May 2022
This is a rural area of West Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire with properties and dry stone walls made of honey coloured stone. It is also the homeland of ex-prime minister David Cameron. It is attractive and prosperous.
We stayed at The King’s Head in Bledington on the border of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire
Next day, after a fortifying breakfast, we drove to and parked in the village of Salford, taking a roughly clockwise route following the D'Arcy Dalton Way and taking in The Rollrights, - see The Whispering Knights, below - ancient stones dating back at least 3000 years to Neolithic times.
Following the rural road for a way we arrived in Chipping Norton in time for lunch at The Blue Boar before completing the circuit on return to Salford, visiting the grand church of St Mary’s and its tombs in passing.
There are many bluebell woods hereabouts and they were in full colour as we walked.
Supper was nearby, at The Plough in Kingham, which enjoyed an eclectic mix of patrons.
Our third day saw us travel to Milton under Wychwood from Fifield, an 8 mile walk broken up by a light lunch at The Hare at Milton. We wondered why they didn’t offer sandwiches. Perhaps we don’t fit the clientele but we think sandwiches are a great invention and hope to see them more often!
Supper was at The Horse and Groom at Upper Oddington. This was an excellent meal, beautifully served, and good value in a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere despite the background music (which after a while we were able to ignore).
This is a lovely rural area with extensive fields, hedges and stone walls, woods with little streams and carpets of bluebells. Houses are traditional in style, if sometimes a little twee. The weather has been kind to us and our well planned visits to watering holes and our well organised and pleasant walks have made for a sociable and relaxing break from the troubles of the world.
On our final day we said goodbye to the wild boar in the field (actually probably Tamworths) and drove to Great Tew, an attractive and popular village unpolluted by modern design.
Our walk took us round for 4 miles ending up with lunch at the very traditional Falkland Arms for excellent meat pies. With a drive home almost but not quite spoiled by a metal bolt in a tyre we praised run-flats and made it home in comfort (with fingers crossed).