Cotswold Peace

Cotswold Peace               September 25, 2017

Bruce and I are off to celebrate my birthday in grand style, appropriate for the grand number that I have ascended to!  The actual date was in late May but we were too busy at home to travel then.  So, here we are in September in the Cotswold town of Chipping Campden, England, preparing to "ramble" on the Cotswold Way for a week or so, beginning tomorrow.  I'm excited!  

 

Chipping Campden is a beautiful town!  The buildings are all constructed of the same golden stone, found in abundance here, lending the town a warm feel. Despite the differing eras of the buildings, some dating to the 1600s (!), there is visual unity as one looks down the main street. Of course, they are all at least 100 years old, most much older, I'm sure.  Our B&B, at the edge of town, was built in 1904.   

The "cottages", the term for the ancient, low-slung row houses lining the main street, all have their own names, such as Molly's Cottage, Harrow House, etc., which gives the town a feel of times gone by.  Just behind this line of houses is a green, green field, speckled with sheep grazing peacefully.  Ah, what a bucolic scene amidst these scary times of crazy man-boys, threatening to blow us all up!  

This afternoon, I chatted with a woman working in her back garden, which looks out on this field.  She worries about the future for her grandchildren in this unsettled era and derives quiet reassurance from the tranquil, timeless quality of her sheep field. 

Meandering down the main street, we found the official start of the Cotswold Way embedded into the High Street pavement (term for Main Street) of Chipping Campden and are looking forward to getting started tomorrow morning.  Coincidentally and conveniently, our B&B host runs a luggage transport service and will take our suitcases to our next lodging in Broadway.

England's National Trails use the acorn as their symbol.   

The Cotswolds were the center of the wool industry of the 1700's, with sheep farms and wool-processing mills and the resulting wealth that they produced.  Now it seems quintessentially English, from a by-gone era.  There are lots of American couples of our age milling around, doing a bit of walking here & there, stopping at the plethora of wonderful little restos and atmospheric pubs.  Not much ethnic diversity among the residents but it is definitely sweet, friendly, and CHARMING!  

Stay tuned for more updates as we wend our way on foot for 50 miles, a few miles each day; at least, that's the plan!