Day 39 – Gloucester to Stroud
Actual distance 17.72Km or 11.01miles
Total Ascent 413m
Staying at Stroud Scout Centre 
This morning started with a slightly different twist to normal. James had a video interview for a job he had applied for, so we packed, breakfasted and made lunch whilst he put on a smart shirt and sat at the computer. Once the interview was over he quickly changed and we headed off on foot towards Stroud.
Our route started off following the Wysis Way – a route we understand is used as part of the Cotswold Marathon. We had had a good variety of different tracks today – muddy steep hill climbs through woodland, beautifully mown grass adjacent to a golf course (making Cara feel very at home), freshly mowed fields, and tarmacked paths. Some of the paths were incredibly overgrown with brambles, thistles and nettles, and we were all stung at least once! Bethan even managed to get two large spikes of wood embedded in to the sole of one of her trainers (but still walked with it sticking into her foot for a few miles before mentioning it!)
We had hoped to reach Painswick for lunch, but due to the slightly delayed start and the heat of the day we stopped in a wooded area to eat instead. The ground was muddy, so several of us perched on a stile whilst we ate. It sounded like other walkers were approaching, but when we turned to look a very inquisitive horse was leaning over the fence looking very interested in our sandwiches!
The pathway gradually ascended leading to the most beautiful views and massive skies over the Gloucestershire countryside, extending to the Wye Valley, Malvern Hills and beyond. Phone photos really don’t capture just how far we could see. We continued along the path for a further 3km with the aim to head to a pub in Painswick for a drink, some shade and to meet up with Jan and Neil. Just as we were entering the village James received a call inviting him to a second (face to face) interview on Friday which is great news!
The Royal Oak was lovely, and the barman even provided the girls with a whole pint of ice to crunch on to cool down! Unfortunately Jan and Neil had a warning light on their car that appeared shortly before we met up with them. Jan had chatted to a guy in a local car park about the problem, and whilst we sat having a drink he called her to check she was OK – such a lovely gesture. Luckily they called the RAC for assistance and their car was fixed before the afternoon was finished.
With less than 6km left, and fuelled by the promise of an ice cream in Stroud, we headed back off passing by more utterly stunning properties and beautiful countryside. We reached Stroud fairly quickly, and, after buying the promised ice creams, headed straight to Stroud Scout Centre, our home for this evening.
We were met at the Scout Centre by John and Aaron, and chatted to them about our adventures to date. We were also incredibly spoiled by Mandy, from Marah Trust, a charity that uses the Scout Centre as a base to provided meals and support vulnerable people in the Stroud area. She had left us a fantastic dinner of chilli, burgers, baked potatoes and cakes that we were very grateful for.
This evening we said goodbye to Neil and Jan who have been fantastic support for the last few days. However, we have been joined by Emma and rejoined by Niall (James’s parents) who are with us for the next few days!
Tomorrow is A-level results day, so we expect we will be up early! We may rejig tomorrows route a little so we go a little further, meaning we can shorten Friday in case of hangovers (post results), to accommodate a trip home for a face to face interview, and because the weather on Friday looks horrid!
