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Walking Land's End to John o'Groats with Mark Moxon

Old Sodbury to Cam

Old Sodbury
Looking back towards Old Sodbury

I don't know if pints of Bob have magical healing powers, or whether the lovely bed and breakfast cottage at the Dog Inn scared the walking gremlins away, but I woke up this morning in a totally different mood to yesterday's self-pitying grump. I spent last night writing furiously in a cosy corner of the pub, hoping that it would have the usual cathartic effect, and this morning the sun shone, the breakfast tasted great, and for the first time since I started out from Bath, walking the Cotswold Way seemed like a good idea.

The Somerset Monument
The Somerset Monument

Monument to Monument

Silage bags stacked in a field
Silage bags stacked in a field

Today's walk was typical of the Cotswold Way in that it combined hills, forests, fields, villages and some extremely steep sections. Those expecting the Cotswold Way to be a sleepy afternoon stroll through village greens and country pubs are in for a shock (and I have to admit I was one of them); the Cotswold Way isn't a walk through the Cotswolds, it's a walk along the escarpment, and as such it seeks the high ground for the best views... and that means you have to climb up and down a considerable amount. It's not for the faint-hearted.

Houses in a Cotswold village
Yet another pretty Cotswold village

Up and Down

The Tyndale Monument on top of Nibley Knoll
The Tyndale Monument on top of Nibley Knoll

Yes, it's a lovely thing, walking through the countryside in the sun, wandering through the fields and forests, enjoying the views and rural beauty of the Cotswold escarpment... but the next thing you know the path decides to head straight up that evil-looking hill ahead, and you can't quite believe it. This is where a knowledge of contour lines comes in handy; reading a map is one thing, but knowing what those little brown squiggles actually mean is essential, and the Cotswold Way sure likes to cram them in.

The view from the Cotswold escarpment
The view from the Cotswold escarpment
The Tyndale Monument on top of Nibley Knoll
The Tyndale Monument dominates the top of Nibley Knoll
A tree with a carving 'I Want to be a Tree'
A tree on the way down from Stinchcombe Hill

A Book of Stamps

The Tyndale Monument on top of Nibley Knoll
The Tyndale Monument is visible for miles around

There was only one more thing left to do. As I've been doing this walk I've been getting a form stamped at each of my destinations to prove I've been there; it might be a Youth Hostel stamp, a receipt from a B&B or a Post Office stamp, but as long as it's something to prove I've arrived, it's enough. Luckily Cam has its own little Post Office, so I wandered in, unshouldered my pack into the corner, whipped out my form and joined the queue, steam rising gently from my shoulders.

A Cotswold signpost
There's nothing quite like the poetry of Cotswold place names