Today’s post is 1550 words, 31 photos, 1 video, an 8 minute read. Enjoy!
Hi everyone,
In this week’s post, we are walking from the village of Naunton to Winchcombe, a distance of eight miles. We’ll see a lot of open fields, witnessed farmers working sheep, talked to a wall builder, and stopped several times for rest and water breaks. Last week, I left you with a bit of teaser of a natural phenomenon that occurred during this phase of the walk. Read on. If you missed the earlier episodes, click here, here, here, and here.
Onward to Winchcombe
We were up early, eager to get started on the eight mile segment to Winchcombe. Pat, our hostess at the Millview Inn served us a nice breakfast of eggs (fried over hard for me), bacon, and fresh fruit. Before making us breakfast, Pat had been to city hall to help set up the polling station where the election for mayor and other local officials was being held. We passed the polling station on the way out of town.
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun was already bearing down on us as we left Naunton. As we were walking down High Street to the trailhead, three very large, tall horses with riders were making their way in the opposite direction. We stepped aside to let them pass and greeted the riders.
The trail took us past the dovecote, over the River Windrush, and through the churchyard of St. Andrew’s.
The Wardens Way footpath was named for the Warden who back in the day came around to collect taxes for the Lord of the Manor and ensure all regulations were followed. 
Soon we were out in the open, the sun was getting warmer and we were shedding the outerwear that we started with. For fun, I took this selfie.
We soon entered a field onto the trail footpath that took us diagonally across a large field planted to a small grain (wheat, oats, barley or millet). After not far into the field, we saw this boom crop sprayer making his rounds. Several thoughts occurred to us. First would he stop to let us pass? Second, should we retreat to the edge of the field rather than continue moving across the field? And third and more importantly, was what he was applying to the crops toxic for humans? We chose to continue because we thought we would complete most of the trail before he had to stop. Was it the right decision?
We didn’t account for how fast the sprayer traveled or large the boom was on the sprayer, I estimated it was about 60 feet (~18 meters). It could be longer, they can go up to 120 feet (~40 meters) which might be too long in this rolling landscape.
While the sprayer had to wait for us, the operator did a little maintenance and also checked the weather if you know what I mean. We only delayed him by about 10 minutes. We weren’t sure what he was applying, there was no real smell of a toxic chemical so my educated guess is that it was a fertilizer of some type. I would note however, the field was nearly weed free.
After passing through the field and into an adjoining pasture, we stopped for a water break. The sun was getting very warm. We decided to snack on the KitKats before they melted into a blob of chocolate. 
After resting, we had to ascend this hill with steps carved into the sod. We were out in the open again. Good thing we had wide brimmed hats and lathered on the sunscreen.
Guiting Power
About two miles from Naunton, we entered the charming village of Guiting Power. For the second time on this walk, the villagers installed a toilet on the grounds of the parish church. In this case, St. Mary’s and All Angels Church. It was in just the right spot for us.
Guiting Power, population about 300, is said to be in existence since 780 AD. It was once part of the manor of King Edward the Confessor. Its name comes from the Old English with Guiting meaning rushing likely from the nearby River Windrush. Power is derived from the medieval name of the manor. 
After using the facilities, we heard sheep bleating near the church. I went to investigate and took this short video of the shepherds working their flock. It looked to me they were tagging the lamb’s ears and maybe giving them a vaccination.
After our stop at the church, we began our walk through the village and noticed a coffee shop and bakery with a sign saying that it was walker, biker, and dog friendly. We steered right into The Old Post Office for refreshments. I drank 1 1/2 cans of a rhubarb soda to hydrate for the next five miles and made sure our water bottles were full. We used the restroom again before going on our way.
The sun got hotter as the day wore on and there wasn’t much of a breeze. A lot of the trail was out in the open although we did occasionally walk through forested areas.
Part of the trail took us through the Farmcote Estate, a 2500 acre property that provides shooting sports for hunters of partridges and pheasants. We heard a few pheasants but didn’t see any. While taking a water and snack break, we did notice these sleeping hairy pigs. An internet search after returning home described these hairy pigs as Mangalitsa or Mangalica, a heritage breed known for their thick, curly, wool-like hair, resembling sheep. They are often called wooly pigs or sheep-pigs. Apparently, the meat is considered a delicacy. It looked like the pigs had rooted up a lot of the large pen where they were contained. 
Part of the trail took us up a gravel road to a high ridge. Most of the next couple of miles of trail was down hill through open pastures and fields.
Along one field we came across this fellow rebuilding this stone wall. Meet Matt whose occupation is to rebuild the many rock walls that populate the Cotswolds. It’s slow work. He described it as putting a puzzle back together after tearing it apart. He said many of the walls he works on were built in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The second photo shows a part of the reconstructed wall. Note the upright rocks on the wall, they are called through stones. Matt said they keep the wall from collapsing by binding the stones together. They also allow for drainage, preventing water from getting trapped and causing damage. His dog Teal was nearby lying in the shade, he did come over for a quick pet. An interesting fellow and occupation.
From the ridge we could see the town of Winchcombe, population of about 5000. Even though it looked close, it was nearly two miles of walking to get there. Ok, I’ll reveal it now. This was May 1, 2025. The temperature set a record high for that day in all of England of 84°F ( 29.3°C) in London and 82°F (29°C) in the Cotswolds. The normal temperature at this time of the year in the Cotswolds is 61°F (16°C). That is what we were expecting, much cooler temps.
About a mile outside Winchcombe we came to the Sudeley Castle and Gardens. It was on our to visit list however it was too late in the afternoon as the last entry was at 3:00 PM. However, they did have a cafeteria outside the entrance. Needless to say we were hot and thirsty. The cold water and can of soda went down quickly and gave us the boost for the last mile into town.
Sudeley Castle and Gardens has ten gardens covering 15 acres. The castle was built in the 1440s for the Lord High Treasurer of England. It was later seized by King Edward IV and King Richard III. In recent times, the heirs to the castle converted it into a tourist attraction. The family still occupies the manor house. Interestingly, the Lady of the house is an American. It looks like an nice place to visit, maybe next time.
Ok, I took this photo not far from the Castle as a juxtaposition to the majestic castle, likely a peasants hut.
Lots of trails lead through Winchcombe, we were now on the famous Cotswold Way.
On the edge of Winchcombe we saw the community gardens. Look at how neat and well kept they are. The English like their gardens.
Just down from our lodging we passed the Winchcombe Museum where they had an exhibit on World War II. It was closed both coming and going.
Our lodging for the night was at The Lion Inn. We were glad to arrive, albeit hot and tired, and quickly assigned our rooms. After a shower to cool down, we had a delicious dinner in the dining room. It was a busy place for a Thursday night. Their house beer was Butcombe, I had the triple filtered lager, very tasty.
Here’s the run down of the five senses plus one.
Things we learned – how to build a stone wall, the record setting heat
See – a snake (identified as a smooth snake), night crawlers, curly pigs, sheep and lambs, horses, field sprayer, fields, graveyard, a dam, flowers, woods, other walkers, flowering trees, churches, castle
Touch – sweat, cold drink cans, gates, petted a dog, water in the shower
Hear – buzzing of flies, traffic, pheasants, flapping wings of birds, sheep, machinery working in the fields, server at The Lion Inn saying “of course” to everything, babbling brook
Smell – Creosote, oranges
Taste – oranges, rhubarb drink, cold water, diet 7-up, hamburgers, trail mix, grapes, sweat
Next week, we’ll walk from Winchcombe to Stanton, a distance of eight miles.
Until then, happy travels!
Tom
PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM