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Walking England - Six Feet First Thursday, June 7, 2007 We left the Greenway Hotel in Shurdington a little before 9:00 a.m. It had been a very pleasant place to stay with its quite large, well-appointed rooms. Road conditions caused us to miss a portion of the planned morning walks. Areas of the bus route were being repaired, and there were " diversions" (what we would call " detours"). Richard, our driver, thus had to go a roundabout way that took considerably longer than the scheduled route would have. Instead of starting at another hill fort as planned, and walking around its one-mile perimeter with its lofty views." we were bused directly to the Village of Uley, once famous for its cloth. There was time to walk among the mostly quite old gravestones in the churchyard before going to the Old Crown Pub for coffee, tea, and cakes. A fairly short walk then brought us to the well-kept secret of Owlpen with its tiny, gloriously decorated church and its Tudor manor house. We toured the house, the original part of which was built in 1420. Queen Margaret stayed here while trying to save King Henry IV ( 1422-1461) for the Yorkists. We had time to walk through the gardens and around the mill house and mill pond. When I first observed the pond, there were black baby ducks on it. Later I saw the mother duck swimming toward the area in which I had seen the babies. She was chattering away probably telling them to stay out of sight of those people. The old cider house there was our lunch place (ham, potato salad, slaw). As we were leaving, a very fat cat ambled along and was delighted to have me pet it. After lunch we made stiff climb out of the valley up through Ruin Wood. This was easily our most serious " gaining elevation" so far on this trek. We were then walking through sheep fields until we arrived at The Hunter's Hall Inn in Kingscote for afternoon tea with homemade cake. Following tea, Margaret ferried us to the point at which we re-entered the sheep fields. It was on a very, narrow, one-lane road, and it was obvious why Ken did not want us walking along it. As we traversed another sheep pasture, Ken had us pause for about 20 minutes while he walked a circular route alone. It was unclear on which side of the stream the trail went, but he sorted it out and we moved on. We walked the hamlet of Ozleworth and stopped at its unusual church set in a circular churchyard. Stone masons come to the church from all over the world to see some extraordinarily skillful carving over an internal arch. A very small bus then carried us to our next hotel, The Hare and Hounds, at Westonbirt near Tetbury. Our room here was considerably smaller than the one at The Greenway but adequate in every respect. Break time permitted leaning up, resting and reorganizing for life in a new place. The usual scrumptious dinner, accompanied by the customary jollity, followed in the hotel dining room. Because the roadwork reduced our morning walk, our mileage walked this day was only 5.45 miles. Friday, June 8, 2007 A seven-mile coach ride took us to the beginning of today's walk in the hamlet of Tresham. We soon found a Frenchman named Christian engaged in the craft of stonewalling. Although he was from France, he had been in this house for 31 years. The Agricultural Revolution of 1750-1850, with its program of land enclosures, resulted in construction of many miles of walls made of local limestone. The walls are disappearing rapidly, however, with only an estimated 13% now surviving. Christian informed us that a local association, reflecting a concern about the loss of the generations that have done this, teaches locals how to do it. Soon thereafter we were traversing a farm when the owner arrived on a large hay rake. Ken asked the farmer (Robert) to explain to us how the hay rakeworks. He did and then gave us a demonstration as we departed. Our walk then continued along farm roads, across fields and on country lanes. We paused beside a manor house to peer over a high wall at the gardens of Boxwell Court. During the English Civil War (1642-1649), Prince Rupert, Commander of the Royal Cavalry, found refuge in the manor house. In gratitude he bestowed his spurs on the lord of the manor, and they are in the hands of the same family that still owns the house. In the village of Leighterton, we paused at the Royal Oak for tea, coffee, and cakes. We then walked a short distance to a cemetery which contains the graves of Australian airmen who trained nearby during World War II. Most were killed in accidents rather than in battles. One marker there contains several names; the Prince of Wales dedicated it on April 24, 1994. We held a brief ceremony there. Michelle Rippon placed flowers on the stone with several names, and Ken, a World War II veteran himself, recited from memory a rendition that included a line we have heard from him before: "They gave their tomorrows that we might have our todays." Our walk then took us to what the sheet of the day's activities described as "an exclusive location" for "a modest lunch." The exclusive location was theBeaufort Polo Club in Westonbirt near Tetbury. Ken told us later that we had been made members for the day to give us the privilege of being there. We sat for a time in back of the club taking in the sunshine (yes, there was some that day!) and the ambience. Lunch then consisted of quiche, salmon, potatoes and salad. An exceptionally good desert followed - blueberry and apple crumble with clotted cream. The activity sheet then said: "And if the weather is right, we may be treated to a demonstration of a privileged sport." There was a bit of waiting around after lunch, but we were then indeed treated to a polo match. I was altogether unfamiliar with the sport, so it was great fun. We were told that polo originated in Persia around 400 B.C. The stick used to hit the ball is usually 50-53 inches, at most 54. There was one very impressive play in which the man on horseback hit the ball while it was in the air three consecutive times. The event we witnessed was "The Arthur Lucas Cup Semi- Finals" between Strathmore and Wildmoor. Wildmoor won 8-5. They played six seven-periods called "chukkas." Following the fourth chukka, the fans were asked to go onto the field for "treading in." This consists of tramping on the grass and dirt that has been turned up as a result of the game, putting it at least somewhat back in place. I stayed for the entire game and enjoyed it thoroughly. There was an announcer just behind me with a megaphone, telling everyone in the stands what was happening (UNC fans will understand if I call him "the Woody Durham of polo"). He told me there is a lot at stake for these players because those who survive to play in the next round get approximately 2,500 pounds ($5,000). I learned later just how privileged we had been to be there. A few days after we returned to the United States, our local paper (Durham) carried a picture of Prince William playing polo at the Beaufort Polo Club (just days before he turned 25 and received part of his inheritance from his mother, the late Princess Diana). When the polo match ended, we walked almost a mile back to our hotel, arriving around 5:00 p.m.
Words are inadequate to describe the dinners here. A good time is always had by all. Tonight I had butternut squash soup, halibut, and ice cream. Leona and I strolled the grounds, with their elegant gardens, before retiring for the night.
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