Canal Paths

When I decided to move to England there were loads of this that I was expecting and looking forward to about the country and culture. But I have come to love something I did not even realize existed.

When I think of canal's I think of Amsterdam and Holland. I do not think of England. Yet there are loads of them in England. They are wooded affairs which cross all parts of England. They used to be used as "roads" for carrying all manner of goods be slow moving barges pulled by horses or donkeys before engines made their debut. Now they are used as recreational spaces and long canal boats leisurely make their way through locks which the boat operators open and close themselves. The old towpaths that the horses used to plod along are now used by walkers of dog, runners, cyclists, and commuters.

I have come to love them. The paths wind along the canal varying in widths and maintenance level. They offer up a large variety of views from rolling English vista's to peeks into others back gardens. They offer a traffic free place to ride your bike, run or walk enjoying a cool breeze and a shaded path on a sunny day. The wildlife, occasionally if you are quiet enough, share a bit of their world with you as you travel by. Wildflowers and trees vary your view and provide the occasional fruit snack as you pass. I have been riding loads along the River Wey canal path on a regular basis and try and explore other canal pathways as well. They offer up what I like to think of as a secret view of England.

W4CR challenge completed!

June 21 2013. The wind blowing at just the right speed (15-20 knots) The direction not to shabby, a bit onshore but okay. Location, Hayling Island Seafront. Support crew, husband; photographer, husband! Challenge: to windsurf double the time (4 hours) I normally am on the water and to complete 20 dry tacks (record so far being 3 in an hour).

We arrived at the beach and the conditions looked good. The tide was high and I was being a bit of a chicken so after everything was rigged up I did a bit of "simulator" training with my board (minus the fin) and my rig on a sandy bit of the beach. I think I was really trying to calm myself down a bit.

By 13:30 I hit the water. I had decided ahead of time to split my time up into sessions so that I would have breaks for food and water. Due to the wind being "light" we had decided that I would use Mark's smallest sail (the largest I had ever attempted to  sail) a 5.5; so most of the first hour was me getting used to his sail, the feel, the weight, and its reaction. While I tried to get planing a lot of my runs were wobbly and full of bad body stance. However I did manage to get 10 dry tacks in! Well to be honest I really did 12 but my adjudicator (Mark) decided that two of them didn't count as he was only counting the dry ones that I sailed well into and well out of. ARGH!!So at the end of session 1, one hour under my belt and 10 dry tacks. If I could keep this up I would be laughing.

Second session: Focus on blasting. With a few encouragements and hints from Mark I really focused on getting into and out of the harness quicker, dropping and digging, and stance. What a difference that made. Everything got light and felt very balanced and best of all I was blasting along. Not in the foot straps, but moving at a good pace with everything light. I even practiced taking my hands (one at a time) off the boom. It was such fun. I was also able to sail for longer distances with confidence now that I had this technique better. But my tacks....not so good. They for what ever reason got very wet! By the end of the  second session I had only increased my count of good dry tacks up to 14. Worse...I was feeling exhausted. Lunch and a long break was needed.

Third session: Dark clouds rolled in and I'm not talking figuratively; the thickening clouds matched how I felt, my hands were sore, my arms trembling and small things that I have long mastered seemed like a massive effort. Worse it felt like I was sailing terribly, everything I tried to do felt like it wasn't working. I was discouraged and I wanted to come off the water. But I knew that you all were rooting for me and I knew that if I just kept pushing I would make it. Somehow I dug deep ignored the dark grey clouds, my sore hands, and trembling arms and managed to push my good dry tack count up to 18. Even more surprising was Mark's comments when I came off the water, he said that this session had probably been my best so far, and that I looked like I was moving faster and sailing faster. MIND GAMES...maybe fatigue helps to focus your technique...I don't know. All I know was that I was glad I only had one more session to go.

