Miles 25-34
Fibit Stats- 25,182 steps (thinking about having t-shirts made); 9 miles (first few on a golf course); 2,662 calories burned (back to one glass tonight); a lot of active minutes (whatever it is between 9 am and 3:30 pm) 116 floors (the first 80 were in the first hour).
Gear required: backpack, hiking poles, rain gear (not needed!), Iphone, hat, water, the Freshette, headphones, traditional English lunch of a cucumber, cheese and mayo sandwich (yack), and a “please just let me get up that first hill” attitude.
Today I decided to go for my all black outfit, black leggings and long sleeve shirt, to try and look metro- chic on the Way. Frank called it my Batgirl suit. You know what works really well with the Batgirl suit? The Freshette does. (Incase you have already purchased your own and were contemplating your hiking or other outdoor-like wardrobe.)
Today started out the back door of our hotel and we were to just “scurry”, to use our hostesses’ term, up the hill behind the inn to get back on the Way. This is the view from our window on the 2nd floor.
You may not be able to tell here but to reach the top, one must go at a 45 degree angel to get there and even when you get there, there is still just a tad bit more to go. To put this into perspective for you I have found the follow picture of a car going, like we did, straight up a hill at a 45 degree angel:
Fun fact: the British don’t seem to know about the term “switchbacks”.
Anywho, we made it up to the very tippy top of this hill where sat a tee box for the Cleeve Hill Golf Course. Ivy and Frank standing atop the said tee box:
Making our way around the golf course, we came across golfers (as you might have guessed), fellow walkers, more sheep, and mountain bikers.
One thing we keep noticing is how the landscape has definitely changed every day as we move closer to Bath. Today we started in this picture above where there were no trees to be found, then as we came down came into a clear cut area and then down into a more forested section of the trail. By far some of the most beautiful trees I have ever seen (sans the clear cut area).
This tree below was actually from the day before and you can’t really tell here but the leaves were this deep, deep purple that almost looked black until you got right up on it.
A bit on gates and the like. Many times along the way you may be going across someone’s farm or passing between different properties. Signs are all along the Way making it easy to stay on your course. We have passed through a variety of gates (they all seem different) and even ones that you literally have to climb over. There should be a coffee table book with just pictures of these gates.
This was my attempt to get a picture of us this afternoon with where we started from this morning. If you go from the top of my hat straight up to where the land meets the sky….that’s it. That grassy flat part that just kisses the sky WAY back there – that’s the golf course. I kid you not.
We’ve made it 34 miles in the last three days and there are around 70 more give or take left to go. Everyone is holding up and Ivy remains winner of the best hiker award. She is in the lead every day and often Frank and I just stop and watch her go. Not one complaint and a smile on her face the whole time. She is a determined little mountain goat.
We too are having a good time. Missing our other two back home but know they are in good hands. This is definitely a trip of a life time for us as Ivy moves into this next phase in life. I may change my mind by mile 50 but right now I sure am glad I chose to walk 100 miles across England with this guy and our little Mountain Goat.
For reals- good night from the Cotswolds:)
My Unorganized Life 