Painswick to Birdlip and return: 11km 4hr.

Today after breakfast at St Anne's B&B in Painswick, Iris organised Greg to run us into Birdlip so we could walk back south to Painswick where we're staying another night. After a slightly hair raising ride, with three of us riding without seat belts in the back of a Land Rover we arrived outside the Royal George Hotel in Birdlip.
We needed to do a bit of map reading to figure in which direction we could pick up the Cotswold Way and sure enough, it was down a steep hill and around a corner hidden in the woods.

We had a mostly pleasant walk in Beech forest with rain falling intermittently. Having started out at Birdlip about 9.30am, we were pleased to make it to the Rococco Garden just outside Painswick by about 12.30pm or roughly three hours. After a well earned coffee we explored what is said to be the only surviving Rococco garden in the U.K? I enjoyed the garden and the Red House, but for me the highlight was the maze! It had an easy part, to find a seat in the centre and a harder part with a fountain and another centre with a plaque. Needless to say, all were found.

We walked back into Painswick and showered and got ourselves refreshed. The others have headed downtown while I do my blog and chill out. I'm girding my loins for the next three days of 22km, 26km and about 21km on the last day to Chipping Camden.

Simon the Parrot has been pretty quiet, apart from occasionally asking "Are we there yet" or sometimes, can he have a cracker and some cheese for the road. Today he decided to come out of Sezza's pack and talk a bit more. He flew around and checked out some sheep in a yard and sat on a gate, talking to Joepie and seemed to have a good day overall. At least it was pretty good, until he got wet in the rain which made him a bit unhappy, so that he hopped around fluffing his feathers and muttering Parrot swear words under his breath. I'm not sure what he was saying, but I guess you can imagine what an angry Parrot might say. He snuggled into Sezza's fleece top to get warm and once we got back to our place I put him inside my pink cap so that he could stay warm. With his feathers all fluffed up to trap warm air against his body I thought he looked a lot bigger. Not as big as Kiwi, just a bit bigger.
Hopefully Simon, Sezza's and Joepie will all stay dry on tomorrow's walk.