Fenstanton to Bath

Fenstanton is a friendly & welcoming community - pub based it seems. The same faces, the same bar stool, an exchange of the day's events. Our presence on Friday evening met with a who? where? what? why Fenstanton? I expect necessary to scrutinise newcomers. Last night we were welcomed as friends & the interest in our day's findings felt genuine. A lot to fancy about Fenstanton, particularly the folk who live there.

We have been enjoying beautiful weather - clear skies & warm days with temperatures in the mid to high twenties. We now think Phil placed too much emphasis on packing clothing suitable for cooler conditions!! We read yesterday's beach count placed 150 000 people at Brighton Beach. A bit crowded!

Our Fenstanton to Bath journey brought us through Bedford, once home to manufacturing of the so named Bedford truck; Milton Keynes; Buckingham; Banbury; Chipping Norton; Stow-on-the-Wold; Burford; Cirencester; Malmesbury; Chippingham; Corsham & Bibury.

Buckingham was founded in the 10th century & prospered as a medieval market town. The Old Gaol houses a museum, preserving both the building's history & that of Buckingham's past. The Old Town, with its narrow streets & antiquated buildings, displayed a number of architectural styles, predominantly Georgian.

Banbury, Oxfordshire, a town of charm & character, was characterised by its interesting old buildings & narrow thoroughfares. I just loved the ambience exuded by that which was old.

Chipping Norton, gateway to the Cotswolds, was another historic market town. It has been the market centre for the district's sheep farmers for more than 800 years.
The Bliss Tweed Woollen Mill is pictured.

Rolling hills, valleys of green & dappled afternoon sunlight through an arbour of beech trees made for a very picturesque drive to Stow-on-the-Wold. Equally beautiful was the village itself.

Burford, another old town with appeal, touted to be quintessentially English, and it was, except the village thoroughfares & market square weren't pedestrian friendly. Therefore, the ambience we have come to expect from the old towns was missing.

As we climbed to the top of the range between Corsham & Box and looked down on the valley below, we marvelled at the patchwork of greens & browns. The late afternoon shadows added another dimension to nature's quilt.

Bibury rests in a tranquil setting. Next week we plan to revisit this area from Oxford. True to the age old adage, a picture paints a thousand words.

Ten hours, 160 miles & 149 shutter clicks, we have arrived at Bodhi Guest House. Tripadvisor.com have again delivered an outstanding B&B. A £10 meal at the Bear Hotel was a smashing end to a smashing day!