Rolls of hay, and an almost cloudless day...that's how I'll begin my poem.
Yesterday we took a walk in the Cotswolds, guided by the book 50 Walks in the Cotswolds. The walk began near Adlestrop, a small village surrounded by farmland and the Chastleton National Trust house.
Adlestrop is the subject of a poem by Edward Thomas. But there's no train station there now, not even the hint of one. The train-deprived village is so sleepy we didn't even hear anyone clearing his throat, though I think I may have caught the sound of birdsong.
One of the sites along the way was Chastleton Round Barrow, an Iron Age hillfort.
Another walk, another Iron Age monument. Yawn.
Fortunately, there were plenty of other sites along the way, including two herds of cows, sheep, and lots of horses. More below.
\
Near the start of the walk I saw these racehorses being exercised. (I guessed they were racehorses because there was a sign on the road nearby warning us to be careful of racehorses.)
Chastleton House, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year.
The unusual shaped dovecote at Chastleton House.
Chastleton Round Barrow is an Iron Age defensive settlement. A ring of raised earth planted with trees forms a perfect circle. There's a similar hillfort near my house.
Checking out some rocks, possibly cleared by those busy beavers in the Iron Age.
More horses in the village, nibbling apples behind a thatched cottage.