Danielle (who I've been getting lessons from, and whose team I was originally supposed to be on) and her partner Phil came down at this point to cheer me on a bit. They did a great job at distracting me from my pain and encouraging me to keep pushing as after all what's one more hour? So back to the water I headed. I felt like this session was my best yet. Unfortunately, in an effort to warm up my support crew wandered off and so missed what I felt were my best runs of the day. I even managed a tiny accidental jump off a bit of chop that surprised me and I fell off giggling with the fun of it. I was back to having fun. Yes my body felt slightly broken but I felt like things that I have been told, shown and coached were coming together. I can hardly wait for my next session if I can manage to lift my arms again. Best of all I managed to add the final 2 good tacks to reach a total of 20 (just don't ask how many I had to do to get that 20) and spent a total of 4 hours and 17 mins on the water. Challenge complete.

Thank you to all who donated, to those who are going to donate, to those who sent me kind words of encouragement. Thanks especially to Mark who sat on a cold, often cloudy beach for over 5 hours cheering me on.

To those of you who wish to donate please go to my Just Giving webpage and click on Donate. The website is international and will accept donations in multiple currencies (after clicking on Donate just change the currency to your desired currency from the drop down window). It is completely safe and secure. Thank you.

Enjoy the short video below of one of my "runs"...the guys who go past in the background will hopefully be how I look soon, but this is MUCH better than I did look a year ago...

Hard but right choice

Well.....Yesterday was my big event and I didn't even get wet. It was blowing a gale! Literally, gusts up to a force 7 which is classed as gale force winds. So in talking with Mark, and windsurfing friends I decided that for my safety and longevity I would postpone my challenge for a day when the winds were not creating conditions that were WAY above my skill level. Now those of you that know me should know that I am not above going out in challenging conditions, but when friends of mine who are miles ahead of my skill level where talking about "overpowered", "survival", and even called their challenge off early due to safety concerns (GetWindsurfing) I felt like I made the right decision, even if it did make me a little sad.

I still will complete my challenge, but I spent yesterday encouraging and supporting my two personal windsurfing, female hero's! In a male dominated sport us girls have to stick together, and these two were out there with the guys, showing true bravery. Danielle of Get Windsurfing was so inspiring to watch! A petite female, she was showing most of the guys out there how it really should be done, technique over muscles won every time. In the full on conditions, yesterday she was making "survival" look easy and SO much fun. The other girl is a friend of mine and she is several steps a head of me in skill level. She is my hero as not only did she go out but she took the smallest board she has ever sailed on a borrowed 3.3 and she did awesome! I was so jealous of the fun and the fight that she was having. I have no doubt that today she will be sore, but content and happy with her amazing efforts of yesterday. Go girl power!

I am now chomping at the bit and am doing my wind dance in our conservatory trying to convince the wind to come back, but maybe not quite so strong. I am itching to complete my challenge, have some more lessons, and crack getting in the straps and harness. Next year I will be out there on the water.

Check out the 35 knots of Slalom Madness video which of the conditions near where I was to sail...know you can see why I didn't go out! The pros were struggling! Enjoy

Link to Video

Hayling Island, Seafront June 15, 2013

Gulp! I have done it. I have gone and signed up for my first ever windsurfing event to raise money for Cancer research. For those of you who don't know about this event it is a Sunrise to Sunset Watersports event. The goal for the REALLY good windsurfers (and other watersports persons) is to be out on the water for 16 hours. Most people do this in a team so allow for food and bathroom breaks. I am not yet good enough to be on a team but I wanted to take part in this event so I have joined the group of personal goal individuals. So while I won't be out there for the entire day I will be really pushing myself. Normally a 2 hour session leaves me ragged and not being able to lift my arms, especially if it is blowing! So I am going to do double that....4 hours on the water trying to spend most of that time on my kit, rather than falling in the water. The bigger goal is to complete 20 dry tacks, my personal best so far being 3 in an hour. SO I am definitely going to have my work cut out for me!

So please show your support for me and click my Just Giving webpage to donate. Enjoy the photos below of my excellent windsurfing skills to give you a bit of an idea of how big this challenge is going to be for me.

I am in the water...

Why my arms get tired

Hoping I don't fall off...

Whoops

Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall

Look out I'm coming through

Wobble tack

The Haling Island Seafront...where the event will be. Fingers crossed it is this sunny with a bit more wind.

Windsurfing!!

