July 09, Bourton on the Water to Chedworth/Cirencester

 Hit the road at 5:30 a.m. Air was misty, sun making an attempt:

Walked through very many fields.  I feel as if I have walk through all the fields of England.  Looking up ahead, I wondered why all those sheep were in the part of the field that had no grass instead of in the nice green section:

The reason was because those white, round, sheep-like things are bales of hay all rolled up.  These are sheep:

I passed through some cute towns, Northleach for one, where I had a Magnum, the perfect, all-purpose hiking food.  Northleach boasts a niche business, in case you should need:

Of course, before patronizing The Dolls House, you would want to see a sample of their wares:

There was the usual interaction with cows.  Every time I just hope I get to the gate before they block it.  So far, I have been successful:

Electric wire insulated with rubber casing at stile:

Sights today included remnants of what once was a bird (sad):

Lots and lots of pretty blue flowers:

Hills and dales (maybe not dales), some direction challenges, the usual, but finished all I am going to do of the Monarch's Way, which has been a major part of the walking for the past week or so.  Here is its logo:

Arrived in Chedworth at about 12:30, quite worn out and needing to get a taxi to Cirencester, pronounced Syren-cester, that city being my destination yet some 10.5 miles distant. But guess what?  No internet!  Can't look up a number, can't do anything.  Fortunately, there is a tourist attraction there, a Roman Villa or some such and, thank God, a place where they sell tickets.  I told the lady my dilemma; she got me a number and handed me a phone like from the olde days.  No answer.  She asked her colleague.  Got another number, no luck.  "It is Sunday, you see," she said.  I wanted to say, "Gee I guess, then it has been Sunday every day we have been here," but I refrained.  Fortunately, she and the other lady persisted and after many calls, I was picked up in a 2003 black Jaguar by one Dominic who had more tattoos on his arms than I have ever seen in my life. (Those were all the ones I was privy to see.)  Dom (we became friends fast) not only took me to my hotel in Cirencester, he is going to take my suitcase to Lechlade on Wednesday when I begin the Thames Path!