Sunday 14 July 2019

14/07/19 - Heart of England Way - Stage 28 - Blockley

Distance - 6.5 Miles
Pubs - Great Western Arms, Hooky Gold
Geocaches - 0
Previous Stages - Stage 1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 5Stage 6Stage 7Stage 8Stage 9Stage 10Stage 11Stage 12Stage 13Stage 14Stage 15Stage 16Stage 17Stage 18Stage 19Stage 20Stage 21Stage 22Stage 23Stage 24Stage 25Stage 26, Stage 27


More Cotswold loveliness on the Heart of England Way - and like Stage 27 - this is a multi pub walk.

What's not to like?

I'm starting from Blockley.    A sizeable village that is as handsome as any of the more famous ones in the area but without the visitors.   Must be the lack of antique shops.   Starting at the Great Western Arms and heading north, I save the village centre until the triumphant return.

Its North - on paths shared between the HOEW and the Monarchs Way - first wheat fields and then some bovines to negotiate.
Monarchs and HOEW
Path Sharing

Fields, north of Blockley
Friendly Bovines on the HOEW
At Campden Hill Farm, I dog leg North East onto some fairly hopeless paths.   Quite surprising that major long distance paths in the Cotswolds can be so overgrown through lack of footfall.   Its a battle to get into Broad Campden but the reward is mid ramble refreshment at the pub I visited on the last leg.

Back at the Bakers Arms
Bakers Arms - Broad Campden
The way back is on paths that are in much better condition - with views opening out to Cleeve Common.

Distant views to Cleeve Common
Cleeve Common Views
Fields of Wheat
Wheat Fields

Woodland, marked on the map as "The Warren" provides a change in walking conditions and it's into Blockley, walking the length of the high street filled with honey stoned cottages and reaching the impressive Norman Church.

Blockley Church
Norman Church
There are two pubs available and I'd already made up my mind to shun the Crown Hotel in preference of the Cask Marque accredited Great Western. 

Usually, you can't go wrong with a Hook Norton tied house.

But something was quite wrong with my Hooky Gold.

Great Western Arms
The Great Western Arms
Dodgy pint of Hooky Gold
Soup of the day - £4.10

Only two other customers at 2:15pm and they were both on Coffees.

I wish I had joined them.

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