This is the story of my first English windwurfing experiences my other times being on the water being on holiday. On Saturday I went to Pagham with my hubsband (a long time windsurfer) and stopped into L.A.R. to rent some beginner kit. Lee helped me get the kit setup. I was sporting a Viper 80 and a 4.5 sail that was a bit knackered. Off I went. The first few goes were very wobbly and shaky as it had been over a year since I had been on a board but with a bit of effort, encouragement, and coaching from my husband I was soon making my way out and back with a few dry tacks. I was happy and content practicing close to the shore and so my husband went off to play. He came back and also had a huge grin on his face saying how great the conditions were. The sun was shinning the sea was a beautiful blue and I was having a blast practicing on the beginner kit. It is amazing how fast time goes on the water. A lot of the other much more advanced sailors who were there stopped to say hi to me and encourage me on my efforts. By the end of the first hour I was regularly beach starting with success and managing to return to the shore without drifting WAY downshore (ok....ok....so I had the help of the daggerboard, but trust me for those of you that beginning is a distant memory this is a victory!). Two and a bit hours later I was exhausted. So out of the sea I came and called L.A.R. so that he could come and get the kit. I then sent the rest of the day happily watching my husband blasting away reveling in the pride that I too had had a good session. Even better, my personal coach took a few pictures AND commented on how happy and proud he was on how quickly I improved over the course of the two hours.  

Sunday morning I woke excited and raring to go!! The plan was head to Hayling Island check out the boot sale and then as I was chomping at the bit to get back on a board on the sea to drive back to Pagham for another go on rented kit. I was even more excited when I looked out the window to see the wind blowing the leaves of the trees around. The plan for me at the car boot sale was too look and see if there was any beginner type kit that was used, but good for me to practice on here in the UK as a beginner/improver. I knew from speaking to Lee on Sat that he had a possible board that was a bit too advanced for me but still a possible option. When we got there there was another female windsurfer who is a was also looking at the board (starboard carve 131), and I made the decision that I would be better off renting a for more goes before I try buying an board under 140l. So I told her that I wouldn't make an offer. Turns out to be a great decision as she is looking to sell a 145l board that I may end up buying from her...fingers crossed. So then looking around I found a very nice gentleman who was selling off some kit that he was just looking to shift and so I got a great bargin for me!! A 4.7 N/S that is a wave sail so it will be great for when I start learning to hook into a harness as it should be tough enough to withstand me crashing into it!! The sail was in good condition and I also managed to pick up a Neil Pryde mast from the same guy! From another windsurfer I grabbed a used boom that would fit my little hands and my new sail and I was then almost half way to owning my first rig! I was beyond excited with the gear I got and the deals as well.  

The hard work

 
Loading my new kit into the car we were off to Pagham. At 12:30 meet with Lee at his shop and I got a mast extension and a mast foot rented the Viper 80 and I was off to the beach. It was with great pride and excitement that I (with my personal coaches assistance) I rigged my own kit up for the first time!! Wetsuit on and the began to realize that it was quite a bit windier than Sat AND I was on a bigger sail! Okay....Okay....it was only by .2 of a meter but to this beginner that seemed HUGE! My nerves increased and it took me a good 30 minutes of crashing and burning (totally due to nerves) before I calmed down and realized it was just the same as Sat but windier...it didn't hurt more when I crashed and using the right technique I could control the sail! Soon I was again beach starting and I even kind of did a sort of almost water start....I think....(following more lessons from my personal coach). Again (with the assistance of a daggerboard) I wasn't drifting downwind and I manged to get clean tacks a little bit quicker. Again all the guys at the beach were great! Giving me thumbs up, asking me how I was going, giving me tips, and telling me how great I was doing. After a little over two hours I was exhausted so again up on the beach for a rest. After the rest it was time to de-rig! Wow that is hard work with exhausted arms, back, legs and well everything! But what fun and I was so happy with my efforts progress and "new" kit!

I just wanted to share my first English windsurfing adventure and say thank you to the guys who sold me their used kit for a good deal, thanks to Lee from L.A.R. for the rentals and advice, thanks to the guys at Pagham who made me feel welcome and encouraged me, but most of all thanks to my personal coach.

