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Cotswold Way Day 9. Wood Stanway to Chipping Campden. 22km 6.5 hrs.
We left Mervyn and Anne's place at Orchard Cottage, Wood Stanway about 8.35am which was a relatively early start. After about a kilometre we passed through Stanway and not long after, Stanton with some beautiful Cotswold cottages of a more golden stone than further south. The climb to Shenberrow Hill nearly broke our spirit, but the gusty wind up there at first revived us and then began to chill us as the sweat dried on our clammy bodies! We were pleased to descend into Broadway which was very beautiful, made even more so by the lemon drizzle cake and coffee at a table next to the local knitting group!
Then we were in for another long slog, up to Broadway Tower, the second highest part of the Cotswold Way. In the distance we could see the rain coming and the horizon disappearing so it was back into the rain gear. Fortunately Hett and I made it to the tower as the heavier rain arrived. Despite the five pound entry fee we were keen to have a look around the Broadway Tower (1024 ft or 312 m) which was built as a folly for Lady Coventry by the 6th Earl of Coventry in 1799. It is based on a hexagon with a tower at alternate corners, making three towers. We climbed up the tower and eventually to the roof where the wind was howling! By the time we left the tower the rain had eased and there were occasional bursts of sunshine! The good news was that it was all downhill from there. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!
I found myself in a pleasant Zen like state as I strode out in front enjoying the sense of tranquillity and realising how little one needs to be happy. With this philosophical bent I came up with the six losses of the long distance walker. These are;
Stage 1: The loss of sweat.
Stage 2: The loss of breath.
Stage 3: The loss of stamina.
Stage 4: The loss of sense of humour.
Stage 5: The loss of the will to go on.
Stage 6: The loss of the will to live.
We frequently were in stage 4, hovering close to stage 5, especially on the uphill slogs, showing as two chevrons on our map.
Finally we came over Dover's Hill, stepping carefully over the cow pats and then down into Chipping Campden at last. At times it seemed a long 163 kilometres or 102 miles from Bath to Chipping Campden over nine days of walking. The last three days of over twenty kilometres a day had been hard at times and yet I was surprised to experience a somewhat Zen like tranquility, where the aches and pains and tiredness seemed to fade away beneath a feeling of quiet pleasure at the journey.
While the trip hasn't been as spectacular as the Coast to Coast it has been interesting in terms of the nurturing of my soul.
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