6/11/10 - The Gentle Cotswolds around Stow

Distance - 6.5 Miles
Number of Caches - 11
First Cache - http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=1d00b8f8-98f1-4ae2-ad25-47c99aa90fa5

I love the Cotswolds and have been walking here since I bought a dog 8 years ago.  Four years ago, I completed the Cotswold Way (with Dog) over the course of two long weekends.  I am now re-discovering areas, since taking up caching two years ago.

I have had my eye on the Swells and Wells round for some time and a couple of months ago, I even took in a couple on the Sezincote Stroll round completed.  Today, i am here again.  I think that parking might be tricky in Stow on the Wold on a Saturday, so I see a sign for Upper Swell as I approach from the North and see if I can park here.  The answer is yes, at a Sewage Farm's wide entrance.  It means cache number 1 for me is number 4 on the route.

What I like about the Cotsolds in its English Charm, pubs and gentleness.  This is summed up by the view that you see on the first building of the day which says "Beware of the Dogs".

Unscary Guard Dogs...

Head on up the hill and find the first cache of the day, which also shows me where the Donnington Brewery is.  I have had a few of their pints over my walks in the Cotswolds.

Home of Donnigton Beer

Carry on up hill, easy cache between trees and then over the main road, so the dog can come of her lead for the first team.  Soon, I am on familar ground again, as I take up paths that I walked two months ago on the Sezincote round.  Means that I am walking for a while in great countryside without caches until I get to Broadwell.

This is a lovely village and if I had a horse, I would have been tempted to ride to see if they could be bothered to levy the fine!

What sort of deterent is this!

Here, I record a DNF, as I fail to locate a cache at the back of a phone box.  Made more tricky, as it is adjacent to a ford and the cars slow down to enter.

Never mind, I continue up a lovely green lane on the Monarchs way for a couple of caches until I reach the outskirts of the Stow on the Wold.

This is a stunning location.  One day, I will come and stay overnight and allow myself more time to go in the book shops, teashops, pubs and explore the intricate alley ways.

Stow - take your time here

I take a detour from the Swells and Wells series to find a church micro.  This is not too easy as a) it looks out over a perpetual traffic jam at the lights and b) its buried under the leaves that some proud Citizen has kindly swept up!

Over the road and across fields to take on the last three of the series.  On the map, it looked like a bit of road walking here, but there is a permissive path on the side of the road.  Before long, I am back at Upper Swell and glad to see the car in one piece.

So, the cache tally increases through another Wrighty Round in the Cotsolds.  Thanks for setting up, and the recent maintenance.  I will now be monitoring the Broadwell cache to see if that is found.