Portreach, St. Ives, St. Agnes

We were staying at the Atlantic View in Portreach for three nights.  This was a welcome change from packing and unpacking every day.  

Debbie had told us about a lovely walk from their B&B so we got up early this morning and headed out before breakfast.  She was right.  The views from the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic were awesome.

We got back to our rooms shortly before 8:30 am, just in time to hear a light tap at the door.  We opened the door to find a large basket of breakfast goodies.

Debbie included enough food to be packed up and taken for lunch.  

Today, we set out to the north to visit St. Ives and St. Agnes.  There were lots of cliff walks available.

In St. Agnes we walked to the Beacon, which is 630 feet high and from this height the view out to sea to the horizon stretches an amazing 30 miles.

The walk up was worth it. The view from the top of St Agnes Beacon is one of the most impressive in Cornwall. Standing beside the Trig Mark on the summit it feels as if the whole county is laid out beneath you.  The beacon was used during the Napoleonic War, when a guard was permanently stationed on the summit. His job was looking out for potential invaders. By lighting the fire the guard could warn the whole county.

The cliff walks at St. Ives were impressive.  ⥁💚

CB& Hanko enjoying a quiet moment!

We found a little pub in St. Ives for lunch.  There was a large group enjoying a rugby game on the tele.

CB fully embracing the moment!

Low tide in St. Ives!

We just happened upon the St. Ives Society of Artists.  There was a line outside the building and the art sale was about to begin.  Naturally, we queued up!   Our art connoisseur Hank didn't leave without making a purchase.

Off to Cornwall

…..another sunny day!    We enjoyed a great breakfast at Hotel 8, gathered our luggage, and walked to the train station.  Our next stop would be Truro train station in Cornwall.

 

To say that the train traveled along the coast is an understatement.

When we arrived at the Truro train station, we walked next door and picked up our rental car for the next few days.  After a quick executive committee meeting, it was decided that Richard would start off driving and Cindy would assume the duties of navigator/co-pilot.  Hank and I agreed to ride (somewhat) quietly in the backseat.

The roads in Cornwall were very narrow; often we would have to get off the side of the road when we met a car.  However, they did a great job getting us through the various roundabouts (backwards), even with the navigation telling us to "turn half right".   

We arrived at the Atlantic View Rooms perched on top of lighhouse hill, overlooking the Atlantic.  We were greeted by Debbie and Mark.  Our rooms were very spacious and the view was pretty spectacular.   

We walked to a local pub that afternoon on the recommendation of Mark; who happened to be enjoying a pint when we arrived.  We made a dinner reservation and returned later that evening for a great dinner.

Bath

Once again we woke up to sunny skies and our time in the Cotswolds had come to an end.  We had hired a driver to pick us up this morning and drive us to Bath.  We were pleasantly surprised at this town known for its Roman baths and should have planned an extra day to explore this beautiful city.   Twenty four hours isn't quite enough!

We got to our hotel at 10 am and found a guided walking tour that began at 10:30 am.   Tours by locals are free walking tours guided by locals that provide this service to their city for free.  We saw the Circus, Royal Crescent, the Pulteney Bridge, the Circus, Assembly Rooms, etc. 

The Bath Abbey is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictine monastery. Founded in the 7th century, it was reorganized in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries; major restoration work was carried out in the 1860s. 

Our room was located next door to Sally Lunn's, one of the oldest houses in Bath.  Hotel 8 is a new hotel; less than 2 years old and only has 8 rooms.  The lobby restroom was well disguised behind this false door.                                                                                                                                                          

A Jane Austen festival was going on during our visit.  Visitors as well as locals strolled the streets of Bath in period costumes.  Jane paid two long visits to Bath towards the end of the eighteenth century, and from 1801 to 1806 Bath was her home. It also provides the backdrop to two of her novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, and features in her other novels and in the collection of letters to her sister, Cassandra.

