The three villages that we are looking at today are all within a loop of about 6Km so most of the riding was to get to and from this loop through familiar territory and without stops. Seeing as how the terrain is largely flattish, this gave me a chance to stretch the legs a little. I also feel I must apologise for the quality of the photos. I don't know if it was a bit of a funny light, crap camera or crap photographer but they do largely seem a little washed out.
The outward leg leaves Hucclecote riding towards Churchdown along Churchdown Lane. Churchdown hill here is just about the only climb for the day and that's no more than about 4% for a couple of Km. A quick downhill takes us through the East of the village, exiting onto Badgeworth Lane. A left here and we are heading towards Staverton and our first stop at Gloucestershire Airport. When I was a kid, this was called Staverton airport and used to host an annual air display which must have finished in the 1980s from memory. We would sit on the grass banks between the road and the airport, far too tight to pay to go in, lean backwards and exclaim 'Whoooooaa' every time an aircraft went overhead. The airport is used as a museum for aircraft back to the Second World War, some of which were (still are?) serviceable and would have been a part of the display. The airport served as a training base in the war and the in air refuelling technique was developed here. Now much of the activity are pleasure flights although there is a significant helicopter centre used by the emergency services.
From the airport, crossing Cheltenham Road East into Old Gloucester Road leads us into the village of Staverton. I'm guessing that for many centuries prior to the airport, Staverton was an inconspicuous farming village. Based largely on the premise that it still is an inconspicuous farming village. It is separated from the airport by about 1Km and isn't really on the road to anywhere. Still, being me, I hunt out the local church. And I have to say, the Parish Church of St. Catherine is one of the most unusual buildings I think I have seen. You have to hunt it down a bit. It is in a lane that leads to nowhere but the church and you can't see the tower from the locale because the tower is barely higher than the roof of the main body of the church. Indeed from a distance it looks sort of Lilliputian; a full grown chap could bump his head on that. The church is 13th Century and is of cruciform shape although has quite obviously undergone some fairly serious modifications in successive years and even centuries. Interestingly, in the porch, there is a list of the identified incumbents of the parish of Staverton with Boddington back to 1297. The graveyard shows plenty of graves of just a couple of families and a couple of stones identifiable as early 17th century, although plenty I couldn't make out. The bottom picture here does seem to flatter the height of the tower.
Heading North out of Staverton, you soon come to Boddington, the parish of which incorporates Barrow where we shall go next. It is also, curiously, home to an RAF base which, even more curiously, is rumoured to have underground links to nearby GCHQ. The couple of kilometres between the two villages is dead straight between farmland on both sides. I also noticed that it seemed to channel a fairly chilly Northerly wind. At the end of the road, at a sort of unmarked junction, I am greeted by St. Mary Magdeline Church, naturally a member of the same Benefice as St. Catherine although a very different building. Very few details to hand but it is 12th Century, which I reckon is just a bit older than its sister church in Staverton, although the tower, chancel and porch were rebuilt in the 14th century. The entire church is of locally quarried stone.
This stone is set in the porch entrance. I would love to think that the mark on it was from the original stonemason doing a 'this way up' but I strongly expect someone will shatter my illusions.
So, as promised to Barrow. Fairly prominently, there is a large lump in the ground, I don't know for sure, but maybe this is the barrow from which the village gets it name.
Otherwise, the village is still largely agricultural although an ever increasing number of the buildings are being converted to dwelling properties. That being said, it still has its fair share of quaint little thatched places.
Following a dead end dirt track (on purpose this time) there is a lake just off the road. However, I am unable to get to it as it is across a footpath and it is a little rough so I will have to visit that walking some time. However, at the end of the lane was my destination, a bridge to nowhere over the river Chelt which, at this place, seems much more attractive than it does in Cheltenham.
Back tracking along my dead end path, I rejoin the road and complete the Barrow loop back onto the road between Staverton and Boddington. Back through Staverton and towards Cheltenham Road East where I turn right and, for the return journey, I pass through Churchdown along Parton Road and back onto Churchdown Hill before returning to Hucclecote.
Weather - about 12C, fine, bit overcast, North wind.
The only way to go now is to retrace my path back to Farley's End and a left hander through Elmore before reaching my second and final dead end road leading out to the river. Signed as Weir Green, this is little more than a farm track that again leads to the river which the Severn Way waymarked path follows. Although there appears nothing of any great note here, it is a very pretty place and you could just sit by the river and soak up the sun. A pub would go down well here so long as not too many people were allowed as it would ruin the peace.