The Wiltshire White Horse Trail

I'm not sure if you realize this or not but England has more than one white horse. I'm not talking the animal variety, I'm talking the white horses cut out of the turf on a chalk hillside. In Wiltshire there are 8 of these incredible hill carvings which are still visible. There are some that are new and others that are ancient.

Mark and I had arranged months earlier to go and stay with friends or ours who live in Somerset. Dale is interested in ancient things and so they decided for our walk we would do a portion of white horse trail by walking the Honeystreet and Pewsey Downs trail. It is an almost 7 mile walk that loops over the top of a hill giving great views (if the weather cooperates) down to a canal that has a pub for a bit of refreshment near the end of the walk.

The Boys

I was quite excited as according to Dale and Gail, we were going to walk literally over the ears of the horse, not just view it from a afar. So rather than whizzing by at high speeds driving on the motorway. I would get a nice long look at one of these great English landmarks. Saturday morning we woke in the guest bedroom of Dale and Gail's the night before we had sampled Dale famous pizza night and they featured a seasonal treat wild garlic leaf pesto!  Even better the pesto had been made by Dale from leaves he had foraged...YUMMY. Needless to say I at least had some calories that needed burning off.  So after a fab breakfast we all loaded in Dale van. We chatted the whole way and then there it was off the the left of our window as we drove into the village of Alton Barnes.

From where we parked you could see the horse off the in distance and as Dale told me that we were going to walk to the top of it I knew the calories would fall off me! As we started the walk Dale told us that the horse that we were going to walk to the top of was constructed in 1812 by a guy named John Thorne so a newer carving. Turns out when I did a bit of research this John Thrope guy was a bit of a con artist as he took the money (£20) and a horse and ran! He was later hanged. So instead the guy that Thorne commissioned to do the work, used the plans drawn up by Thorne, and did all the work, his name was John Harvey. So the guy who wanted the horse carved, a Mr. Robert Pile, had to pay for it twice.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shinning and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. We still grabbed extra layers and loads of water as the hill is quite exposed and with English weather anything could happen. Within minutes though I was down to my shirt sleeves! It was unseasonably warm for March! As we climbed the view was a bit obstructed by the haze created by the heat. But the view was still stunning. And the greens!!! I know that the human eye can see more shades of green than any other colour BUT this was stunning.

Soon we were at the top of the horses ears! It was funny. I had been looking forward to seeing it up close but when you do you find yourself wishing you were a bit further away as up close it just looks like a bit of a exposed chalk. Oh well it was still neat to know that I was standing on the top of his ears! Supposedly according to Dale they placed the wooden frame around the horse to help prevent erosion from changing or destroying the horse itself. Further there were stakes in the ground above the horse which they use to tie into so that they can weed the horse periodically so that it will always remain lovely and white and viewable from a far. So even though it looks like nothing spectacular from up close from a distance it is beautiful!

The boys flying a kite and Baxter trying to ignore the kite

For a bit of a break we decided to try and fly our parafoil kite. Neither Gail or Dale and tried it before and we had a lot of laughs. Unfortunately there was not much wind which made flying the kite a hundred times harder! However Gail, I would say, did the best of the beginners. Poor Baxter (their dog) didn't know quite what to make of the kite but it was not his favourite thing! hehe

As we headed down the hill toward the canal we went by a ditch (aka "earth works"). I know big deal right! But it actually was as it was a man made ditch that had been made by some ancient landowner as a way of displaying his wealth and power! A ditch!! It was called Cross Dyke. It was quite impressive given it was dug out by hand and that there was no reward for it just the cheif/king proclaiming to all who happened upon it to say, "wow the guy who had this built must be rich and powerful!" I find it incredible and interesting to learn about how people lived and the things that showed the world that they had "made it."

Cross Dyke

The walk continued down to the canal as we got closers to the pub the noise of the locals out enjoying the beautiful summer day in March! We decided that we had worked had enough for a bit of a rest and a treat! We found and picnic table and the boys went in to sort out a treat for us. Within a matter of minutes both Gale and I had our hiking boots off and our bare feet in the grass it felt absolutely delicious!!! Like we were grabbing a bit of a cheat of and early summer.

