From: Palo Alto, California, USA
Started: 20191005
Finished: 20191011
Cotswold Superlatives
Longest day: 21 miles
Shortest day: 11 miles
Best picnic: Scotch eggs on the top of a windy hill with panoramic views between Cheltenham and Painswick
Worst weather: Final day, torrential rain and wind all day – we finished strong!
Best hotel: St. Michael’s in Painswick, beyond fabulous rooms and breakfast, couldn’t recommend more (close second: 3 Abbey Green in Bath)
Most haunted hotel: The White Hart Inn in Winchcombe (but still a nice place!)
Best new vocab word for us Americans: Hiya!
Most memorable animal encounter (dangerous): Saw and took some up-close pictures of a very cute snake, turned out to be an adder
Most memorable animal encounter (not dangerous): Negotiating our way past some mildly spooked cows who were standing directly in front of the gate leading out of a field onto the trail
Quintessential image of the trip: Stepping over a stile into a verdant pasture dotted with sheep and oak trees