Two zeros in a single hundred mile trail? Old age and new hips. We were all tired after yesterday’s push. The extra effort yesterday put us on track to hit Bath on Saturday which would limit our lodging options. When I was forced awake by Bunny this morning, I said I could sleep all day. That’s all it took. Her hip is aching after the last couple of days. An extra day of rest is a good investment to keep her pain from becoming chronic again.
Plus, it may seem like we’re moving slow on the trail, but we’re actually moving continuously. We’re not getting to stay in a place for more than a few hours before we head out again. We’re “seeing” the English countryside, but we’re not “getting to know” the people and places.
Add in the fact that this weekend will still have some more Jubilee festivities, and Bath will be incredibly expensive to try to find lodging. Getting into Bath on Sunday makes financial sense. We’ll take today to work out what’s next on our agenda while being able to relax and explore Dursley a bit more than a quick walk through.
First up, a morning of relaxation and sleep. Bunny and I were both moving stiffly last night on the way to the B&B. My feet felt incredibly swollen. Bunny was extremely, scarily quiet. That usually means she’s in pain or pissed at me for something. I always assume it’s my fault (which it usually is) but I’ve been an Angel all day. Her hip MUST be the source of the silence.
How tired was everyone last night? No one wanted to go out to eat. I thought we were going to order pizza and eat in. While Bear was in his shower, I headed to the grocery store to get some Coke Zero thinking they’d order pizza. On the way out, Bunny told me to see if they had anything to eat. The Lidl closes at 9 and it was already past 8:30. I ended up buying a few frozen items thinking we could use them as side dishes if we got pizza, or make a meal if we didn’t. Bear passed me on my way back on his way to get a frozen pizza.
Ray and Naomi bought an old, 15 bed nursing home about 6 years ago. They have been converting it into a B&B and opened it up 5 years ago. Everything is new and modern inside. What was a 15 bed unit that had only 2 bathrooms is now an 8 ensuite B&B with a public kitchen and lounge. There’s also a private living quarters for Ray and Naomi as well as a physical therapy room (they both are licensed therapists) and a sauna which guests can use. Ray also has plans for adding a hot tub and changing room.
Ray cannot sit still. He claims that if he does, he falls asleep. He chooses to keep moving. He’s working on redoing the front entry area, adding solar cells and a wind turbine, converting a van for mobile living, and scores of other projects all while running a B&B. If I had the affliction of falling asleep or keeping busy, I’d have chosen to sit. That’s why a world in which Easy is in control would be a much simpler place.
There wasn’t rain in the forecast for today. My heart danced with joy when it started raining while we were having breakfast. It rained almost all morning. Just a slight drizzle, but enough to show that the rain gods love me and want to make my inside investment pay off. When Bunny re-awoke around noon, we decided to go check out the town.
On the way out, we saw Bear and Sassy returning from the Lidl (grocery store chain) with some provisions for lunch. We all agreed to meet at “The Old Spot Inn” for a pint in about an hour. We went to the downtown to look around. The gods decided to express their love a bit more, so we ducked into the Hummingbird Cafe for a quick bite and, possibly, a dessert.
We didn’t spend anytime exploring before it was time for our pint meeting. Dang our busy lives. We all walked into the pub together and I was in Heaven. It was a low ceiling, cozy pub WITH A FIRE IN THE FIRE BOX. There were regulars inside around the fire that instantly recognized us as foreign and liked our accents. We spent the next 2 hours sharing stories of our travels, giving our perspectives on the American situation (the whole world is watching the mass shootings in the US and shaking their heads why nothing is being done about it), discussing American and British politics (we can disagree without getting shot, or even threatened), and most importantly, British TV shows.
The couple we spent the afternoon talking with are heading to the US in September to visit Yellowstone for 3 weeks before heading to their friends in St Louis. The woman who we were taking to when we first arrived said she didn’t know American well, she’d only been to Arizona and Memphis. Finally, we could actually explain where we lived to someone.
After the pints, we made a dash to the druggist before Bear and Sassy headed back to the B&B for a pre-supper nap. Bunny and I finally got to explore the town for a bit. Dursley is on the edge of the Cotswolds even though the trail passes directly through it. Most of the industry in the area has left about a decade ago. It’s pretty much a “bedroom community” now with Bristol being close enough (half hour by train) for people to commute for work. It’s a mixture of old and new with a population of about 7,000.
Bunny and I have long ago decided we want to live in a town with a size between 8 to 25,000, especially if it has a vibrant local business district (restaurants, entertainment, outdoor activities, Indian food, and movie theatre). In the US, this usually pushes us more towards ski resort towns which tend to be quite pricey. Dursley checks off all those boxes and the real estate market is still quite reasonable. Dursley is a town on the rise.
Speaking of Indian food, there are 3 Indian restaurants all within a block of each other. Bunny and I made reservations for the 4 of us for 6:30. When we were talking to the owner, we mentioned we had eaten at a similar restaurant in Winchester. It turns out the owner of that restaurant and this one knew each other from when they were both in Dubai. The food was excellent at both places.
After supper, we hashed out our next moves after the Cotswold Way. We’re going to spend a few days together in Bath before we all fly together to Dublin next week. Bunny and I will spend a day in Dublin at the Guinness Brewery while Bear and Sassy pick their son up from the airport and head to the Dingle Way. Bunny and I are going to hike the Kerry Way, then head to Cork. We’ll all meet up again in about a month in Porto on the Portuguese Camino. We feel we’ve given all we can to Bear and Sassy. It’s time for them to leave the nest and explore Ireland and Scotland on their own.
EFG