Today took us to the ramparts and ditches of the most impressive of hill forts on the Cotswold Way. We also had another tower to climb.

Day Nine:  Wotton-under-Edge to Old Sodbury. 13.5 miles/21.5km

We slept quite well in our comfortable room at the Swan Inn in Wotton-under-Edge, but sadly, as with the previous evenings meal, every item that came out for breakfast was over-cooked. They really need to get a grip of the kitchen as there were a lot of dissatisfied walkers this morning.

We left not-too-late for our longest day on trail, that while a not particularly demanding 13.5 miles, is still up and down for much of its length. We met a party of four Americans that had been leap frogging us for days. They confessed to only walking half of this next section, and then catching a bus for the remainder due to a few strains and pains developed over the past few days.

I do like that Wotton has erected their own unique blue trail signs through the town. Many national trails abandon you in built-up areas with little in the way of signage. But Wotton, as with other towns and villages on the Cotswold Way, is well marked. Prior to leaving the town, we took a few minutes to explore the courtyard of the Perry and Dawes almshouses.

Built 1630 and extended 1712, these almshouses comprised gardens and accommodation for six poor men and six poor women. There is a small Chapel in the yard with stained glass windows showing sheep and wool spinners. The buildings are typical of period Cotswold architecture.

It was to be another day of remarkable place names. But prior to those, it was the usual climb out of town. I reckon this is the steepest longest climb of the trail, but- one foot in front of the other- it is a simple climb. Then simple field edge walking along our last remnants of the obvious escarpment before a steep rock clattering descent into Wortley ( barely seen) and easy walk to Alderley (likewise). It had rained hard last night, but briefly. The rain sat in pools on the path, some requiring careful circumnavigating. Wortley is recognised as the birthplace of Stephen Hopkins. He made his fortune in the local cloth trade and sailed to America with the Pilgrim Fathers in 1620.

It was a clear bright morning and when we had the views, they were expansive. We passed a good few slopes with strip lynchets, that iron age form of farming. I find it absolutely astonishing that these ridges survive to this day. It can be difficult to explain a fascination with these earthen ramparts to those less enamoured by things historic.

We stopped to chat to a lovely old boy. He is a  Highland Cattle breeder that the Highland Cattle Society informs us has bred 84 of his 90 animals. He was busy getting his cows into the crush this afternoon for TB testing. He spoke of his fondness for Albert, a grand looking red coated bull, and sadness that the impressive looking but docile creature now has to move on to another fold. These are the oldest registered breed of cattle in the world and I always like to see them on my travels. A four-wheel drive car pulled up alongside us, his farmer neighbours offering to lend a hand getting the cows down off the hillside. We were simply holding up proceedings, so waved goodbye and walked on, particularly as I had a tower to climb. It is the Somerset Monument. Dating from 1846, this 120 feet plus edifice was erected in memory of General Lord Somerset, who served under Wellington at the battle of Waterloo. There are 144 steps up to a viewing platform and I had been looking forward to climbing them. But it wasn’t to be. The Badminton Estate had banned entry to the grounds around the tower due to “risk of falling masonry.” Then fix the damned thing, instead of barring people.

The Cotswold Way crossed the meadows over non-descript Horton Fort, and later, across the centre of ancient Iron Age Little Sodbury Hill Fort. This was subsequently improved by the Romans who probably used it as a frontier post. The Saxon army encamped here in AD577, and in 1471 Edward IV stopped by with his army on the way to a tussle with Margaret of Anjou at Tewkesbury. As usual, a simple photo does little to convey how impressive the surviving fortifications are. It has widely spaced double ramparts that enclose an area of 10 acres (4 hectares).

There are three Sodbury’s in the Cotswolds, Chipping and Little are two of them, tonight’s halt was at the third, a Bed and Breakfast in Old Sodbury. Our host was lovely and Mrs TPOTC and I later agreed that this was our best stop of the entire trail.

We had planned on eating our evening meal at the Dog Inn opposite, and I had emailed them weeks ago requesting a booking but received no confirmation. Arriving in Old Sodbury early afternoon, we decided to stop in at the Dog Inn, confirm our booking, and partake of their ales. Purely for research, you understand.

This attractive village pub is over 500 years old and of a type I am particularly fond of, all exposed beams to smack my head on and not too heavily renovated to look ‘oldie worldie’. I was looking forward to not only eating there but also sampling their real ales. Their kitchen isn’t open particularly late so we had booked an earlier table than is our want and settled down to eat at 19.30.

Penultimate day on trail tomorrow…

• Cotswold Way- National Trail
  • Cotswold Way: Chipping Campden to Stanton
  • Cotswold Way: Stanton to Winchcombe
  • Cotswold Way: Winchcombe to Dowdeswell
  • Cotswold Way: Dowdeswell to Birdlip
  • Cotswold Way: Birdlip to Painswick
  • Cotswold Way: Painswick to King’s Stanley
  • Cotswold Way: King’s Stanley to Dursley
  • Cotswold Way: Dursley to Wotton-under-Edge
  • Cotswold Way: Old Sodbury to Cold Ashton (Pennsylvania)
  • Cotswold Way: Cold Ashton to Bath