Mark, Baxter, Dale, & Gail

Cheesy chips in our tummies we finished our walk and hopped back in the van. The walk and the sunshine got the best of Mark and he dozed a bit on the drive back. However he perked up when we went past a Tesco enough to make sure that we stopped and purchased an ice cream treat. YUMMY! thank you Chokabloc for making such a yummy treat.

The Cotswolds...Part Two

Phew....BUSY!

Back to the Cotswold story...sorry to leave you hanging for SO long. Day two dawned bright and beautiful. The day promised to be even nicer than the day before. We had our second lovely breakfast this time I had scrambled eggs and smoked salmon YUMMY! While Mark had his second full English. After a brief chat with our hosts and a second consultation with the oracle of all things we were off. The second day's journey was decided to use the map only despite the missed turns and the momentarily lost moments from the day before. We had had SO many adventures minus Mrs. Garmin so we left her locked in the glove box.

Goals for the day were to find Broadway Tower, Rollright stones, and Burton-on-the-Water using as few main roads as possible. So leaving Charlton Kings we headed first towards a place called Guilting Power after going through Guilting Power we got lost! We ended up in Winchcombe. Whoops!! Turned out to be a great mistake though  as there was a lovely castle, Sudeley Castle (which was closed) and a few beautiful vistas. We walked round the outside of the castle and took a few photos before getting in the car to then try and figure out how to get back on the right road to Broadway tower.

Historic Houses in Winchcombe

Our view of Sudeley Castle

Queen Katherine Parr's view...while minus Mark!

Well I know you will find this hard to believe at this point but rather than stay on the main road we left Winchcombe found a single track road and got on it. Now I had no idea how to get from where we were to Broadway tower, but neither of us wanted to go on the boring main roads. So winding our through beautiful English countryside through Temple Guilting (which is almost due north of Guilting Power...meaning we completely doubled back on our selves...hehe), up to Cutsdean Ford, and then Snowshill. Snowshill was a beautiful tiny little village boasting of a few houses, an iconic phone box and a pub. A booming metropolis compared to Taddinton, long may these villages remain less discovered!

Snowshill church yard

Snowshill Pub

 Sometime after Snowshill I directed Mark down the wrong road yet again, which took us into the town of Broadway. Now we were planing on going to Broadway but not until after Broadway tower. But it REALLY didn't matter. Broadway is a gorgeous village with the kind of shopping that Mark and I were expecting in Cheltenham. It was full of odd little shops in ancient buildings. More than once even I was ducking to avoid low ceilings! It was amazing to get to see the inside of some of these buildings. From the outside the look very straightforward and simple but the inside of them is a maze of adventure, massive wooden oak ceiling beams, and the oddest angles of ceiling meets wall meets floor! It was hard to focus on the beautiful things for sale as these shops gave you a free tour of the inside of the classic Cotswold stone houses!

Broadway tower was next. As we approached it there were also signs for a Nuclear bunker, but being out of season it wasn't open. Broadway Tower was, but we decided not to pay the extra money to climb the tower as the view from the ground were stunning. Besides with no wind cover it was VERY chilly and as we were now beginning to start to be conscious of the distance (calculating getting lost once or twice) that we needed to cover IF we were going to make it to all our other stops. So it was a whirlwind walk round the base of the folly before jumping into the warm car. 

Capability Brown's Tower (aka Broadway tower)

View from Broadway Tower 

Supposedly you can see as many as 16 different counties from here, but it was too chilly to stop and try and figure out how many I could see. Next was on to the Rollright stones. Due to the fact that our day was quickly coming to an end we decided it would be best if we stayed on the main road. I know boring, BUT there were too many things that I wanted to try and see in such a very short time. So down the A44 we went stopping for a quick shop in Merton on the Marsh were we found a lovely old book store with a resident dog so you know it was a good shop! and had a quick bite to eat. Then on to Little Compton where we had to leave the main road in order to get to the stones.

