Day 1, Wednesday 5th August. We’re off to Cheltemham for 2 days and as we are in the middle of about the 4th heatwave of the year we are travelling top down in Ziggy the Z4.
There is no need for an early start as we are heading first to Winchcombe to complete a 3.5 mile circular walk which appears in numerous AA walking books. Parking up we walk into town via a couple of charity shops before calling in at a The Wine Rooms for sustinence before setting off on the walk. We managed to make one wrong turn which turned the 3.5 mile walk into 4 miles although Mrs. M was not to impressed to find that, according to Map My Walk, we had climbed nearly 600 feet (which probably means that this walk has to be added to the list of those “not to be done again”). Returning to Winchcombe we have a quick one in The White Hart and get some essential provisions in the Morrisons Daily before driving over to Cheltenham and parking up and checking in at The Cotswold Grange, our hotel for the next two nights.
After collecting a map of the town from the hotel Reception we walk into the centre which takes about 15 minutes. There appears to be a shortage of traditional pubs but after a few false starts we settle for a drink in Tailors before walking to The Brewery Quarter where, after an abortive trip into The Cosy Club, we go to the Botanist where we get a hanging surf and turf kebab sharer for dinner. We return to Tailors before walking back to the hotel for a relatively early night after both clocking up nearly 25000 steps

Day 2, Thursday 6th August. After breakfast in the Cotswold Grange we walk through the Pitville Pump Gardens to Cheltenham Racecourse. The security guard advises that it’s possible to walk around the perimeter of the track on the outside of the course which we do with the help of some directions from locals. Returning to the hotel we get Chat GPT to recommend a short scenic drive and we set off for Duntisbourne Abbot, a small village which I had visited on a solo photography trip about 30 years ago. Unfortunately the road we needed was closed and when the alternative route became extremely narrow with grass growing down the middle of the road we “gave it best” and headed instead to Cirencester.
Parking up we walked into the town centre. Overhearing a local extolling the virtue of the food in The Fleece we checked it out (we’d had a drink there on a previous visit) but it was extremely busy so we moved on towards The Black Horse where we had eaten before. On the way I spotted a familiar face walking towards me but I’m not sure that Geoff Hurst, the only man to ever score a hat trick in a World Cup Final, wanted to pass the time with me but I did manage to get a couple of words out of him and he parted with “I look forward to seeing you there” ( I told him I have a have ticket to see his Last Man Standing show at The Mill in Banbury in November). Lunch in the Black Horse (lasagne and hunters chicken) before retuning to Cheltenham, walking into town and spending most of the afternoon at The Moon Under Water, the ‘Spoons in the town centre (not THAT Spoons, Kevin Blakemore). I know that Worthington Creamflow isn’t the best pint but at £1.99 you can’t go too far wrong! Back to the hotel and a second consecutive day of nearly 25000 steps.

Day 3, Friday 7th August. Breakfast at Greggs on the Kingsditch Industrial estate and a leisurely drive home, not a bad couple of days. Not really a photography trip so no Gallery images, the header image is looking back towards Winchcombe about 3/4 of a mile into the walk.