Charles Dickens on Walking

The sum of the whole is this:

Walk and be happy; walk and be healthy.

The best way to lengthen out our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose.

Charles Dickens (1812 - 1879)

Any dry land near here?

Need to get the old welly's out!
Best
Anne
Walk the Landscape

Sunset over the Cotswolds in late November

Happy hiking

Anne

Walk the Landscape

A walk through the English Civil War battlefield at Edgehill

The Battle of Edgehill (23rd October 1642) was the first battle in the English Civil War, when Charles I went to war against the English Parliament.  They disagreed on matters of religion and on their rights to rule the country.  Charles raised his Standard on 22nd August in Nottingham and the first major encounter between the two sides was at Edgehill in the midlands.

The battle lasted around 4 hours and each side had about 15,000 fighting men.  1,500 men were killed and both sides claimed victory in this indecisive battle, the first of many encounters over the next 4 years.

Although there is not much evidence of the battle on the ground today we were able to walk over the Royalist positions on the southern part of the battleground.

Dragoons and musketeers from both sides hid in the hedges on the flanks of the battlefield

The trees on the slope at Edgehill were planted 100 years after the battle

Royalist Pikemen, Musketeers, Cavalry and canon ... 

had to make their way down this slope to the battle line 

 Looking from the battlefield towards Avon Dassett

Ridge and furrow, as seen here, covered the battlefield

Effigy of Captain Henry Kingsmill in St Peters, Radway, a Royalist officer killed during the battle

 

 Princes Charles and James (our future kings) stayed here in Arlescote 

on the night before the battle

The memorial to the Battle of Edgehill 

on the B4086, south of Kineton, Warwickshire

A good walk on a cool sunny day.

Best
Anne
Walk The Landscape

A lovely day walk in the Cotswolds

Happy hiking

Anne

Sunset over a flooded valley

The floods make walking in the valleys dangerous and impossible.  However, they bring their own beauty to the landscape.

Best
Anne
Walk the Landscape

Merry Christmas from Walk the Landscape

Walk the Landscape Newsletter

Enjoy a tranquil few days hiking through some of the most picturesque villages and landscapes in the whole of England. Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser

In this Newsletter: New for 2014: Walking and Photography Weekend  Our best selling walking tours: The Classic Cotswolds and the Thames Path National Trail Tours coming up soon: The ancient landscapes and wide open spaces of the North Wessex Downs  Guided Walking Holidays for 2014  and Self-Guided Walking Trails       Walking and Photography Weekend   Friday 25th to Monday 28th April 2014 Do you often take photos of magnificent scenery and nature during walks? Do the images capture the full beauty of the landscape? Or are you sometimes disappointed with the results?   If so, why not join us at the Guildhouse, Stanton where you can take short walks with us and learn how to improve your images with help from Ruth Davey, a professional photographer and facilitator?   The venue offers great opportunities for photography. The Guildhouse, is a stylish 20th century manor house, set on the Cotswold Edge, with long views to the west as far as south Wales, and Stanton is considered one of the most beautiful villages in England .  Click here to find out more. The Classic Cotswolds Walking Tour "Excellent Adventure! Thank you so much" Diane Harsha, Franklin, USA The Classic Cotswolds Walking Tour is our most popular short holiday.  Planned to start and end at railway stations on the Cotswold Line, with direct links to Oxford, Worcester and London, it is an easy to moderate hike taking 3 to 8 days to walk through famous towns and villages like Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, the Slaughters and Northleach, walking 5 to 12 miles (8 to 20 km) each day.  The tour can also begin at Cheltenham railway station (with links to Bristol and the south-west) and can be based in one town.   We can of course customise to meet your preferences and often do, e.g. with shorter daily distances, rest days, excursions to Oxford, Blenheim or Stratford-upon-Avon. Check out our year round photos of the Classic Cotswold route on Flickr.  Although beautiful throughout the year, late April / early May is an especially good time to visit as the spring flowers and bluebells are blooming and the leaves on the trees are unfurling. Prices are typically £80 per person per night based on two people sharing good quality accommodation.  Included in the price is B&B accommodation, maps, written directions of the route, a booklet with information on places of interest, luggage transfer (as required), advice on travelling to and from the Cotswolds within the UK and support in the unlikely event of an emergency.   The Thames Path "Thanks for an excellent Thames Walk - we will be back to do the next stretch in 2014" Judy Wiseman, London,UK   The Thames Path is our most popular walking trail.  We offer hiking tours along the full length of 184 miles (294 km), from the Source, near Kemble in the Cotswolds to the Thames Barrier, east of London (or reverse).  Some groups do the full distance in one trip, walking as far as 25 miles (40 km) in a day, but many take it easy, walking, for example, the 54 miles (86 km) from the Source to Oxford, or the 74 miles (118 km) from Oxford to Windsor (which is convenient for Heathrow airport) and averaging 10 miles (16 km) per day.  There are even sections where you can take a river cruiser if you prefer not to walk for a day or so. The route offers a fascinating range of contrasts.  Upstream and to the west, the River Isis (as the Thames is also called) is peaceful and in places remote.  From Oxford to Windsor the river passes through some of the most historic and affluent towns in England. Closer to London, the river becomes the great tidal waterway that passes through the heart of the grand capital city.  You can see our photos of the Thames Path route on Flickr. Prices start at £75 per person per night but they do increase on the approach to London. They include B&B accommodation, maps, guide books with written directions of the route and information on places of interest, luggage transfer (as required), help with arranging transport within the UK and support in the unlikely event of an emergency.   Coming up early next year: Holidays on the North Wessex Downs:  A 3 to 4 day walking tour through the ancient landscape in and around Avebury, where you can walk amongst the stones in the largest Prehistoric stone circle in Europe. A linear walk from Avebury to Stonehenge.  See the route and with some of the interesting history in a recent TV programme, Walking Through History, presented by Tony Robinson of Time Team.  Short Guided Walking Holidays in 2014 Friday 16th to Monday 19th May: The Historic Cotswolds Wednesday 18th to Friday 20th June: Chipping Campden and the Cotswold Escarpment Wednesday 10th to Friday 12th September:Classic Cotswold Villages Friday 7th - Sunday 9th November: Prehistory in the Cotswold Landscape If you cannot make these dates and have a group of 6 or more, please contact us to discuss alternative dates. If you are in a smaller group, you may be interested in a customised walking tour. Self-guided Walking Trails Cotswold Way - 102 miles along the Cotswold Edge from Chipping Campden to Bath (or reverse) Cross Cotswold Pathway - 86 miles from Banbury in the north east to Bath in the south west Oxford Canal Walk - 77 miles of easy walking from Oxford to Coventry Oxfordshire Way - 68 miles from Bourton-on-the-Water to Henley-on-Thames Shakespeare's Way - 146 miles from Stratford-upon-Avon to The Globe Theatre, Central London Thames Path - 184 miles from the source near Kemble to the Thames Barrier, East London (or reverse) The Ridgeway - 87 miles from Ivinghoe Beacon to Overton Hill, Avebury (or reverse)

