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JBB: An Artblog!
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he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
Sade Olutola
h
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almost home
KIROKAZE
★
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@awalktothecoast
Our last day before heading home
spent the day on bikes in the countryside
Stopped at a farm where they make “real Gouda”
And wooden shoes
And we finished with a chat about the invaluable windmills
It’s been a wonderful few days in Amsterdam. Definitely coming back for the tulips.
Another gorgeous day in Amsterdam
The floating flower market…
And of course some beautiful waffles add to one’s daily treats
Lots of canal boats and then a little one in the shape of a wooden shoe!!
Amsterdam is a great city
it’s green, it’s artsy, it’s young, it’s beautiful, it’s a vegetarian’s delight, it’s all about the bike and it’s very friendly. What’s not to like.
Leaving England for Amsterdam
I feel as if we have eaten our way through London! We did get in a visit to a couple of my favorite places, Kew Gardens and the Victoria and Albert Museum in between meals. Saw some shows, drank some more, walked some miles and now we are off on the train to Amsterdam.
and we’re finished with the Cotswold Way
left Tormarton this morning knowing we had a 16-17 mile walk into Bath where the trail ends. No problem.
Why is it I always feel as if I’m walking uphill more often than downhill. We walked through a beautiful town, Cold Ashton, in addition to others much smaller. The countryside is just gorgeous and many people out walking. Cows, sheep, horses, dogs- the Brits love them all. Today was a day of gates. Here are a few
The trail
And the beautiful spots
Which there were too many of. We’ve ended in Bath which seems wonderful. Our hotel, The Queensberry, is exactly the spot we needed. Elegant, relaxed, fun, delicious and so fine. Off to Oxford tomorrow.
Wotton-Under-Edge to Tormarton
This was an old wool town during the war and that is how it gots its name. Charming town with what turned out to be a lovely little hotel- The Swan. Thankfully we got through the day without any rain unlike the day before-wow. The trail was primarily through open land, small roads and parks. A very pretty walk. Both E and I were tired so we were dragging and it took us all day to walk 15 miles. Anyway arrived at our B&B in Tormarton and it couldn’t be nicer. It’s all good.
Day 6- Leonard Stanley to Wotton-Under-Edge-Under-Edge
similar to most mornings, we have to walk up out of the valley. Todays climb was very steep but not too long. Some lovely views when it opened up.
Day 4 and we’ve passed the half way marker.
today started off chilly (51 degrees) with a threat of rain all day. We knew we had a 16+ mile day ahead of us with a couple of serious climbs. We’ve decided that the Cotswold Way does a great job of keeping you out of all the quaint villages- ugh- but we did find a sweet one yesterday. Painswick was lovely.
The church has 99 yews planted, not 100 and that supposedly was done intentionally.
We got ourselves lost a few times but the rain held off until we finished our 18 miles.
leaving Cleve Hill for Birdlip
we noticed in Scotland that walkers and dogs are allowed to walk on the golf courses. Here in the Cotswold, sheep, cows and people with dogs are grazing and walking on some courses. The hardest part for the golfers must be to watch out for the piles left behind.
Cleve Hill
Today was not as quaint as yesterday and much more rural. It was just us and the sheep. We spent most of the day walking in the pastures with the sheep and cows and trying to avoid their land mines.
We climbed for the afternoon and eventually reached Belas Knap, a 5500 year old prehistoric burial ground. That was the highlight of the day.
Now we are in the Cotswolds
OMG, it’s soooo beautiful here. We are walking the Cotswold Way from Chipping Camden to Bath. Just finished day 1 and have ended the day in Stanton. The trail is well marked and yet we got ourselves lost a few times. If I was on a trail by myself I would never get off because I am so clueless when it comes to directions. Thankfully Einar is so good reading maps.
A few pics of Chipping Camden
had a lovely walk to Stanton.
Stanton is a collection of beautiful residences. One commercial spot. Never seen such a gorgeous village. It looks like a movie set.
And our beautiful B&B
We finished the C2C
Left our inn early in the morning so we would have time to explore Tynemouth. Stayed in an old mill (16th century) that had had a few updates. The owner was a lovely lady who had such a strong accent that it was hard to understand each other so we just laughed😁.
A pleasant day with very few hills. No rain!!!! And a bit warmer- 64 degrees and we were happy to have it.
Barbie is alive and well in Newcastle. This Hummer is filled with 8 young girls dressed as Barbie!! Too cute. Another 90 minutes from Newcastle and we will be at the sea, the end of the C2C!! It was a beautiful ride and incredibly challenging- will leave the trail to other more experienced cyclists.
Day 4 Alston to Consett
Today was the day I was dreading because of the steep (17%) ascents. 35 miles of mostly up through the Pennine Mountains. Again we started off in the rain that gave way to 30 mph winds. Forget stopping and taking pictures. It was a brutal day, certainly not for sissys. Haha! The day dried out and the winds picked up. At one point while on the Waskerly Way, the wind was blowing so hard that Einar got blown off his bike and landed on the gravel road. Thankfully he wasn’t seriously hurt only some road rash. We then walked our bikes for a couple of miles through a protected UNESCO area that was gorgeous. Finally we were able to get back on our bikes and finish the day. So glad that was over!!! One day to go to Tynemouth and the North Sea.
Day 3 Penrith to Alston
We started off on wet roads and steady rain - ugh. After an hour or so the rain stopped and we stopped for a moment to enjoy the view.
We knew we had a 4 mile steep ascent ahead of us to the summit - Hartside Pass. The winds picked up to about 20 mph and omg- it was cold, barely 50 degrees. The ride went on and on. Never been so happy to get to our lodging which was an old inn. A little run down but lots of character and they had the heat on!
Day 2 Keswick to Penrith
the weather was beautiful when we left the very popular town of Keswick. I understand this is really the beginning of the Lake District. We saw lots of hikers peering up at very steep trails. Definitely the activity of choice in this area. We had a nice 35 mile ride with some short steep ascents and vast vista. The roads are narrow so it seems that every time a car passed us, they were going to crash into incoming traffic. Didn’t make any stops until we got to Penrith and our delightful B&B. Fantastic tapas restaurant to end the day.
Day 1 Cycling the C2C from Whitehaven
Arrived in a wonderful coastal town on the North Sea. Einar dipped his rear wheel in the sea and we were off. Well sort of. Our first day we were riding in some deep gravel and mud but that gave way to some very steep roads as we wound our way through a pass.
We entered the Lake District and it is gorgeous
Einar found some nutty lady out on the road
On our way to England for our Coast to Coast ride
A lovely evening last night visiting our friends From home, Rusty and Meredith. Meredith made us the best dinner we’ve had in ages and Rusty made a brilliant fire.
John Muir certainly was an influential and passionate man. We have him to thank for National Parks here in Scotland and also for convincing Roosevelt to include Yosemite as a National Park.
Wonderful way to see parts of Scotland that we would not have seen.