Blockley or bust! And we nearly did! 18kg of pack over 26k in 28C.

My memories of the day are the incessant skylarks, singing their hearts out overhead, and how grateful I was for the generous tree-lined shade of most of the walk.

The dogs and I had slept in the tent on the lawn. I surfaced at 3.30AM and made myself a cup of coffee and a piece of baguette and margarine, and the dogs 50g of breakfast. They get theirs in the tent, in their sleeping bag, so are thoroughly spoilt. I use old margarine pots, so that they get ALL their dinner and that it doesn’t go all over the tent. I am a little concerned that there is not much space in the vestibule at the front of the tent for the stove to work without setting things alight. So far, no tent fire.

We left at 5AM, headed out to the Battle of Stow (1646) War Memorial above Donnington, then cut along the top of the fields to Ganborough, and along the track that leads to Hinchwick. We stopped for Breakfast No.2 at the Asquith family memorial, a generous  peak shaped chunk of slate that looks out over the top of the Wold. Off came the thermal bottoms and onwards over Bourton Downs, dropping down into Blockley for about 10AM. Any thoughts of getting back to Stow for the ultra-short (30 minute) first of the month church service at St. Edwards disappeared. A more realistic choice was lunch at the Coach and Horses in Longborough. So that is what we did, taking time out to find out that they do NOT serve dog biscuits at the Horse & Groom in Bourton-on-the-Hill, so had to make do with a pint of lager shandy instead.

By 11AM it was getting hot, so at the H&G, I soaked the dogs gel-coats and they went on, all the way back to Stow, arriving at 3.30PM. I collapsed in a bath, jumped out before I fell asleep, then crashed out in bed till 7PM. My pack today was 18kg, so in the 28C heat it nearly did bust me!