England 7 - Cotswolds

 the Cotswolds present a gentle landscape

stone villages, affluent once from the woolen trade and now again from 2nd home buyers

little walled lanes where sheep were herded to the markets

innumerable B&B's, ours from the 16th cent with its own weird little English proprietors

our cool garret

 you can walk everywhere on public rights-of-way, following the old herding lanes

 among hedgerow brambles, blackberries still hold sway

there were reedy watercourses with swans

wattle fences

and a few larger cottages 

footpaths follow the pastures 

some ruminates bigger than others

there were even badgers

the (cloyingly) quaint Lower Slaughter 

its little mill.

the English climate is swell for roses

great oaks everywhere

and ancient yews in the churchyards

they take their yards very seriously

this yew was 1300 years old

we walked all day,

skipped the buttie and the cannonball

but were happy with fish and chips and the cottage pie

England 6 - Cornwall

the West Cornwall coast is spectacular

steep coves

St Helen's chapel

and some other cool ruins

even a golf course

some guy managed to snag this spot for a cottage...

... and his greenhouse

we had some sun

a lot of mixed cloud

and some mist

there were deserted beaches

the norman church of St Levan had furry lichenous crosses

and the occasional cafe had scones and clotted Cornish cream

inland boundary walls all have stiles and public rights of way

granite cattle grates

wild blackberries are the dominate species 

lining every path

but cross fields at your peril

West Cormwall has the greatest concentration of prehistoric sites in the UK

neo-druids leave these weird little grass wreathes on all the tombs

Sue in the corbelled burial chamber of Carne Euny

Chun quoit

looking for Jimmie Hoffa

and the Chun hillfort

Lanyon quoit

and the view south toward Penzance