Trip 13: Stow on the Wold, RFC
It took us nearly three hours to get to Stow but we were held up by the Tuesday market traffic jam in Moreton Le Marsh. We are camped on a rugby pitch and we can use the facilities in the rugby club which will also be open in the evening.
Once we were all set up we had lunch and spent the afternoon sitting in the sun reading until it was time to get the BBQ out and cook tea. Sue had made a couple of chicken kebabs and we had a fillet steak to share, as well as a burger each.
After washing up we retired to Iona because the Cricket 100 opening match was on at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge. The Rockets (Nottingham) were playing the Southern Braves. The match finished at 21.30 and the Rockets won with 2 balls to go. We have tickets to watch them next week with our son and granddaughter.
Day 2:
We went for a small circular walk which took us to Oddington where there is a pub. Unfortunately it was closed so we carried on across fields until we joined a B road. It was a bit precarious because there was no footpath so we had to jump up onto the verge every time a vehicle came along. Thankfully it was not a busy road.
We left the road and joined a footpath which took us straight back to the rugby club and home. Only 3.7miles but some hills made it seem longer.
After lunch the rain came in force so we stayed in and read for the afternoon.
Day 3:
We walked into Stow, the first part was a normal footpath but then we had to follow a ‘B’ road for half a mile until we could move onto a single track road to the next village and then onto normal footpaths into Stow.
Stow is a typical Cotswold town with original buildings housing todays shops. We wandered through the town and headed for the Church which is famous for it’s door with a yew tree either side.
We went into the church to look at the stained glass windows and we read about the various parts of the building that were added during it’s long history.
We left the church and continued to explore the town centre where we found some narrow passage ways, in York these are called Snickets and there is a walk using all of them.
In Stow we found two and they are called Tures derived from an ancient word meaning alleyway.
We found a bench on a small green and sat watching people until midday when the Oldest Pub in England opened and invited us in for a drink.
After the refreshment we headed home along the same route, however it was mainly downhill and our walk seemed to take less time than the outward trip.
We had lunch and spent the afternoon reading and dodging the rain showers. I went to help a couple who were struggling with an air awning. Another camper also stopped to help.
The awning was new to them and although they had read the instructions they did not have all the valves open so it would not pump up properly. I fixed the valves and the other guy looked after the air pump and we had it up within a couple of minutes. We left a very relieved and thankful couple to complete the job.
Day 4:
Our last day so we could not just stay around the van. I looked at the map and there was another small village nearby and it had a pub so plans were made and off we walked.
The village we were heading for was called Lower Oddington. We followed the footpath to Upper Oddington and walked the long way around the village before heading onto our destination.
The villages are very picturesque and well cared for. We came to the Church of Ascension but it was locked so we continued on and saw a notice pointing to an lX Century church of St Nicolas. It was half a mile away so we made our way to it.
We had a look around the grave yard and then went into the church. It is amazing , on one wall it has a mural that was once covered over in lime wash but in 1970 it was uncovered and restored. It is very faint but there is an artists impression of what it would have looked like using the same natural & vegetable paints as the original.
The church now has a new roof and it is used on a regular basis. However there is no electricity, lighting or heating so it has limited opening times during the year.
After thoroughly exploring the church which once stood in a village that history says was destroyed by the plague, we headed back to Lower Oddington.
We found the pub and it was open so in we went complete with walking boots and back packs. We were certainly out of place. There were staff everywhere and it was very pretentious. I felt we should sit in a dark corner out of sight and drink our expensive beer and cider.
A group a people came in to meet a man for his birthday. The men and women had tastings of the beer before moving to what we would call a conservatory but it was called the Saddle room. The staff were all over them like bees around a honeypot. Certainly what would be called a Yuppy pub some years ago. We left in our boots and backpacks to walk home.
We passed the Horse & Jockey pub which was open. I wanted to go in to see how we were accepted there but Sue thought it best not to. Apparently it is quite expensive to eat there according to the campsite stewards. It is an affluent areas where Porches and Audis seem to be the car of choice unless you have a landrover of some sort.
We got back to the campsite and the quest room was dry so after a bite to eat we took it down and packed it away because the rain will be returning over night.
Sue is worried about tea so she has devised a meal using everything in the cupboards and she has made a sauce to go with some pasta, it sounded interesting.
The next day we headed home in the rain through a storm. People just drive like idiots in the poor visibility. We passed three accidents on the way home non looked too serious thank goodness.
Our next outing is to Bridlington and the Royal York Yacht Club, we are on the regatta field within 200m of the beach.
Iona’s Travels 