19/08/21 - Donnington Way - Day 4 - Kineton to Chipping Campden

Distance - 16 Miles

Geocaches - 2 and a Lab Cache

Pubs - 4

Previous Days - Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Judging by the amount of photos taken, Day 4 provides the best walking.  Unsurprising, as the villages passed reel off a greatest hits of Cotswold delights... Snowshill, Stanton, Broadway and finishing at one end of the Cotswold Way in Chipping Campden.

Its North from Kineton and the proximity of Ford means that I have to walk past another Donnington Pub - The Plough Inn.  Colin Handy, the guide book writer, waxes lyrical about "vast fireplaces, with hand made hinges" and slightly more bizarrely, asparagus.  

I will be back to check on the veracity of his claim that it is "one of England's Oldest Inns".

The Plough Inn at Ford

Refreshment is not too far onwards - and Snowshill is a quintessential Cotswold Town.  So nice that people in Ferrari's come to visit.  A collection of honey stone cottages around a central church/pub combo.

Snowshill

Snowshill Arms

My visit sums up the Donnington Pub experience in a nutshell.  It's gorgeous inside and out.  Its open at 11am and is starting to get busy.  I cannot help but overhear the bar-staff talk to one another about "keeping an eye on the SBA, we had complaints yesterday".

Just when I was enjoying myself, relaxing on the green leather bench seating.  Half way down my SBA.

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Alan Winfield (from yesterday's blog) gave it 10/10

A drop down to the Worcestershire Plain is needed.  I know the area well and aware that I'm also going to have climb back up the flanks of Fish Hill.  I can worry about that later.  Another classic Donnington Pub, the Mount, provides a barely justified second refreshment stop.

I've only walked about a mile, downhill.

The Mount Inn

Rather annoyingly, they've kept to their covid policies, possibly trying to get some return on their investment.  You cannot sit inside.  You need to order via a QR Code.

The system is monumentally flawed, when the staff have to lean all over the pensioner punters to show them how to do this.  

The Stroud Cycling Club are also in.  One's not happy with the amount of olives.  His mate is more unhappy as he ordered first on the app and he is the only one without his meal.  Have you ever heard cyclists bicker?  It's not pleasant.

Thought I had said Goodbye to QR Codes

A plethora of choices in Broadway and it was hard to walk on past the Crown and Trumpet - a Good Beer Guide regular and easily the best in town.  I will make it to their Thursday Jazz Nights one day.

Instead, I save myself for my only new Good Beer Guide Tick along the entire route.  The Broadway Hotel sounds exactly what it is.  An expensive, food led tourist hot spot. The Old Hooky was just what my palate demanded.

C16th Hotel, overlooking the village green

Can they have a W please Bob

The penultimate Donnington Pub of the way is at the Willersey, the next village.  Ordinarily, I would have walked past, expecting little entertainment at 3pm on a Thursday afternoon but it was quite amusing seeing how many tradesmen do their admin from a beer garden.

Alas, I could take no more boring brown bitters, so I had a San Miguel.  You cannot hate me more than I hate myself.  Untappd reminded me its owned by Carlsberg.

Tradesmen's Office

Back to the walking - its all uphill to meet the Cotswold Way at Dover's Hill.  Saintbury Church providing a place for a breather.  The views just about making up for the exertion.

Saintbury Church

All of Worcestershire....

... Can be seen from Dover's Hill

Familiar walking into Chipping Campden and I've picked my accommodation well.

The Volunteer Inn is the first pub you meet on arrival.  

And it has an in-house Indian.

View from a Room