Monday, November 21, 2016

Frith Wood and Painswick: Mosaic Monday




On these grey days (although the sun is currently shining here), it's hard to remember how hot it was in the summer. During our trip to France and England just a few months ago, we enjoyed marvelous weather. Sunshine with very, very little rain. 
One thing we had been looking forward to while visiting the Cotswolds was walking some of the ancient trails. You may remember that we were down for a few days and not up to walking very far. 
However, on our last day there, we determined to go for some sort of a walk, if not a long one. We had planned to do a canal walk in Stroud, but there was no shade at all, and the heat so intense that we turned back. The kind ladies in the tourist office suggested Frith Wood, and gave us a map. So off we went, first driving along a nail-biting narrow road through the prettiest valley, through the village of Slad and beyond, until we came to a public footpath with a small parking area.


The trail took us along a ridge between the Slad and Painswick Valleys, through an ancient beech wood that filtered the light, and beside fields that baked under the fierce sun.
The beech trees were probably planted shortly after the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century, from Belgian seed. 


There was little relief from the heat, even in the forest, but oh, how beautiful it all was. We would have walked longer, but the main trail seemed to end. We wandered along a road for awhile, then turned back and made our way back.


From a high point on the walk, we spied a village in the distance and thought it might be interesting to pop down there for a bit. Our adventurous GPS (Sat Nav) assured us that there was a road. It didn't indicate how narrow the road would become. After arriving home I looked at the "road" on Google maps and see that it is labeled a "lane." Much more accurate. 
While Tim drove, I leaned forward, craning my neck to see even one inch further around the corners as the branches slapped the sides of the car. At one point we met up with a rather snooty lady driving a fancy white convertible who wouldn't give an inch and was rather impatient with our efforts to back up to a somewhat wider section in order to let her pass. 


And so we arrived in Painswick, Queen of the Cotswolds, with its pretty Georgian houses, St. Mary's church that dates back to the Domesday Book, and best of all, The Patchwork Mouse Art Cafe where we fortified ourselves with Cheese and Tomato Toasties. A most serendipitous find.


New Street was built in 1428, at a time when the wool trade flourished. The doors are painted such wonderful colours, but after looking at all the photos, I realize that I have a slight list in all of them.
The arched door shown in the mosaic above is an older part of the church that probably dates to the 14th century. 


The tower was built in the 15th century and I'm assuming the clock was installed then, although I couldn't find any specific information. The clock was restored in 1986.

We managed to find another way back to our lodgings without having to drive that narrow lane, where we collapsed in relief, took cool showers, and later walked to The Apple Tree Pub for a satisfying, and easy-on-the-nerves dinner. 

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life. 

32 comments:

  1. It's so nice that we can take lots of photos when we travel to remember all of the special things we saw...and felt! And when the weather's cold, we can spend time working on them. I have a ton of pics to work on now! lol Enjoy your week sweet friend. Hugs, Diane

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  2. Two of our pocket villages are Painswick and Stroud, many others I believe are also named by the Brits that first settled this area. I love the colourful doors captured in your mosaic, all great memories of your trip.

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  3. Beautiful images of the Cotswolds...it looks so enchanting. I love the coloured doors too!
    How nice that you have these photos to remind you of your recent trip...

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  4. The doors are great! You must have faithfully journaled as you are remembering all the details as if you were just there! Lovely photos!

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  5. The Cotswolds region is one of the loveliest, I think. We do little lanes rather well in England!

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  6. We do have a lot of lanes here in England, they do take a little getting used to. Loved the doors a great mosaic. I am so glad that you have such fond memories of your holiday.

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  7. Anonymous2:12 PM

    So glad you took us back to your trip. Love that lane.

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  8. Nail biting, but every bit worth it I bet! It all sounds like the trip of a lifetime, Lorrie!

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  9. This all sounds like a Beatrix Potter adventure. How wonderful. I can just imagine the narrow lane and the sweet cottages and the trail. What a lovely memory.

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  10. Oh what fun. What a grand adventure. So hard to believe buildings can be so old and beautiful.
    MB

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  11. The drive sure was lovely, except for the nerve-wracking part. Are there rules, and what can they possibly be, for yielding on narrow lanes? It's not a day you will forget.

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  12. Oh I enjoyed this post! I know what you mean about some of those roads in the English countryside! It brought back fun memories of our time in Herefordshire. I'm so glad you had that trip. I've never been to France, but Suzan from Simply Vintageous blog entices me with her beautiful photos.

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  13. Very pretty and lovely flowers.

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  14. I've never visited England (it is on my bucket list) but I have experiences narrow lane roads in Ireland. I can imagine how nerve wracking the drive was, but the photos you took in town made the ride worth it! What an enchanting place to see!

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  15. Such a lovely surprise to be back in the Cotswolds with you today, Painswick looks like a place we'd enjoy too. After looking at your house door mosaic I've concluded that it's the houses that are tilting not you!

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  16. The Cotswolds is a lovely area, but sadly there are rather too many snooty people in flash cars who think they always have right of way. (My ex in-laws came from there. I might be slightly biased.)

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  17. Oh, beautiful. Did you go to the church and church yard in Painswick? There are bullet holes in the outer wall from the Civil War.
    I love those gorgeous baking hot summer days..you have taken me back a few months, ~ thank you! Its certainly not like that now!
    I think the land between Painswick and Slad is some of the prettiest in England. There is a village called Sheepscombe in the middle there, its enchanting. But does require driving through the lanes to reach it ;)

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  18. Loving your floral photos as well as the ones from your trip. So much to see & learn...thanks for sharing it all, Lorrie!

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  19. That village looks so pretty on the hillside surrounded by all that green! Beautiful.

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  20. It sounds like a tiring day (especially following days of illness), but what marvelous scenes, captured beautifully by your lens, were your reward! I love the doors!

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  21. Wonderful memories of your trip. Makes me want to go, too!

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  22. Oh wow...what a lovely place...and your photos are gorgeous! You could just drop me off and leave me there all day...my kind of place!

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  23. Sounds like my sort of place. Love the Cotswolds although have yet to visit Painswick . I would have struggled with the heat too. I'm wondering if that clock is Victorian looks like the sort of thing they added. I could be wrong. The lanes sound very much like ours at home. Often we have to reverse in our lanes until we find a passing place:) B x

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  24. Beautiful scenery ... I was hoping for a photo of the beech woods! What a picturesque little village. Amazing the age of the houses.
    Wendy

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  25. Oh Lorrie, so lovely to read your post and see your wonderful pictures.

    The Cotswolds area is so picturesque and just a joy to visit.
    Looking at your post bought back happy memories of my visit there a while ago ...

    All the best Jan

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  26. Well as you know Lorrie this is my little corner of the world so I enjoyed seeing your interesting take on the area. I have to admit though that I have never visited the Patchwork Mouse Art Cafe as yet.

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  27. I love small village in England with all the history compared to our much younger country. I remember the "B" roads - the narrow two lane ones with no place to get off and usually stone fences or trees along the sides! They were pretty but so dangerous. It sounds like a lovely place to visit and tour around.

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  28. Thank you for taking us along to the Cotswolds. I love the brightly coloured doors!

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  29. I enjoyed my walk with you. It is awfully dry and windy around here so no walks for us.
    Amalia
    xo

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  30. Lovely walk It is nice to remember back to holidays.

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  31. Lorrie, thanks for the mini-vacation through your beautiful photography. I do not like "nail-biting" roads at all, so would probably have to skip that part!

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  32. It was like a vacation and warms me up on this chilly day. Thanks for sharing.

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