One of the best surprises of the trip was how wonderful and accessible footpaths were. They were decidedly un-American. Public footpaths made it very easy to get to places, not only on paved sidewalks, but along routes that were more direct or more private than roads. Public footpaths cut across private land, even private land with crops growing or with livestock grazing.
My first enjoyment of footpaths was my second day in the Cotswolds (near Stroud). A few ladies from the retreat decided to go for a "ramble". We got on the path at the edge of the property and started walking. Whenever we came to a split or a branch, we just picked a direction and kept going.
Again, we were going through private property. Often, between properties, there would be fence and some kind of gate or stair. As long as there was a little yellow arrow indicating a public footpath, gates could be opened. You just had to make sure to close it behind you. There were other gates or stairs that didn't have moving parts, but allowed people to get over or through without animals getting out of their field. Some of these looked quite old and established, made of stone, while others seemed more recent.
Sometimes the path hugged the side of a field, right along the hedge, while other times, they struck out straight across a grassy field, with only a slight difference in the appearance of the grass to guide a wanderer.
The hedges were also interesting. Though I never saw a hedgehog in person (my one unfulfilled wish from the trip!) the hedges were obviously excellent for the native creatures and plants. There were lots of wild roses and other flowers growing in the hedgerows which were beautiful. Even where there was a fence to divide the fields, it often looked more like a hedge because the space on either side of it was left to grow wild.
While out on our initial ramble, we saw a sign marked "Cotswold Way". It wasn't until we had returned to the farmhouse and someone Googled it that we realized it wasn't just the locals naming the path. The Cotswold Way is over one hundred miles long and runs all the way to Bath.
Twice more, I went out on the trail and took the Cotswold Way about an hour in each direction from the point where it had intersected with our path. In the southern direction, my companion and I went through not only beautiful meadows, but forest and (a little bit) uphill. When we went through Standish Woods, we commented that it felt like we were in a setting for Robin Hood, then later realized we were on a stretch called Robber's Road. My guess is that it was named accurately, not romantically. We also came to the beacon which is the halfway point for the whole trail. We then used the AllTrails app to find footpaths that cut straight back to our farmhouse.
We encountered a little lamb who appeared to want to be on the other side of the fence with the rest of the flock. We couldn't find any farmers nearby, but we told the mail carrier who said they'd pass the message on.
The other direction on the Cotswold way led into a little town and along a canal bank. This felt very much like Wind in the Willows. I also went through another small, wooded hill with a quarry at its center where the stone for the original Stonehouse Manor had been quarried in the 12th century.
I was so thankful for the opportunity to be in nature and feel safe while exploring, even when traveling by myself and without a vehicle. I wish we had a footpath culture here!
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