Sodbury, United Kingdom Travel Journals & Blogs

Traveler The Cotswold Way
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- Jun 13, 2018, 12:00 PM
- ⛅ 19 °C
- Altitude: 384 ft
- England Sodbury Chipping Sodbury 51.53232, -2.3573551°31’56” N 2°21’26” W
Day 15
Old Sodbury to Pennsylvania, June 13
June 13, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
We are moving slowly this AM. The 13 miles yesterday were tough.

Coffee in the room was eye opening and the breakfast at The Dog Inn was at least filling given that we are not wide awake yet. Yesterday, upon our arrival, I asked the bartender if people "woof, woof" when they arrive. "No", she said..."you were the first today". Made me feel real proud to be a turkey in a house of dogs!

So we're having fun and today's walk is short...just nine miles. We shall see if the rain holds off.

This part of the Cotswold Way is a little flatter (rolling hills, not steep mountains), and we started our day walking along rolling hills with some geogous views.

We walked pass the Dodington House...unseen from the path, but we saw the surrounding land and the "moat" that was in front of the main drive. History tells us that it was built in 1795 for a man that made great wealth "on the backs of slaves in the West Indies".

Our day continued to Tormarton, a small village with the Church of St. Mary Magdalene. We visited the interior and the stain glass was spectacular.

We then walked through a series of fields with borders made of new stone. They used the yellowish sandstone that we saw earlier in the walk. Very striking in appearance. Later on we ran into some volunteers who were repairing a stone wall and we were told that it is a very expensive wall to build today given the cost of labor and material.

Our walk went along the scarp edge once again, and perhaps for the last time. We walked around a large deer park that surrounded Dyrham House (the restored home of William lll, built around 1695 or so and maintained by the National Trust). I went up to the gate to take a picture and commented to a couple that were inside that I hoped I could avoid the bars. He said that he would be happy to take a picture for me...and then we realized we has seen each other a few days ago. He and his wife drove the Blue Ridge Parkway not so long ago and we had a discussion about that when we first met. What a coincidence!

As we crossed several fields, some contained sheep and cows, Arlene saw a grouse (or was it a pheasant?). Cameras on cell phones would not do it justice, but I was able to capture a pretty good picture on the better camera with the zoom lens.

We are staying in Pennsylvania (yes we are), at the Cornflake Cottage, and it is a delightful B & B. The hostess made us coffee, provided muffins, and the room has a sitting area downstairs, called The Snug. She will drive us to dinner this evening.

Good dinner of chicken cooked in a pastry shell, veggies, dessert and wine. Hard to beat.

Tomorrow is the last walk. Rain is expected. We've had no rain while here so getting a little in the AM will not dampen our spirits.Read more
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Traveler The Old Dart
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- Jul 23, 2024, 9:54 AM
- ☁️ 17 °C
- Altitude: 108 m
- England Sodbury Old Sodbury 51.528572, -2.35759451°31’43” N 2°21’27” W
Day 37
CW Day 9: Old Sodbury to Pennsylvania
July 23 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
P was staying at different accommodation, so we met up at the Dog Inn in Old Sodbury to recommence the trail. The first part was a wander through the very neat and pristine Dodington Park. It is the extensive residence of a wealthy business owner who, it is rumoured, does not appreciate the walkers and if it wasn't for hundreds of years of convention and law he might have blocked the path. Allegedly. We were very respectful and stayed between the many "private property - do not enter" signs.
While avoiding any interactions with his sheep, I was startled by seeing the undercarriage of a Hercules as it flew low and turned beside the hill we were passing. I may have sworn. B was less surprised, having seen them in action in the past.
Leaving the private park, we went through a wheat field - the walking path was lined with a row of poppies and daisies for the walkers to follow. It was as if there was a welcome mat rolled out in red and white.
All three of us are, thankfully, suckers for an old church, so we stopped again - this time in St Mary Magdalene's Church in Tormarton. It's old - a pre-Norman congregation, with Norman architectural features and a 15th century brass memorial hidden under a rug.
We later crossed a bridge over the M4, on which we spied a turn off to Bath - suddenly the end was feeling close!
On the trail was the beautiful National Trust museum Dyrham Park - also beautiful because it had a cafe and toilets. B went on without us to Pennsylvania but P and I stayed on to tour the house and gardens. The home was largely built under one owner, William Blathwayt in the late 1600s, using an inheritance gained through his wife, and some investment in coffee and other newish products being grown with enslaved labour. We've noted a number of museums and galleries acknowledging any funding or foundation built from enslaved labour, but not apologising. It seems there is a movement of sorts but I'm not inside that industry so not sure where it's heading.
On our way out, P and I wandered back past the adjacent church, which had on display over half a dozen funeral hatchments, presumably depicting the crests of members of the Blathwayt or Wynter families.
We arrived in Pennsylvania half an hour before a pre-booked private dinner party. P was able to join us even though she was staying at different accommodation, again. We were able to get to know a couple of Norwegian women whom we had seen briefly along the way - lots of belly laughs over their travel adventures.
P's landlady came and collected her and drove her home via the sights she would miss in the morning.
End of day 9 - bit of an easy day: 15.0km, 24,993 steps, 66 floors (3 in Dyrham Park)Read more
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Traveler John and Diane’s Cotswold Way
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- Jun 28, 2023, 6:31 PM
- ☁️ 21 °C
- Altitude: 96 m
- England Sodbury Chipping Sodbury 51.533978, -2.37018951°32’2” N 2°22’13” W
Day 10
Battlefields to Bath - 10.1 Miles
June 28, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Our final days walk along the 102 mile (120.5 mile!) Cotswold Way took us to Hanging Hill with long distant views over to Bristol. We then skirted Landsdown Golf Course before passing Bath Racecourse up to Prospect Stile from where we had our first view of Bath. We walked through Weston on the outskirts of the city, in front of the stunning Royal Crescent and through the equally stunning Circus before finishing at Bath Abbey. We celebrated the end of the walk by enjoying the delights at the Thermae Spa. Many memories will stay with us from the walk but to summarise walking this walk in June brought back memories of childhood being out in the peaceful countryside with the sounds of bird song, lambs bleating, a buzzing fly, butterflies, rolling fields, golden fields of barley, wild flowers, panoramic views and the beautiful villages with their Cotswold stone buildings with roses adorning them. A truly lovely walk.
(Total distance walked today 11.9 miles).Read more
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Traveler John and Diane’s Cotswold Way
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- Jun 27, 2023, 7:36 PM
- ☁️ 20 °C
- Altitude: 96 m
- England Sodbury Chipping Sodbury 51.534081, -2.37034651°32’3” N 2°22’13” W
Day 9
Battlefields to Old Sodbury - 18.2 Miles
June 27, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Started our day at the Sir Bevil Grenville's Monument which was erected in the 18th century to commemorate the Royalist commander and his Cornish pikemen who fought at the Battle of Lansdown, 1643. Strolled down the valley and on to Dyrham House passing through Cold Ashton and visiting its church to see its historic canopied pulpit. Enjoyed a look around the National Trust Anglo-Dutch Baroque styled Dyrham House and Garden and learnt about its owner William Blathwayt (1649-1717) a former accountant-general, diplomat and politician under the later Stuarts and William of Orange. Continued on passing Dodington Park and Estate back to Old Sodbury.
(Total distance walked today 19.7 miles).Read more
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