharpley to the A417 , the noise of traffic always seemed close.
Before walking passed Birdlip ,not entering the village, we did a dog leg to the Peak ,another promontory.
A track took us out of the driven wind and rain through Witcombe Wood, the sound of shotguns echoing around us. We stopped on a pile of logs in fine drizzle, our capes had been on and off due to the warmth of the day, must of been 10°.
We finally reavhed Coopers Hill, a steep up had me gasping. We took the wrong route going up some more , missing the direction post. We soon noticed as the well posted signs dried up, J realising before me!
Again we decended to the road, stopping in a seated bus shelter out of the rain. It was so warm that we felt cosy, the main chill coming from the wind.
After a snack of smoked cheese and bread , in the dry, looking out at drizzle we walked the two and half miles to Painswick via golf course and common.
Painswick offered us delights in food and drink, basically a cheap energy drink with biscuits.We sat in another bus shelter near the impressive clock faced church.
We had done well as it was about 3.30 on leaving. We felt refreshed and moral lifted. We passed a mile stone stating we had 55 miles to go, three roe deer ran in the opposite direction .
Another good route took us to Ringhill Farm, just passed Haresfield Hill.We had seen loads of wild pitch sites but no water available had us asking at the farm.The farmer said we could pitch in an exposed field,but please do not leave rubbish, reassuring him we found a flatish , dryish spot,
pitching in the rain.
J got in quickly, getting sleepung bags sorted. It wad the fastest we had done it in those conditions. I felt chilled , and only the change of top for a dry one warmed me. J did the noodles.
He was a sleep by 9. Me , I blogged and looked at tomorrows route, possible youth hostel for friday in bath.
2875 miles
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