Miles 1-10
Fibit Stats- 27,404 steps (crushing that 10,000 steps a day goal); 11.43 miles (so someone was off here); 2,435 calories burned (extra wine and chips for me tonight!); 202 active minutes (felt like 202,000) 136 floors (if that was based on the ascent and descent of the hills then that makes sense).

Gear required: backpack, hiking poles, rain gear, Iphone, hat, water, the Freshette, and a good sense of humor.

I need to say first that last night’s sleep, or lack thereof, was not the highlight of the trip so far. When one stays in a Pub/Inn, one should expect a little noise. Last night I believe the Volunteer Inn in Chipping Campden may have been the only establishment open after 9 pm based on the number of pub goers. The level of noise could only have been matched to that of Sanford Stadium on a Saturday in September. Well, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but it was EXTREMELY loud. The best sleep we all got was from 2 am until around 7:00 am when we were woken up by the proprietors of the Volunteer Inn rolling empty beer kegs along the uneven brick floor below us to the street for pick up. There were many.
After dropping our bags for pick-up and a quick bite of breakfast in the restaurant downstairs we head out for begin the first leg of the journey. (Note we do NOT have on rain gear except for Ivy- the brains of this operation.)
Leaving Chipping Campden, we passed Graham Greene’s house as indicated by a blue round sign on the front, then we made our way up Dover Hill.  (I’m not gonna lie, this was a bit steeper than I had planned on but they view, even in the rain, was well worth it.)

                                                      All of the views were spectacular but this was by far my favorite:

A short while after this picture we stopped to put on our rain gear. When one hikes the Cotswolds Way, one must embrace the mud.

After going through a forest suitable for Robin Hood or any Outlander episode, we came to a sheep filled field and if a Targaryen dragon had flown over I would have not been shocked in the least.  I could take a million pictures and it would not do it justice. This stretch would take us to the Broadway Tower that was built as a folly in 1799 for Lady Coventry by the 6th Earl of Coventry and sits at the top of Beacon Hill.  It was just to take their friends to hangout on the weekends- you know how you do.

After passing the Tower we headed down to the town of Broadway for lunch and some extra rain gear.  I love it when people post pictures of their food so here is a picture of my half eaten lunch of a goat cheese and caramelized onion quiche and salad:

Ivy, once again, had her options of several gluten free items, which almost makes me want to cry.  It’s so easy to by GF here.

Just as we walked out of the Market Pantry things weather-wise started to get a bit hairier than prior to lunch.  Rain was a bit stronger and pretty much going sideways but it did not deter us from rambling on.  It would be good to note here that we all remained in good spirits, even through the not great weather, and no one every lost their cool.  It’s also important to note that it is only day one and we have 7 left for hiking and it’s going to be raining again tomorrow.  That whole rainy day in the English countryside could loose it’s charm quickly.

Best Hiker Award for today goes to: (We are now referring to her as our little mountain goat.)

Fun fact I learned about when reading about the Cotswold’s Way before our hike: We were going to see A LOT of sheep and when we saw dye on the backs of them it means they’ve just recently been shagged- to use a British term.
We had a great dinner tonight at the Mount Inn and we actually saw the SUN!!  However, it is now raining again.  Back at the Old Post House where we are staying.  A quaint B&B that was at the end of our hike today.

Frank and I are in old the converted stables and Ivy is inside with the family.  She was less than enthused about this arrangement at first, but quickly warmed to the idea when she realized her accommodations were the entire third floor.  It is fact that none of us will have any trouble sleeping tonight.  Good night from the Cotswolds.

PS- The Freshette was only used once and if you want to know what it is you can google it.  #hikingwithgirls