Most people have heard of Stonehenge and want to visit them. What less people are aware of is that there are lots and lots of stone circles all over England. Most of which are not the major tourist attraction that is Stonehenge. I have been lucky enough to actually get to see Stonehenge many times (hard to miss as it is on the side of a main road on the way to Salisbury). Even more lucky I have also been to see Avebury which is a stone circle that goes around an entire village! As well as the Woodhenge which is thought to be an earlier Stonehenge. Well according to the great oracle the Rollright stones are the third most famous stone circle in England. First thing to say is that the difference between most famous and third famous means that we

A Rollright stone

completely missed the signs and the stones the first time we drove past. Now this might be understandable if there was lots of other things around this area, but the ONLY thing on this small little road is the Rollright stones and we still missed them...I think  we must have been tired as there was in fairness to the national trust a BIG green sign. Now as for the stone circle; legend has it that it is not possible to count all the stones and if you manage to do it you get a wish full fulled. The sun was fading and the stones were pretty but to be honest I wasn't feeling the magic of these stones. Avebury definitely something special about those stones, and the same for Stonehenge but not for me for Rollright. Maybe I'm getting a bit to used to this sort of special thing and maybe for me they are just old stones now...hehe...Am I becoming a "local"?

The next town answered that question for me rather quickly! Burton-on-the-Water has to be one of the prettiest little village I have ever seen! If it was in America you would think it had been constructed just for the tourists. It was very easy to imagine it HEAVING in peak season. Thankfully we were there in off season so we had to share it with locals only. I tried to take some pictures of it but didn't really mange to fully capture the essence of the place.

Instead bear with me as I try to describe it. There is this village made from honey coloured stone. Its buildings are simple rectangles and yet there is a beauty in the clean lines that have stood for hundreds of years. There is a waterway which divides the town. It is clear and shallow and mainly serves as a place for the local ducks to pretend to hunt for plants and algae while secretly hoping for small children to feed them bread. Across this waterway at what seems like ridiculously close distances are picturesque arched bridges. Some for cars, some for pedestrians and some I think merely for the beauty of repetition. We happily strolled thought this impossibly perfect village and managed before the shops closed to get our  tourist magnet, a teapot (in the shape of a VW van), and a spice rack! Don't ask....

Where else but England is the "new" part of the in from 1938?

After Burton-on-the-Water it was time to head back to Detmore house. As we drove though more little roads I relished in the views. Here more than any other place that that I have visited so far in England, it is so easy to see and believe in the England of the Bronte sisters as well as Jane Austin. The land was still visibly divided up in manors and small pretty villages that sprung up to support the wealthy in those manor houses. Here being wealthy meant being a landowner and having others farm the land for you. I felt like I was gazing into the past.

Our final day in the Cotswolds started the same as the others sunny with a fabulous breakfast. This time I had the cooked full English and Mark had the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. We left Detmore house having had a restful wonderful time. We made our way towards home once again winding through tiny roads taking in the view. Stopping for lunch in Cirencester another beautiful Cotswold market town. We slowly wound our way back to Surrey. As the landscape changed and the buildings changed from honey stone into redbrick a part of me felt that I had been to another country not just a new county and was now returning home!

If you ever go to the Coltswolds, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. As scary as it might seem, turn of you chosen GPS device, pull out a map (even if it is old and out of date) and just have fun! You will get lost, but by doing so you may be as lucky as we were: and find a countryside full of nodding snopdrops in full bloom, hidden villages unknown to the multitudes of tourist that frequent the area, and meet a goose who thinks he is David!

The Cotswolds

To those of you who have never been to England or those of you who live in England but have yet to "do the tourist thing" I'd like to invite you on a tour of the Cotswolds. The Cotswolds are simply a range of hills. These hills are encompassed within several counties of England (Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire). The area that Mark and I recently explored is the heart of this area, (mainly Gloucestershire). When you search this area on your chosen web browser you will find out that is has been awarded "area of outstanding natural beauty" and that it is characterized by pretty small towns and a honey coloured limestone that is rich in fossils. All this is true, but those words are truly the black and white description of the wonders that await you if you visit this place.

