100 Mile Challenge

Wednesday September 1st. Wow, we made it! We crossed the River Windrush in Bourton on the Water just before midday having had another lovely morning’s walk from Donnington brewery.
The final six miles took us through Upper and Lower Swell and the Slaughters- all beautiful Cotswold villages. The HOEW is a wonderful, varied walk which we would thoroughly recommend to anyone. A huge thank you to all the friends and relatives who have helped us raise over £2000 for St. Paul’s, particularly those anonymous donors who we have not been able to thank personally.
It’s been great having Val Hawley and Margaret Hardy with us for some of the final sections and we’re both a bit sorry to have reached the end of the walk. Ah well, we’ll just have to start planning the next one!

Wednesday August 25th We set off from Blockley up and over what the guide book called ‘Our last summit’ which was also the watershed between the Avon and the Thames- downhill from here on? Wishful thinking! We soon passed Batsford Arboretum and walked along their drive to Bourton on the Hill, turning left along the side of the ridge to Longborough. We had a good view of Sezincote but didn’t spot Longborough Opera House- trees too leafy. A drink in the garden at The Coach and Horses in Longborough, another gem (we could certainly write a Good Pub Gardens Guide for this walk). We had one last stretch to do and finished just above Donnington Brewery - 96 miles down, only 6 to go.

Wednesday August 4th. Today we walked from Dorsington to Mickleton. The weather forecast was dodgy but it turned out to be a glorious day, hot and sunny with a clear blue sky. Some parts were very overgrown, impassable in one place, but generally it was lovely walking through meadows and cornfields. Superb views across to Bredon and the Malverns. We met a lovely couple Ally and Denise, also walking HOEW but the big difference was that they started last Friday whereas we started on June 2nd. Still, no matter, we all finished the day with a drink in the garden at The Kings Arms and compared notes over HS2, parrots and angry racehorses. 84 down only 18 to go!

Wednesday July 28th We walked backwards today, from Dorsington to Wixford. It was because parking was tricky in Dorsington but, happy days, it meant that we could visit the Fish again. It was easy walking, mainly on lanes or well used paths. We walked though the stubble in a couple of corn fields, strange to think that we walked through green wheat at the beginning of the walk up in Staffordshire and now it’s ripe and being harvested. Through Barton, a village with beautiful thatched cottages, and along the Avon to Bidford. Over the bridge and up through the town towards Broom. This was the first day on the walk where we have needed our waterproofs but it was nothing much. We arrived back at The Fish where we sat in the sunshine by the river for our usual well earned drink and were well on our way home before the heavens opened. 77 down only 25 to go.