All the Miles

Birdlip to King’s Stanley projected to be the longest day. So we left the Royal George pretty close to eight o’clock after a quick cold breakfast and another chat with Vic Ambler.
By 9:30 we were walking comfortably down a country lane, four miles along and feeling good, determined to just walk and not fret or obsess over mileage. Before 10:00 we realized we’d walked a mile off course.
We’re using the marker posts (missed one!), two different apps, and a book for navigation. One of the apps came through on this occasion, showing us a way to reconnect with the Way without retracing steps.
We were back on pace, approaching half done for the day at noon in Painswick.

We had coffee and bought takeaway wraps in the Patchwork Mouse, wandered the churchyard full of weirdly sculpted trees, and strode onward.

An hour later we sat in a pasture to eat. Not much later we came to a stone marking the halfway point of the Way. Oddly, it is at 55 miles to Bath and 47 from Chipping Campden.

We did another, purposeful, diversion, a combination of lane and public footpaths, cutting off a strange loop of the Way. The other app helped us stay on course.
Soon we were descending a hill toward Ryeford. In a celebratory mood (and feeling some bladder pressure) we turned aside for a pub.
It was closed.
The next two miles were a quiet downhill march until just at Ryeford we encountered a couple we knew from Upper Hill Farm. A brief chat, a brief uphill walk, and we were at the King’s Head for pints of Sharp’s Sea Fury. Essentially done at 16 miles.

We’re staying at Orchard Dene. Checked in, went back to the pub for dinner and more Cricket on the Telly and another lesson from another friendly pub goer.

Speaking of mileage, here’s a run of the numbers:

As we planned it, day one was ten miles, day two fifteen, day three fourteen, day four seventeen, day five thirteen and a half, day six thirteen, day seven ten and a half, and day eight ten.

Actual mileage from Jan’s Apple Watch:

Day one 13.5 (we went to look at a manor, then didn’t pay to go in)
Two 16.87 (Upper Hill Farm is not in Prestbury proper)
Three 13.05
Four 16

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