A walk around Chedworth

Chedworth is an attractive Cotswold village 7 miles from Cirencester, 5 miles from Northleach.  It lies in a steep sided valley along a tributary of the River Coln.

The village remains unspoilt and off the beaten track, with old and modern Cotswold stone houses hugging the steep sides of the valley which extends for almost 2 miles – and perhaps the longest village in England!

It is close to the Fosse Way, a Roman road which originally ran from Exeter to Lincoln and about a mile from Chedworth Roman Villa, which was one of the largest Romano-British villas in Britain and home to some of the richest people in the country in the 4th century.

The 'Seven Tuns' pub dates back to 1610, has a great old world atmosphere and good food.  A 'tun' is the name of a beer barrel holding 240 Imperial gallons (1091 litres).

Contact us for a 7 miles (11 km) circular walk from Chedworth village, to the Roman Villa and the Fosse Way, with pub stop.  Very convenient if you are staying in Cirencester, Cheltenham, Bibury or Barnsley House Hotel.

Happy hiking

Anne

Walkthelandscape.co.uk

Golden, bronze ash - The last autumn colour

In a few days time we will move into winter and the trees will be leafless, their bare skeletal branches allowing wonderful uninterrupted views across hill and vale.

Walking on a cool, frosty winter day with blue sky and bright sunshine is simply the best!

Anne
Walk the Landscape

Avebury to Stonehenge - A walk through history

'Walking Through History' 

See Tony Robinson's walk through prehistory from Avebury to Stonehenge on BBC Channel 4, Saturday at 8:00pm.

Walk the 45 mile route over a relaxing weekend
or
Extend the ancient Ridgeway Trail to visit these awesome prehistoric sites.

Further details coming soon.





Happy hiking
Anne
Walk the Landscape

A Balmy Summer Day in Blenheim Park, Woodstock

Roofs of Old Woodstock

Blenheim Palace from across Queen Pool

Vanbrugh's Grand Bridge spanning Capability Brown's Lake

Yellow waterlilies in a sheltered corner of the Lake at Blenheim

Ancient trees in Blenheim Park - the inspiration for the Ents in Lord of the Rings

Woodstock in Oxfordshire is a good place for a relaxing weekend with a visit to Blenheim Palace (a World Heritage Site) and walks through the magnificent Blenheim Park - that Randolph Churchill considered the 'Finest View in England'.

Happy walking
Anne
Walk the Landscape

A view across the Frome Valley from Sapperton, South Cotswolds

Happy walking
Anne
Walk the Landscape

A view over the valley at Sapperton, South Cotwolds

A view from Sapperton in the South Cotswolds in the wonderful bank holiday sunshine.

Happy hiking
Anne
Walk the Landscape

The Manor, Shipton-under-Wychwood

The Manor, Shipton-under-Wychwood

Lovely blue skies and warm sunshine in the Evenlode Valley today on 24th April.

Happy hiking
Anne
Walk the Landscape

Touches of Spring

 Twins at Daylesford

 Daffs at Kingham

Primroses at Oddington

Happy Hiking

Anne

Walk the Landscape

Stow-on-the-Wold Farmer's Market

Plan your walking tour to visit the market on the second Thursday in the month.
This month enjoying April showers but in warmer temperatures - spring is coming!

Wonderful walking
Anne
Walk the Landscape

New born calves on Easter Day

Easter Day , freezing temperatures and new born calves on the Ditchley Estate, Oxfordshire.
Mum looks to have had a hard time.

Happy walking
Anne
Walk the Landscape

Early Spring is Nest Building Time

At last, sunshine and blue skies.
Time to plan a walking holiday?

Happy walking
Anne
Walk the Landscape

Blackbird sitting out the snowstorm

It's March and experiencing a late winter snowfall.

Best
Anne