Glennys and Jerry arranged permission to park at Batsford, which was awash with visitors seeking the autumn colours of the Arboretum there.

We gathered up and headed off, realising that autumn had sneaked up on us, and the countryside was alive with evidence of the changing seasons – not least the cool weather.

We climbed over a ridge and were presented with views of Blockley, a classic golden stone Cotswold village.

We wandered through the streets simply to enjoy the buildings and gardens. Jerry regaled us with the village history, surprisingly a very industrial one relating to the ample water supply available to drive mills going back a thousand years. Though pretty, a typical scenic village submerged in parked cars.

As we moved on, berries and autumn plants were everywhere.

We passed by a very large herd of deer, in a small field so they couldn’t really get away from the footpath.

We noted the tidy terraced cottages that seemed quite spacious for their era, but then we contemplated the size of families that were likely to live in them in the 19th century,

We picnicked at the top of the hill with views for miles. Then walked through fields of wild flowers that have been a feature of the last couple of years, and then on through pasture to return to Basford.

At Basford we popped in a for coffee, well earned after 7 and a half miles of a very pleasant walk.