We took the bus (#W) to Winchcombe for the day, to see the village and take a nearby walk. Arlington Row, a famous row of houses, and the local church were two Winchcombe highlights right where the bus dropped us off for the walk. You can also take a small steam train.
The church is famous for its gargoyles. Here are a couple of examples.
The walk to St Kenelm’s Well took us by Sudeley Castle on the edge of town. This is the castle gatehouse, plus a bridge on the castle road and, for some reason, an elephant statue. We didn’t pay to go into the castle.
Overall the description of the walk was pretty good, though it seemed some things had changed since it was written, like some hedgerows removed. Or we’re just not great at following directions; we got lost in the first field we crossed. It was a lot of walking from gate to gate, and often any path was hard to see. The arrow signs — when they exist — do point in the exact right direction.
We passed this picturesque farm along the way. Most of the buildings in the area are in the same local stone.
A local resident was waiting to meet us at one of the many kissing gates. Happily it moved as we got closer.
We saw many pheasants that day. They were constantly shooting out of the shrubbery.
This is St Kenelm’s Well, for which the walk is named. We took the short cut following the road.
The fields may look nice and smooth from a distance but they’re not. And there are often signs of the sheep who graze there, so watch your step. A couple of times we walked around plowed fields, and once had to cross one.
We found the scene of the crime. We don’t who got killed, but they left a lot of feathers.
We had lovely countryside views during the entire walk, which ended back on the main road.
