28/03/16 - Miserden Part 1 - The SE Loop

Distance - 10.4 Miles
Geocaches - 35
First Cache
Pub - The Carpenter's Arms, Wye Valley Butty Bach

Today's walk has been simply wonderful.

About a week ago, my geocaching email notifications showed a 100 Cache monster loop had been published in the Cotswolds.

It wasn't a question of if I'd do them, more when.  Investigations showed they caches were placed in 3 distinct loops - between 8 and 10 miles long.

So I'll tackle them in the same way that I completed a similar Cotswold Monster Loop in 2013 - and dedicate a weekend per month to knock them off.

The CO has thought of everything for this walk.  Parking co-ords are provided.  GPX routes can be downloaded from Dropbox - so everything is in order and I head of to Miserden.  In typically perverse style, I am doing the South East Loop first and hopefully, cache 100 will be the first I find.

I have walked all over the this area but for some reason - this is my first visit.  And I will be forever grateful to the CO for bringing me to this area.

The village is charming.  The scenery is stunning.   The walking is peerless.

Miserden Church

A little trouble finding where the first footpath is - it appears as though I am walking up someone's drive.  This is a theme that will repeat itself on a much grander scale later in the walk.

Cache 1 (or 100) is soon found.  And the caches are perfect for a trail of this scale.  The clue makes things simple - so you can concentrate on the walking.  Today took me 4 hrs 46 Minutes - so I am eternally grateful for not having elongated searches and being able to concentrate on views like this.

An early vista on today's walk

Soon get a feel for the ups and downs of this walk, as I drop down to Frome Valley.  1260ft of ascent is completed today.

Precarious Downhill to Frome Valley

River Frome and the Valley Floor

Frome Valley

Whats goes down has to go back up again, so I have a tricky climb up the rain soaked path from last night's storm.  Greeted by friendly sheep at the summit.

Where's the Cache?

Work my way through the sheep to Edgeworth - where there is a church micro (lunchbox sized!). The Church may be unused but the grounds are well maintained and there are some fine tombstones.  Spent a while reading the inscriptions of graves from the 1700s.

Edgeworth Church

I can't quite believe where the footpath is taking me now - as we enter the grounds of Edgeworth Manor.  Got to love this country and our rights of way.

Into Edgeworth Manor's Garden - hunting tupperware

Through the grounds, over a bridge and up out through the woods to Jackbarrow Farm.  I wondered if I would meet any other cachers today, and today's first - along with a very happy dog - just after I replace #83.

Duntisbourne Abbots is next up.  A collection of pretty houses but alas, no obvious sign of a pub.  Then through to Winstone, where we enter the grounds Misarden Park at a lodge.

Misarden Lodge - Not a typo - they do change vowels for some reason

Once again, I am walking along a very stately driveway until the park reveals it's gems - an impressive pool, the manor house and some wonderful woodlands.

The Pool

The Manor House and the Woodlands.

After a final stiff climb, I am back in Miserden.  There's only one way to celebrate such an epic walk.

My new local for at least two more months

Back to the parking area - and four cachers are getting the cache over the road.  They've completed the first loop - so we exchange highly complimentary experiences and share our wonder at how the FTF managed to complete all three loops in a single day.

Massive thanks to the CO rupertmh - Superb effort in finding a stunning place to place a great trail.

Back again in April!