10/16  Last night was sick night; so we stayed in our adorable B&B room with huge bathroom and lovely radiant heat. We both worked hard to sleep with moderate success, so this morn was casual, slow, wander the town, check out the local pub before departure. It was windy and cold, so the chill was serious, but the air was clear and the sun warm. The walk was short, we charged up a hill onto a plateau with a serious view, then back down to an old church (I know, what, another church?!). Outside the church we met a local that told us about the original 13th century church down the road a mile, and the  tower on top of the hill behind it that overlooks the entire valley (Built by The Earl of Coventry so he could see all his property back in medieval times. The tower provides a view of 13 counties.) We opted for the extended walk, and it was great choice. The only down side was that we found out that tomorrow morning our trail goes back up to the tower, oh well it's good exercise. Broadway, our new home town, is billed as the showcase of the Cotswalds. The town is spread along the main road, originally Broadway, and lined with magnificent homes, oh yes, made of Cotswald stone, with handsome well manicured yards, and beautiful gardens.

10/15    Breakfast at the Inn, then to the bakery for bread and treats, and we're off  down the main road to the path to the country side. Out in farm land we walk along amongst sheep, and horses, and cows entering a field sign posted with "bull in field", that got Lynn's attention, and she spotted the big fella immediately. Fortunately he was lying down but the path went right by him and he decided to get up, a real task for his bulk. We negotiated our way through the crowd of females (and cowpies) and out to the gate before the big guy had time to get upset. On we went through sheep country. A word about poop: big plops of cow poop are easy to see and avoid, however, sheep droppings are much smaller and often hide under grass and weeds and in the mud so we waded through the muck, and the slush, and the goo with sheep poopy boots. A mile or so into the walk we joined the National Trail - The Cotswald Way. As a result sign posting improved immensely, and the written instructions became much less important. The trail lead us up and along the hills providing us with spectacular views of the hedge rows defining the quilted patern of the small farms covering the rolling verdant hills. Huge oak trees stood along the creeks and streams lacing through the fields creating a three dimensional effect to the pattern.  Along the way a thousand year old building made of Cotswald stone peaked out from behind the green to remind us of the long history of our surrounds. Then we arrived in Stanton, a post card little hamlet (thatched roofs!) with our 17th century B&B.  The lovely lady who owns it made Lynn a cuppa tea laced with lemon and whiskey for her incipient cold and it seems to be doing the trick.