Walk 9: Painswick to Randwick (6.5 miles)

 Earlier in the week the forecast was dire but nothing daunted, off we walked, seven of us today starting from Painswick. We were joined on our walk by Roni, Deborah's cousin all the way from Israel as well as four other regulars! 

The sun actually came out as we left Painswick, first passing a metal sculpture commemorating the work of Tony Drake, who spent 60 years working for the Ramblers Association, and was a principal creator of the Cotswold Way. 

Unfortunately Lily the dog passed one too many cow pats, and could not resist rolling in a particularly smelly one, so we were stuck for the rest of the walk with a very unpleasant smell. Having dropped down into the valley, we reached a marker which showed the distance we had come from Chipping Norton, and how far we still had to go to Bath.

We then crossed a stream and started the long climb onto the escarpment. We walked past the Edgemoor Inn, and crossed the busy A4173 to start climbing further up through a nature reserve, where the meadows were full of orchids and other flowers. 

The views from the top, across the Painswick valley, were stunning. It was beautiful to be in a place that was so quiet and peaceful. From the top of the hill, we dropped down slightly, crossed a road, and entered Maitlands Woods. At this point the heavens opened, and the weather forecast was proved right.

However walking in the woods in the rain was a welcome relief from the humidity. It also proved that Deborah's new coat was waterproof. We followed the contours of the ridge into Halliday's Wood and then Cliff Wood. At the top of Cliff Wood was a stone commemorating the siege of Gloucester in 1643.

It was here that we decided to stop for lunch. The views over to the Severn from here were excellent, and also allowed us to see the rain showers as they approached.

but the woods provided some cover for some of us

From here it was a nice level walk on a broad well-maintained path which took us up to Harefield Beacon. During one shower we sheltered in a convenient barn 

On Haresfield Beacon, we inspected the Trig point,

admired the views

 and walked around the iron age fort,

down to the topograph. Unfortunately the heavens opened again at this point and the excellent views usually seen from here of the Severn and into Wales were hidden. From here it was a gentle walk down through Standish Woods 

to Randwick,

and the end of our walk, where we had a welcome pint in the Vine Tree pub.

We are now over halfway to Bath, having walked 52.5 miles. We'll be taking a break from the path now for a couple of weeks while we explore the coast path in Cornwall instead.