The day three trek was Winchcombe to Broadway, including 2.1 miles to Hailes Abbey, 3.7 miles to Stanton, and 3.5 miles home. We headed out of town, figuring we'd spend 15 minutes looking at the ruins of the Abbey and see how hard it would be to get to the pottery center.
The police station. Love it!
We were ready to leave Winchcombe. Gates and fields: "Head across a third field, and at its far corner, exit and cut across the corner of another field to enter a further field." We kept doing this kind of thing until we could see the ruins of the abbey ahead, on the other side of this field, full of sheep. Sheep are not cows and they couldn't get out of our way fast enough, although they were vocal about it.
Then we were at the abbey, a 13th-century building that was founded by Richard I, is his resting place, and is now managed by British Heritage and the National Trust. It is spectacular, and our 15 minutes became 2 hours.
They have a phenomenal guided audio tour that discusses the Cistercian history, the relic of the Holy Blood that made it famous for so long, how the building was organized, how the monks lived, how the abbey held out for a long time during the period of dissolution (but ultimately succumbed), and so much more. It was fascinating.
They're also doing some restoration work which I found intriguing. I hadn't heard of soft capping before, but I also don't generally deal with historic stone walls. Generally speaking, it's a process that uses grass and other plants to cover the tops of stone walls, helping hold them in place and prevent further decay. Apparently it helps with issues related to moisture and temperature. And it's not bad to look at either.
Really beautiful. The walk around the grounds is quite extensive and the panels are good too.
Poor stickman, he's always in peril.
Inside, there is a small museum. But it was closed for renovation. But the lovely gentlemen who was working that morning was retired foreign service, so he took advantage of having two knowledge Americans he could converse with about current events. We didn't know about the museum, but after we came back from the tour, he told us and invited us to see it, so excited was he to have another museum professional onsite. And it's beautiful! Apparently the Historic Trust is applying funds to renovate some of the properties in the system.
This one is spectacular. Some of the stonework that they found on the grounds is just remarkable in its skill and preservation.
And they've done a wonderful job with the casework and labels. It was such a treat to see this during installation. Which reminds me that I have his card somewhere and need to check back in..... I hope they do more work on marketing this remarkable venue, including its role as a royal mausoleum, because it is a gem.
So then we managed to find a road and a grassy verge and went to the pottery factory- we were already very behind schedule. And they did have beautiful things, but they didn't ship! So that was hard. Then we found out quite how small things are with the challenge of getting a taxi on a Sunday. We eventually managed, and got to Broadway for a very very late lunch and checkin at the last B&B. This one was very nice, even if it only had one bed. We wandered for a while here, noting again the amazing concept that EVERY house in the Cotswolds has a name. We're used to that in cities with apartment buildings. But here it's every home. Kati found her future house name: Hobgoblin Cottage. I'm not sure I did but the frontrunner for now is Kingfisher Cottage.
Broadway was lovely, and while the group of German ladies who were also staying a our B&B were pretty disruptive coming home the evening prior, we saw them at breakfast and they were really nice. Kati apparently has a significant hay fever allergy, so she was feeling pretty miserable by this point with all the field walking and neither of us had really slept that night. The roads to Broadway Tower were closed, we really liked Broadway and wanted to see the museum which is part of the Ashmolean, and we wanted to spend some time in Chipping Campden, almost the midpoint on the day's hike. Knowing that neither of us had the patience for getting good and lost and since one of us couldn't breathe well, we tossed the walk and headed into town for a bus schedule.
Sadly, the museum was closed! It was Monday and if things like the taxi schedules and museum schedules had been in any of our advance materials, we would have planned things differently. But I needed a new book and the bookstore was open, we needed a pharmacy for meds, and we had a nice coffee break outside while waiting for the bus to Chipping Campden (chipping is an old word for market). This town, with roots to 689 and all manner of old stone buildings, was also the epicenter of the wool trade, well-known throughout Europe for centuries.
Yes, there is lots of sheep everything in this part of the world. We went to the old guild hall which now houses artist studios. It's down this street.
Old Tudor house. Not tudor-style like we find in the States, but real Tudor.
The old covered market. We did a walking tour around the town, looking at this deep and complex history.
Inside the market hall. The floor is cobblestones, worn and uneven and beautiful.
See? 689.
Great old doors.
This is one of the oldest buildings in the town, although I've forgotten what it was and can't find that tour map.
I think this was a school for a long time.
And then we caught a bus back to Moreton-in-Marsh, where we recollected our gear at the Redesdale Inn and repacked for London. We had a nice long walk around the town, soaking up the sun on the Cotswolds stone and enjoying how relaxed the towns and villages are and how nice the people. I wasn't feeling well the next morning, and so while Kati went off to the Batsford Arboretum and Falconry Center, I hung out in the pub area. Aside from this unplanned time in the middle of the day, I never quite got that British pub experience, and I'd like to. But over a light lunch we met some really nice people there too, who gave us some suggestions for London that paid off well.
I would do this kind of tour again, but differently- I'd base myself in one of the villages like Moreton or Broadway where I could easily do some day trips via bus to places like Stratford-upon-Avon, and I would have a guide for several days of walking trails, someone who knows the signs to look for and the terrain and so doesn't get lost or freaked out by farm animals. And as I think back, I would consider staying (moving?) here; Bourton on the Water and Broadway would be my top choices. But first, a train and another leg of the trip.
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