TRAVEL
A Walk to Remember
Walking in the Cotswolds
Michael Lalonde Article and Photos
The Porch House in Stow-in-the-Wold
Connect your friends and family together , link them with physical activity and nature , and what is possible ?
Cotswold Motoring Museum in Bourton-on-the-Water
A long , healthy life filled with joyful memories . In the spring of 2024 , I bounced an idea off those closest to me . Why not a walk in the bucolic Cotswolds ?
What — you might ask — are the Cotswolds ? From the Middle Ages , the Cotswolds became prosperous as a result of the wool trade , as evidenced to this day by the stone manor homes , the sheep that dot the countryside , and the ancient water wheels that once powered the textile industry . In 1965 , the region was declared an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty — the largest in Britain — which helped to preserve it and fend off commercialization .
On the first morning of our eight-day self-guided walking tour of the Cotswolds , we assembled outside our hotel in Mortenin-Marsh for a group photo : my wife and I , our daughter and her partner , as well as a lifelong friend and his partner . We started alongside a busy road and came upon an elder crossing sign showing the outline of two decrepit seniors . Did that mean us ? Surely not !
We veered off the motorway : one moment the whoosh of traffic and the next — silence . Footpaths are marked with directional signs such as “ The Cotswold Way .” The English public right-of-way system means you are permitted to respectfully cross private land . By day ’ s end , our twelve-kilometre trek had us in the charming village of Stow-in-the-Wold where we overnighted at the Porch House . Originally built around 1000 AD , it is reputed to be England ’ s oldest inn .
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