Day 14 Sherston to Box

Sherston to Box

15 Miles

I take it all back. Breakfast was magnificent. Starting with apple juice mad locally by the Sherston Cider Company I worked my way through locally produced muesli, freshly baked bread and a giant platter of hams, salamis and cheeses (note the intentional plurals). All served in a conservatory with a view across the farm. Carriers Farm; check it on the web and notice the very high scoring from the Tourist Board.

The walk started with a couple of miles of following the River Avon in its very early stages before moving across open country to pick up the By Brook which I will track for the remainder of the day.

When the guidebook says “follow these directions with care” in big red letters it is time to take the compass out. Off the beaten track there are some poor quality patches of land in the Cotswolds with fields full of limestone chippings and poorly drained soil. The resulting terrain is sparse scrubland with a few scraggy trees and bushes. The pathways become virtually indistinguishable and way markers non-existent. The area between Luckington and Littleton Drew is one such place and progress was slow as I navigated my way over the next three miles. Arriving at exactly the right place on the road at Littleton Drew gave me a great feeling of accomplishment. The map and compass always wins in the end.

Onwards to Castle Coombe, which must rank as one of the prettiest villages in England. Well preserved old buildings adorned with baskets of flowers, an old market cross, stone bridges over the By Brook, Castle Coombe has it all. Today is rather gloomy and I only have a snapshot camera with me. I definitely must come back here in a better light with all of the lenses to take some proper pictures.

Castle Combe

 

The rest of the day followed the By Brook all the way to Box. On a couple of occasions this entailed some very boggy pathways. One particular section through Tilley Wood took an absolute age as I had to pick my way extremely carefully along about half a mile of gunge. One false step and I would have been either face-down in the ooze or have been stuck there still.

The small town of Box was eventually reached and to my delight the Bear Inn was on the Macmillan route so I did not have to go looking for it. I am glad to say that the Bear served up another ginormous dinner and even had the football on as well. Drogba managed to stay on his feet all of the time which was a miracle. I wonder if he would have been able to do the same through Tilley Wood?