More cars than sheep today. Out of the Cheltenham trailhead we went steeply up, eventually past a heritage tree, 600 years old, a beech. Spoke with an older birding couple.
We pressed on over Whiskey Hill, the high point, and down along a field planted with what Bruce guessed might be barley. Came up to the Cotswolds Diner just at 12:00, and thought we’d get paninis to go.
They ran out of the bread.
We pressed on again, up over Leckhampton Hill, passing an Iron Age hill fort, and a quarry feature called devil’s chimney.
The whole hillside
is a local common recreation area. On the way down we passed a golf course and a glamping place.
At the trailhead we saw a sign for Star Bistro. We found it, and got in before they switched from lunch to light bites.
It is part of “National Star College, an independent further education college and special school for people aged 16 to 25 with learning difficulties and physical disabilities. It is based at Ullenwood Manor.”
Perusing the map at lunch, we discovered we could halve the next bit by walking a short stretch of road to the Air Balloon Pub at a traffic circle.
It was terrifying.
We were on a sidewalk half the width you’d find in the US. Cars raced by on a road that should have been one lane, but wasn’t. The circle was worse.
We made it to the pub alive, had a pint of Greene King IPA, then pressed on to Birdlip and the Royal George Hotel.
In the pub of the Royal George, a neighbor with a rescue greyhound guessed I was Canadian. That’s three times, if you’re keeping score.
We were plunked at a coffee table in front of the TV, and an older gent asked to use the spare chair. We had a great conversation, ranging all over. We learned he’s Vic Ambler, longtime Exeter & England basketball coach. The golf facility at Exeter is named for him. I looked him up, and you can too.
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| Heritage Beech, Meg & Jan for scale |
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| Whiskey Hill |
They ran out of the bread.
We pressed on again, up over Leckhampton Hill, passing an Iron Age hill fort, and a quarry feature called devil’s chimney.
The whole hillside
is a local common recreation area. On the way down we passed a golf course and a glamping place.
At the trailhead we saw a sign for Star Bistro. We found it, and got in before they switched from lunch to light bites.
It is part of “National Star College, an independent further education college and special school for people aged 16 to 25 with learning difficulties and physical disabilities. It is based at Ullenwood Manor.”
Perusing the map at lunch, we discovered we could halve the next bit by walking a short stretch of road to the Air Balloon Pub at a traffic circle.
It was terrifying.
We were on a sidewalk half the width you’d find in the US. Cars raced by on a road that should have been one lane, but wasn’t. The circle was worse.
We made it to the pub alive, had a pint of Greene King IPA, then pressed on to Birdlip and the Royal George Hotel.
 |
| Air Balloon Pub |
We were plunked at a coffee table in front of the TV, and an older gent asked to use the spare chair. We had a great conversation, ranging all over. We learned he’s Vic Ambler, longtime Exeter & England basketball coach. The golf facility at Exeter is named for him. I looked him up, and you can too.
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