Solsbury Hill

On Tuesday we decided to go for a walk up the iconic Solsbury Hill, something that we have been meaning to do. Its name is actually Little Solsbury Hill and it overlooks Bath. The reason that it’s iconic to James (and me) is because of Peter Gabriel’s song, in which he climbs up Solsbury Hill and reflects on his life. We set off on a 6 km circuitous route recommended by the local tourist board, which took us on a path from the centre of Batheaston along the River Avon, then gradually ascending past houses and along country lanes to the slopes of the hill. The issue for me was that it was very warm and humid so at one point I tried to persuade James to go on without me, however he waited patiently for me to cool down a bit, and we pressed on to the top together. It’s an attractive wee hill with a flat grassy top, which once had an Iron Age fort. There were a few dog walkers around but apart from that it was very quiet, so we sat down at a nice spot overlooking the City of Bath and I played the song Solsbury Hill on my phone. It was so good. Going back down the hill was much easier and we had a reviving cup of tea in the airy and pleasant Gather Café in Batheaston. 

Onwards we drove to Tetbury, yet another pretty and in fact a very posh looking village, and had a stroll around and visited the “Highgrove Shop” - King Charles’ home Highgrove House is nearby and is open sometimes for garden tours, although not this week (I checked!) We had a drink at the delightfully named “The Snooty Fox” before heading back to Poulton. Dinner was once again at the Falcon Inn which is such a gorgeous family run pub. Its cheese soufflé is perfection. 

Back at home Tom has been well looked after  by Angela, Davie and Chanel, however we have of course been worrying about him. We decided to set off home a day early to see our boy.