Cotswolds - Day 3 - Kings Stanley

Painswick to King's Stanley

879' ascent with a steep descent ~1165'

The only downside to a long distance, inn to inn walk is the packing up of your bag every day and carrying that heavy bag up and down the narrow stairs. We’ve been on  the third floor twice already on this leg of the journey. We were blessed that the host last night carried our bags to the room before we arrived. We always have to carry them down in the mornings though. 😓

Breakfast this morning is the typical English breakfast menu. Hmmm. Wonder what I’ll have. Eggs or eggs???

That’s a mushroom in the middle if you can’t tell. 

As we left the hotel this morning, we walked by the Lychgate again, so I took pictures of the writing on the other two sides of the gate. 

This is the bench they waited on for the priest to administer last rites. 

Above the bench it says “Built of the Old Belfry”. 

Here you go Juniper. You’ve got another place over here. Seems like every walk we go on, we find a place with your name on it.  

Thought this iron sign was really neat with the fence, stile, trees and road sign. 

Bindweed

As we started to leave Painswick through this little path I thought you might like to get a feel for a portion of the trail so I took a video as we walked. 

Wasn’t that exciting 🤣 I was also going to include a video of us climbing partway up that first steep hill but all you would have heard is heavy breathing and I thought that might be a little weird.  

While walking through this farm, a red fox with the white tipped tail (just like you see in story books) came darting across the road in front of us chasing a duck. He just about had him for breakfast when he noticed us and took off for the trees. It was such an unusual thing to see. 

This is one of those weird looking and sounding sheep. 

It’s 55 miles to Bath

And 47 miles to Chipping Campden. This marks the midway point of the Cotswold Way and lets us know we have 55 miles of the trail left. 

A really cute lamb that was eyeing us.

Self- heal or heal all

Yet another glorious day of weather as we dip in and out of beautiful countryside, beech trees, wildflowers and wooded areas.

We made it up the steepest hill today. Happy faces!!!

And down we go. 

Spotted orchid

We’ve entered Maitland Wood. 

And now Stockend Wood

Cliff Well House

This is a well housed in its own stone building and is interesting for the old faded inscription above the now sealed wellhead. “Whoer the bucketful upwindeth, let him bless God, who water findest. Yet water here but small availeth. Go seek that well which never faileth”.

Cromwell's Stone

The back of it. 

Haresfield Beacon Trigpoint

We go on to a narrow escarpment which twists and turns around Haresfield Beacon and see the remains of an Iron Age fort.

As we were walking along the escarpment (almost to the highest point of the day), we met a couple of men walking the other direction. They asked where we were walking and when we told them the Cotswold Way, the older gentleman told us he walked Wainwright’s C2C when he was 78, walked the West Highland Way when he was 80, took a rest day and then walked the Great Glen Way in Scotland. He’s 88 now and uses 2 walking sticks. Remember we were almost at the highest point of the day. What an encouragement to keep walking. 

We are now in Standish Wood. 

I’m about to sit myself down on this tree stump to eat a banana before we head out of the woods and into the sun making our descent into Stonehouse. 

We walk across freshly mown hayfields,

through a stone stile,

through a corn field, 

And fields of grass. 

This was the first stile of this type we’ve ever seen. 

Looking toward the town where we’ll spend tonight. 

The path takes us through rows and rows of grapes at the new vineyard at Ryeford, making my mouth water, before reaching Stroudwater/Ebley canal, both the lowest point on the Cotswold way as well as one of the few areas of water on the route.

Crossing a bridge over the train tracks. 

Going down the steps from the bridge

Door in a wall of brick. 

Stroudwater/Ebley Canal

Green water, green house, and green trees 🤣

Walking into the garden of our Inn. It’s the Stonehouse Court Hotel, a 36-bedroom, 17th century Manor House hotel set in six acres of stunning grounds overlooking the Stroud Water Canal and rolling hills of the Stroud Valley.

Unfortunately, this accommodation is 1 mile from the path and dinner is only served from 7 to 9 pm. We don't like eating that late so decided to stop along the way and eat something before arriving at the inn.

We see a sign pointing to Stonehouse City Centre and decide to walk there to eat. Sadly after walking uphill and another mile, we didn’t find anything open so headed on to the Inn. 

When we checked in, we found out the restaurant was indeed open from 9 am so didn’t need to make the detour into town afterall 🙄. 

Jo Anne had potato (hmmm, maybe pea instead of potato?) and leek soup with a bread and butter tray. 

I had the chicken and mushroom pie with mashed potatoes. Exquisite!

Window at our table

Decided today was the day for my sticky toffee pudding with non-dairy ice cream. The picture doesn’t make it look as scrumptious as it was. So, two wins out of three isn’t bad, just still not happy about the fish and chips bust. 

Our room is up several half flights of stairs (42 stairs) and down multiple halls. It’s a maze. I’ve done the stairs 3 times now and Jo Anne’s done them 5 times because I made her go back down and count them. 🤣 Whew! Don’t feel too bad for her. The host carried her bag all the way to the room, while I carried mine.  

View of the garden from our room.

Stats

Steps - 28,802

Miles - 12.4

Elev gain - 879’ or 55 floors

The first day of the walk was graded easy, the second day was easy to moderate, and today was easy to moderate. Tomorrow and the next day are moderate to strenuous (over 2,000’ elev gain) and moderate (1400’) so Jo Anne is taking the next two days off and I will march on! 

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

Psalm 84:1-3