Author: bmcgoldrick299

Hiking the Cotswolds – Winchcombe (A Zero Day)

After my neice and her husband finished their hike along the John Muir trail, she told us the story of meeting another couple along the way.  See, my niece and her husband had their 200+ mile journey planned to a T. They had so many miles to make each day and stops they wanted and needed to make, as well as sites to see.

When they met this couple, they started talking and exchanging war stories when the couple asked them,  “So, how many zero days do you have?”  This took them both by surprise.  Zero days?  What are zero days?

According the the website www.rmghadventures.com, a zero day is: A day in which no miles are hiked, usually because the hiker is stopping in a town to re-supply and/or rest. This is opposed to the Power Hiker which is: A hiker who habitually chooses to cover very long distances each day, often hiking late into the evening.

As a side point, here are a few other hiking terms I like and plan to use in the future:

  • Hicker: A person who is still trying to figure out the whole hiker/gear thing while on the trail.
  • MacGyver: To build or repair gear with imagination.
  • Nero: Almost a Zero …in other words, a very short mileage day.
  • PUDS: Thru-hiker shorthand for “pointless ups and downs”, referring to the less interesting sections of mountains thru-hikers encounter from time to time; several PUDS in a row are MUDS, which is shorthand for “mindless ups and downs”.
  • Skunked: Failing to get a car to stop when hitch hiking.
  • Webface: What happens to the first person on the trail each morning – they clear away all the spider webs across the trail with their face.

So, there you have it. We felt that a Zero Day in Winchcombe would be the best for our physical and mental health.  Here is what we did on our Zero Day and we totally recommend all of it!

Relaxed Over Breakfast

Saw some antiques and relaxed again in the tea rooms there.

Visited Sudley Castle. We think this is a must see as it gives so much bang for the buck. Awesome gardens, great tours (shout out to Kirstie – she was cool) , and a very doable site as you can probably cover it in about 2 hours.  Not overwhelming at all.

Then we hopped on a bus to Broadway and met our friends for dinner.

Finally we settled into our cozy room at the Olive Branch Guest House and awaited our next adventure.

For a Zero Day it felt more like a 10+ in our books.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hiking the Cotswolds – Bourton on the Water to Winchcombe

There was one important factor we failed to consider when we booked this trip.  We . . . Are . . . Old!  This became all too apparent on the second day of our hike.  The first day was 10.8 miles, the second day was 12.2 miles.  When you’re old, that is a lot of miles to walk in two days.

Four things you need to bring hiking when you’re old

1. Pain Meds – Advil, Tylenol, Aleve – pick your poison.  It can make the hike more enjoyable.

2. Salves – There is never a shortage of bug bites, chafing (see previous blog), sunburn, or general skin irritation when hiking the countryside.

3. Hiking poles or walking sticks – really, just look at it as practice for a cane.

4. Taxi fare – It’s a sign of wisdom to know your limitations.  I mean, we are on vacation here.

Nevertheless, we began our day in fairly good spirits in hopes of no rain and maybe even a little bit of sun.  We were not disappointed.  We saw plenty of fauna:

Sheep
And more sheep.
Oxford Cattle
Watch out behind you Jimmy
A butterfly shows us the way.

And of course great landscapes – unbelievable really:

We met new friends a long the way and had a great lunch at the pub in Naunton!  And when we finally slogged  into Winchcombe we found our inn (The Lion Inn) and had an awesome dinner.

IMG_1658
Pulled chicken and pancetta with penne in a tarragon cream sauce. So good!

In the end it was a great day!  We had fun and saw awesome things that made us feel like great adventurers.  However, next time we need to remember before we start the hike that we are old!