Robinswood Hill

The roads are nice and quiet on a Sunday Morning, so it’s an ideal time to drive to Robinswood Hill Country Park for a walk. A bit cold to start with, but after a few uphill bits, we soon got warm. And of course Rocco was constantly running around with a stick.

Eventually the top came in view, but for us there was still a way to go as we took the gentle route up.

But nice to get to the top. Still a bit murky in the early morning mist, and quite breezy at the top as they’d removed some trees to (presumably) improve the view.

A nice walk!

Gloucester pub crawl…

A lovely sunny day today, really warm…

We caught the bus into Gloucester:

We walked the dogs through Gloucester Park; nothing exciting but Rocco could let off steam…

None of our usual pubs were open yet, so we stopped at a Wetherspoon Pub for an early beer – this was a converted cinema:

Lovely sitting in the sun…

Then on to Gloucester’s Micro pub, in a different location from a year ago:

As it was sunny, we sat outside:

The dogs attracted a lot of attention from passers by, mainly as they were blocking the pavement!

Then on to The Fountain, a regular haunt:

The Pilot

The dogs needed a walk this afternoon, so it was off following the canal to the local pub!

This was the glass supplied with a pint of Otter Ale (and very nice it was too):On the way back, Rocco found a selection of sticks!

Robinswood Hill

Sunday morning, so the Gloucester traffic isn’t too bad, so a trip to the local country park at Robinswood Hill.The first part of the walk is a steep climb up, but the path settles down to a gentle climb.Futher on is an old quarry with some goats guarding the top:The path keeps going up…And eventually we reached the top, with good views over Gloucester.Unusually, it was lovely on the top, with sunshine and almost no wind.After a while, it was time to head down:The dogs enjoyed some water (left for the cattle!)A lovely walk…

River Severn Walk

A quiet day today. I took the dogs out for a short early morning walk, then later on we booted up for a longer walk along part of the River Severn.

The canal was looking really peacefull this morning:

Then we headed off onto real footpaths across the fields.

Eventually we reached the river; Rocco went in for a paddle before I could stop him! We then followed the river past the spot where we’ve watched the Severn Bore in the past, then back home for lunch.

In the afternoon, we chopped down and shredded an unwanted elder tree, and are now preparing our evening pizzas.

Gloucester (again)

We’re staying with my brother in Quedgeley and had a lovely steak and chips in the local pub to celebrate his birthday.

Today, we caught the bus into Gloucester (late, due to roadworks) and explored Llantony Secunda Priory and the docks:

Tina also looked at the Marinas’ Church on the docks, which has nice stained glass windows:

Then it was lunchtime, so off to The Fountain for lunch:

After lunch, Tina visited the cathedral while we went to The Pelican pub for a beer.

Tina joined us later, then we walked back to Quedgeley along the canal.

Gloucester (Again)

We decided to visit Gloucester again, but took a different bus that departed from a side road just around the corner (but only ran every two hours):

Apart from one other passenger (“Who goes into Gloucester every day to keep the bus running”), we were the only people on the bus! No wonder it’s subsidised…

We walked around Alney Island, a nature reserve just on the edge of the city:

Rocco of course enjoyed chasing a stick and getting muddy. This is the old bridge over the Severn, that has now been replaced by a modern, wider, bridge:

The path wiggles around various elevated sections of railway and road:

and goes through ancient woodland:

One final bridge over the Severn, and we were back in the city:

Just in time for a few beers and lunch in the Fountain pub, which looks like it belongs in a small village rather that the centre of town:

The dogs got a lot of attention (and treats) from both staff and customers:

Then a short walk past the cathedral to an open space where the dogs could let off steam:

Then onto another pub for some more interesting beers and ciders, and a (crowded) bus back home:

4 miles today!

Cleve Hill

As it was a nice morning, we drove through Cheltenham to Cleeve Hill – a good choice as the car does most of the work going up the hill, not us.

We followed the Cotswold Way for the first part, along the edge of the golf course. Both dogs seem to relish running around in the open space:

Further on, we partially descended into a valley to grab a geocache (hanging in a tree)::

Then back up the hill to a small reservoir – a popular spot for dogs!

Then up the hill to a nice seat for elevenses:

We then set off round the hill, a mixture of almost lunar landscapes and lush grassed paths:

Further on around the hill, we had our first view of Cheltenham and the racecourse:

Then even further round, lunch break on a nice bench overlooking Cheltenham. Toby and Rocco are being very attentive as they’ve had a few crusts from my sandwiches:

Finally, back to the car, again following the Cotswold Way along the tops:

5 miles in total, though I suspect Rocco did more like 15-20 miles!