Walk 16: Dyrham to Lansdown - the penultimate walk (5.8 miles)

 Today we started in Dyrham village. Just the two of us plus dog today, before our grand finale next weekend.

 We turned off the village lane along a path beside a field of horses, and then past a couple of ponds before we started the steep climb through fields into Dyrham Woods. There were lovely views across the Severn into Wales.

 On entering the woods, we continued to climb and eventually took a short break to sit on a log and take in the lovely ambience (as well as having a snack!).

 A little further on we found the Cotswold Way message box, which contains a notebook and pen for walkers to leave a message.

Even over the last few weeks there were walkers from near and far (Japan, USA and France). We wrote our message below the previous walkers - The Stroud Strollers and Darcy the dog.

On we went, through more fields and taking our lives into our hands crossing three big roads, before we got to the lovely village of Cold Ashton, with its church dating back to the 12th century, and 17th century manor.

Here we met the Stroud Strollers and Darcy having their lunch. They too were walking their penultimate walk, having been walking in stages much as we have.

Crossing one more very big road, we chose a field to have our lunch, before descending to Hill Farm, where we came across the Strollers again who were visiting the Special Plant Nursery (https://www.specialplants.net/). Definitely worth returning to with a car - though there was no sign of the teas and coffees that the walk book had promised.

We descended further, before starting to climb very steeply and we were very grateful for the bench at the top of the hill, which had lovely views. 

At the top of the hill we successfully navigated through a field with some frisky bullocks, to the path which led us to the Lansdown Battlefields where the Battle of Lansdown was fought between the Royalists and Parliamentarians in 1643. Signs mark the spot

as well as a monument to Sir Bevil Grenville, who led the Cornish infantry on the charge up Lansdown Hill and was mortally injured.

The monument says of him "He was indeed an excellent Person whose Activity, Interest and Reputation was the Foundation, of what had been done in Cornwall and his Temper and Affection so publick that no Accident which happen'd could make any Impression in him: and his Example kept others from takeing anything ill or at least seeming to do so. In a Word a brighter Courage and a Gentler Disposition were never marryed together to make the most chearful and innocent Conversation."

This is where we ended the walk, just over 6 miles from our final destination.

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