20/10/12 - Storming Norman

Distance - 3.5 Miles
Lunch - Robert Raikes House
Geocaches - 4
Walk Inspiration - BBC History

I blame Sky Atlantic.  Their new show about the British had me looking out for Roman inspiration a few weeks ago and the second episode was about the Normans.  Couldn't afford the diesel to get to Hastings, so I looked locally and determined that Gloucester was a major Norman City, once rivalling London.  And its only 45 minutes away.

After Severn Trent Water had blocked the roads by laying new poo pipes, we eventually managed to park up at the Kings Walk.  This sounded regal enough, but in reality was an old 70's car park designed for tiny little cars.

Rather than take the shops, we took our lives in our hands and went back down the ramp to pick up London Road.  The first photo opportunity had nothing to do with the Normans and plenty to do with dead catholics, at St Peter's Church.

London Road was a largely uneventful walk, with strange looking locals passing the finest pub in Gloucester. It was, of course, far too early but we took a look.

Glorious England

A short walk took us to the first stop on the tour.... an old leper hospital at Hill Field Gardens.  Sonia may have plenty of reason to complain about me but excitement at the weekend can not be one of them.  I even allowed her to find the first geocache of the day, whilst I sparked up the camera.

How to show a lady a good time

By posing in a pagoda

We look for an exit from these nice gardens and fail, having to go all the way around to pick up Denmark Street.  Sonia is moaning about the lack of Norman Architecture and then I manage to spectacularly top trump her by finding a proper archaeological at Kingsholme - which was only the site of the Doomsday book.  How much more Norman can you get?

Civilisation can be determined by an old sandal.

Not much evidence of the Normans as we walk south through a housing estate that has more than its fair share of wailing children.  We do pass Gloucester Rugby Club and a pub that is perhaps a little too close.

Howzat?  Wrong sport.

We then come across the priory and into the old town in all its historical glory.  Quite impressed, lots of old streets, dominated by the cathedral.

Why we are here.

Sadly the town centre has been decimated by a high number of poundland shops.  Lunch provides monumental respite as we tentatively enter Robert Raikes House.  He was a 16th Century Merchant and now his house has been turned into a very posh looking pub that does meals cheap enough that not to have a pudding would be rude.

You can only imaging how impressive this would be to vistors away from these shores.  A proper slice of history where you can have sticky toffee pudding for three quid.

Get home for the pub where I hope the paupers from West Brom will hold their own against the multi millionairres from a City good enough for precious princesses on an International Marketing Degree. 

We get very, very close to making back page headlines.