B2B Day 27 Stroud to Frampton Mansell: On the (Tow) Path

For an OS map of today's walk (6.05 mi = 9.70 km; 449 ft total ascent) click here.

 

The frustration and anxiety over being cut off from Google and all our trip reservations definitely affected Ken's sleep, but the lack of sleep was no reflection on our lovely room in Stroud. In the morning we had another enjoyable conversation with Richard and Chris as well as another excellent breakfast with more muffins to take away when we set off down the hill around 10:00 a.m. Frampton Mansell, just over six miles away eastwards up the Golden Valley, was our destination.

 

On the way down the hill we stopped at a Waitrose supermarket to buy lunch and a battery for our travel alarm (always good to begin a trip with no alarm!). Our lunch choice was a special "King's Coronation Chicken Sandwich," which made me particularly happy. I knew that Coronation chicken was a recipe invented for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. I was curious as to whether a new dish had been invented for King Charles III's coronation, but I didn't hear of one.

On the towpath above the canal, with railway viaduct and river also nearby

Our valley bottom route along the disused Thames & Severn Canal was lovely. This canal linking the two great rivers was opened in 1789 but closed in the mid-twentieth century. However, parts of the canal are slowly being revived and re-opened in piecemeal fashion by volunteers—much to the excitement of industrial history and canal boat enthusiasts but not to everyone, as we would discover. We witnessed several sites of this restoration work and some were very impressive indeed, including the stretch just as we joined the towpath after leaving Waitrose, where river, railway viaduct, towpath and restored canal all came together in close proximity. 

 

It was a bit cool and overcast in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. The recent weeks of rain were evident. For example, we went through a corrugated metal tunnel and had to step on bricks inside the tunnel to avoid the water. For lunch, we paused at a roundhouse before Chalford, sat on a bench, and enjoyed our lunch. There were also several information boards regarding the history of various points along the canal and also the local wildlife—a type of thing that we always appreciate when we travel here.

 

The Dappled Towpath after Chalford

The stretch through the valley in and around Chalford was gorgeous, with the canal and the river Frome flowing next to each other at many points and the sun now dappling the scene. There were lovely houses and gardens canalside, together with treed and more open sections where we could see the houses dotted along the hillside as well. We were interested to read posters outside one home that had quite a "wild" garden, advocating for the canal to be left disused in order to support the wildlife rather than restoring it for use by watercraft. We had seen some of the heavy machinery being used to restore the canal and could definitely understand that there are pros and cons to restoration. If my home were on a disused canal, I'd probably prefer to have it more peaceful with a population of wildlife rather than boat traffic going by looking into my garden. It was interesting to think about a different perspective given that initially we had thought it was really cool that the canal was being restored.

When we were at the point of leaving the canal for the road, we met a group of walkers who confirmed the road to Frampton Mansell for us. They asked us if we were going to the Crown Inn. We were. They said it was a good pub but they were going to the Daneway Inn (further up the valley) today. From that point on, we were road-walking for the last 3/4 mile, with about three steep climbs. We stopped to rest after the last climb only to realize that the Crown was right around the corner behind us! This first day of walking was, as planned, fairly short: we finished our walk shortly after 2:00 p.m. It felt great to have had a beautiful and not too strenuous first day's walk—except for the climbs at the end, of course! While we waited for our room to be made ready, we enjoyed our first lemonade of the walk at a picnic bench in the garden of the Crown Inn.

 

The excellent Crown Inn, Frampton Mansell

We checked into our room, and I had a nap while Ken made the unpleasant discovery that after recovering access briefly in the morning, he was again locked out of Google. Nevertheless, we had a lovely dinner, which we had booked at 6:00 p.m. The weather made it cold enough indoors that I asked the server if the fire (which we were seated next to) could be lit, and she kindly and cheerfully did so. Our Sunday roast and Yorkshire pudding came with an incredible variety of vegetables: parsnip, carrot, potato, green beans, snap peas, and kale. Ken also enjoyed a side of cauliflower cheese and a half (pint) of a local cider. It was a warm and welcoming conclusion to the first day of walking.

 

Overlooking the Golden Valley