Farewell n bon voyage - 'till the next time

Been a great visitation but don’t know where the time went. But we gave Marion a good send-off.

‘Twas the penultimate day of her trip back to Blighty and it coincided with the birthdays of Julie and her sister Patsy. We mounted a party on the banks of the canal @ Gloucester Quays in the Brewhouse – amongst its local ales is one dedicated to local hero Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards :)

 

The staff were brill, lighting the candles n sparklers on the cake as we all sang the traditional ‘Happy Birthday’ 😊

 

Didn’t we have a lovely day ...

It really is the quintessential Victorian seaside town – Clevedon. On a cloudless day we three intrepid explorers climbed up past St Andrew’s Church to the Poets Walk on the headland just south of Clevedon town. Parts of the original 12th-century church remains with 14th- and 15th-century additions. It is on a hill overlooking the Bristol Channel, and has been designated as a Grade I listed building. Clevedon has been a favourite of ours from times gone by, and was a favourite of Marj, Marilyn’s Mum, so it was only fitting to honour her life and love with a plaque on the restored pier amongst many others who had also loved this place.

For years the outdoor ‘lido’ built into the sea wall in 1929 fell into disrepair, a dumping place for shopping trolleys and assorted detritus. But in 2015 it was restored to its former glory and is now a well used resource for swimmers, boarders and kayakers alike.

 

 

The skate park on the seafront was also a backdrop in the successful TV series Broadchurch. The walk along the prom also boasts a working band stand dating from 1887. Next to the Marine Lake is the Salthouse Field with a miniature light railway running around the perimeter and a nearby mini-golf centre.

Our favourite watering hole is Scarlet’s just opposite the pier head. Great views, great mains and wonderful sweets.

The pier head and its buildings have also been fully restored – the pier being a grade 1 listed building. For years it was dominated by a derelict gothic type mansion – now luxury flats. Also built into the pier is a new cafe with a below stairs viewing gallery under the pier structure.

The reception building also has a small historical exhibition housed upstairs. 

Stroll in the Cotswolds

Another beautiful day so decided to test out a new app 'iFootpath' the definitive walkers guide to circular paths and byeways. Started with Guiting Power circular via Naunton.

Guiting is in the heart of the north cotswold country in the upper reaches of the Windrush Valley.

The original settlement was known as Gyting Broc. Excavations revealed Iron Age activity, a Roman figurine, a small Saxon sarcophagus and the remains of a very early Saxo-Norman chapel.

The village was based on a manor owned by King Edward (the Confessor) but had had declined by the time of the Domsday Book of 1086. The first word of the name comes from the lords lePohers while Guiting comes from the Saxon word getinge, for rushing, perhaps referring the the Windrush River.

In 1968, The Manor lands and over half of the homes were purchased by Raymond Cochrane who intended to renovate and develop the infrastructure. In the 1970s, he formed the Guiting Manor Amenity Trust, a charitable trust, to oversee the village after his death. The trust manages the village and rents out some of the 67 houses.

The 5 mile circular tour takes in a number of cross country lanes offering occasional superb rural panoramas and vistas.

 

En route there is a 17-acre wetland nature reserve.

Though a centre section taking in the working quarry and mason works can be very dusty on dry days like these.

 

 

At Naunton you cross the river Windrush and pass through the picturesque churchyard of St Andrews before leaving the village and joining Wardens Way on the stretch back to Guiting. For the more adventurous the Wardens Way passes through the village, on its 14-mile route from Bouton on the Water – a favourite haunt of ours, particularly out of season -  to Winchcombe, passing close by St Andrews. It joins the Oxfordshire Way to the Cotswold Way and can be combined with the Windrush Way to make a circular route. 

So far impressed with this app not least because it got me back to where I started :)