We traveled up to Charlton Kings (a small village on the edge of Chletenham) after dark. So after a wonderful night of sleep in a great B&B Detmore House (we stayed in the Beech room). I opened our curtains to see a promising view. Downstairs a fabulous breakfast awaited, I had decadent and scrumptious

View from the Beech Room

Eggs Benedict and Mark the traditional English Breakfast (Bacon, sausage, two eggs: scrambled, mushrooms, baked beans and toast). I was surprised to find I could move after breakfast...but move we did and step one was Chletenham. According to a guide to independent shops in the Cotswolds, the place to go was the Mountpellier district for shopping! So off we went. I won't disagree with the book as there were lots of independent shops their BUT both Mark and I we a bit disappointed as we found that it wasn't that different from any other high street in the south. Yes the shops were independent and not chain stores, but they we still full of the same things you find in the chain shops. However we did find a little crafts market to wander through and still managed to fill a half of a day in shops. Patient Mark. The weather started to turn a bit and so we decided we would head back to our B&B  for a little rest and to escape the drizzle. As we stepped through the front door the skies opened and by the time we settled into our room the wind was driving the rain sideways! Perfect timing!

The shower didn't last long and after a quick chat and consultation to the oracle of all things (the internet) we decided that we would explore for the remaining hours of daylight. We would turn off the Sat Nav (GPS) and horror of all horror rely on my map reading skills. Now in North America not a worry I am a fairly good navigator on road trips having spent a fair amount of time crossing North America with maps only as a child. BUT my friends, England takes map reading in a car to a whole new level! Especially when embarking down the roads that we were planning on taking. Not the motorways, not the "A" roads, not even the "B" roads! No we were off to explore the Cotswolds via the single track roads! Excuse me for a minute while I explain an English single track road to those of you who have never been down one....

An English single track road  is a bit more than what it sounds like. It is not merely a one way road, rather it is the width of a one way road but two way traffic is allowed and encouraged. Further these roads are rarely straight, usually have no shoulders, usually are bordered closely by tall hedges, stone walls or buildings. So it is not unusual to have to reverse for some distance in order to allow opposing traffic through. Also these roads are typically used by locals who know where they are going and are using them in a effort to escape traffic or by farmers in their large tractors.  Off these roads are other roads that to not feature on a general map and often sign posts are missing, covered by foliage, or have none of the larger villages you are using to guide your journey or worst of all don't have a single village name that is on your map! So it can be a bit challenging.

Like I said advanced navigation skills are recommended....either that or an adventurous spirit and a patient driver! We had the latter combination! So we headed in the direction of Slaughter. To be more specific Upper and Lower Slaughter. On our way we came across a gaggle of geese who had occupied the sunniest and warmest spot they could find. I was thrilled as it was a prefect photo opportunity one that I'm sure travel magazines would pay good money to set up! So we slowed and I snapped my shot. After this there were two options turn around and leave the
geese to enjoy their sunny spot or slowly advance and encourage the geese to vacate the road. We edged forward. One plucky fellow was familiar with the story of David and Goliath and fancied himself to be David. So with no thought to the impossibility of the task he squared his wings raised his hackles (who knew geese had hackles) and charged our car hissing and sputtering at the car. He got so close that we could only see his tail and he was still sputtering away at our front grill trying to convince our car that he was bigger and this was his turf and NO ONE not even a silver, boisterous machine was going to make him leave this warm bit of pavement. Poor fella. He lost the fight as the silver machine had a unfair advantage it had two humans who ever so slowly kept edging the car forward which eventually convinced David the goose that maybe this wasn't his Goliath and that he should retire to the yard to fight the REAL Goliath, if he ever had the guts to show up. We laughed and laughed!!

That battle over we made it to Stow-On-The-Wold. Which according to the web review one of the must see villages within the Cotswolds. The first picture below is of the high street and the stone that is in the sun is an excellent representation of the actual colour of the majority of the stone, houses, cottages, churches that are in this area of the Cotswolds. It is this beautiful honey color that becomes golden in the sun!














After several wrong turns, being on the same road more than once and going in more than one circle we eventually made it back to Detmore house where our hosts Gill and Hugh Kilminster suggested that we head to a nearby pub for dinner, The Royal it did not disappoint. Personally if you are ever in the area I can highly recommend the Thai beef! The meat is perfectly prepared and melts in your mouth! Now I'm hungry.

I have just looked and the length of this post and I am going to end now as it is the end of Day one of our trip to the Cotswolds. I will continue with more later...