                                                   

The Cotswolds - Chipping Campden to Morton N Marsh

Our final day walking in the Cotswolds began with breakfast porridge.  "Hank described it as a big bowl of tasteless mush that serves as a holder for flavorful things."  There was a bar full of tasty morsels to throw into this "holder" and it was indeed very tasty and filling.   The menu included the traditional English breakfast (usually consisting of orange juice, cereals, stewed or fresh fruit; followed by bacon, eggs, sausages (bangers); accompanied by grilled tomato, mushrooms, toast and marmalade, and naturally coffee!) , but we were ready for something different today.

Along the way we saw.....more sheep!

We also learned that there are 13 breeds of sheep in the Cotswolds.  However, we haven't found anyone yet that can name them.

   Along the way, we walked through the little town of Blockley, where the Netflix show Father Brown was filmed.  It was an absolutely stunning little town.

Today's walk took us through several small towns, and more than a few large fields.   We enjoyed the English countryside and the sunshine, had a few laughs, and just enjoyed each other's company.  

After arriving in Morton N Marsh we checked into the White Hart Royal Hotel. 

 Cindy and Hank were put out back in "The Stables".  (I guess there was no room in the inn!)  However, when we went to their room for drinks before dinner we realized that "the stables" was a wonderful upgrade.  

Today was the day that laundry had to be done!  We split up and agreed to meet back up for a drink at The Bell Inn.

The Bell Inn is considered by many to be JRR Tolkien’s inspiration for the ‘Prancing Pony’, Middle Earth’s most famous pub in ‘The Lord of the Rings’.  Hank asked where he sat and the bartender pointed to this corner table.  Who knows if its true or not, but its a good story.

We decided to eat dinner in the hotel restaurant and ordered a variety of tapas to share.

The Cotswolds - Broadway to Chipping Campden

After another great breakfast.... we had the option to walk to Broadway Tower or continue on to Chipping Campden.  Having heard that the views from the tower were pretty spectacular, we couldn’t pass this up.  What’s another mile or so UP HILL?  But it was so worth it.... 

and this was our “short day”; only 7 miles!    More breathtaking views, more flowers and blueberries, and naturally many more sheep.

We arrived in Chipping Campden mid-afternoon and had our celebration of the walk in the hotel bar before checking into the Noel Arms Hotel.  This was a huge old hotel with quaint rock walls in the rooms.

We walked to dinner and found Michaels Mediterranean Restaurant.  The Musaka was great.

The Cotswolds - Winchcombe to Broadway

The White Hart Hotel left a lasting impression on me.  Let's just say that on some level I'm sure I enjoyed it.

But morning brought another wonderful breakfast and we met two ladies from Alabama and three ladies from Seattle that were also walking to Broadway.   Cindy commented  that her shower was undulating; which began a comical daily use of that word.   Our paths, the weather, etc., were all undulating before the trip was over.    

As we neared Broadway, we heard Hank say "I hear a warm beer calling my name".  Hence, the first stop in every town was now going to be a pub.   

The Crown and Trumpet was strategically placed at the end of our path as we entered the town of Broadway.

Today’s walk was our longest at almost 12 miles.  Another blue sky day with spectacular wild flowers growing everywhere.  
We walked through Stanton and stopped to visit The Church of St. Michael and all Angels, which dates back to the 12^th century.  It is said that Charles and John Wesley were frequent visitors.  We also glimpsed a view of Hailes Abbey which was founded in 1246 by the Earl of Cornwall. 

We have been amazed at the wild blackberries growing along the path.  The vines were at least 10 feet tall and loaded with berries that we would pick and eat as we walked.  How awesome is that?

I managed to get my OS map app (complete with overlay of GPS) working today, just in time as Richard pulled out his room size map of the entire Cotswolds.  

We arrived at the Hadley House around 3:15 pm.  This adorable home (complete with picket fence) was turned into a  B&B and the owners were delightful.   We celebrated with a very nice dinner at the Swan.