A Tale of Two Churches : Radar Views





Well croak my crocus ; again what a difference a  week makes . This time the same blue sky , but warmth at my back . This week's walk  on the Way  took me from Horton to Old Sodbury .

The first part , led upwards through a large  field ,  electrically fenced in rectangles in order to enable horses to have their ' pick of grass ' and very contented they looked . The  Way went straight up the middle , eventually entering another field with a steep gradient , having some examples of training fences/hurdles on the side : all very apposite on the eve of the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival.

Coming out of the fields by the side of a private house , I entered a road leading to the quiet village of Little Sodbury and soon reached the church of St. Adeline. Picture 1 on the left , shows the rather attractive gates , in front of the porch ,  ( clicking on the photo will enlarge the detail ) .
It was in this village that William Tyndale , in 1526 first started preaching ( he was tutor to Sir John Walsh , from Little Sodbury Manor ) against the established church and conceived the idea of translating the Bible into English .  The plaque in picture 3 , placed near the aforementioned gates , gives testimony to this fact.
You may remember , that overlooking the village of North Nibley , situated , on the Way between Dursley and Wotton , marking his birthplace is Tyndale's Monument ( See  'Way Ahead ' 30/06/'09 )
and so interestingly , we have on the same walk , two connections to William Tyndale , who  ended his days in martyrdom in 1536.

Returning to the walk , leaving the village behind and following the road uphill , one enters a broad track , which  eventually reaches a kissing gate , which allows access to one of the biggest and best preserved hill forts   ( Sodbury Camp) on the  Way .
I was delighted to see near the entrance to the fort , an enterprising person had constructed a tree house , which overlooked the encampment. ( see picture above )
 My friend the well -thumbed guide book , informs me that the camp " has widely spaced double ramparts and encloses an area of over 10 acres " .
The Way goes straight through this hill fort and then downhill   by rough  track , to once more meet an expanse of green in  which a vista  of the  valleys greets the eye .

From this expanse one is guided down to my finishing point near the Primary School and Church of  Old  Sodbury.

The walk continues through the churchyard , to meet the natural boundary mark at the edge of the hill.
Picture two at the right hand top , shows the church and by  clicking on the photo you will see the rather elegant church clock.


The picture above shows an unusual feature , found inside the church , being a pair of 13th century effigies , one carved in stone and the other  (on left )  carved in wood.

The town of Tormarton comes next on the radar , as I continue on towards Bath , now about 18 miles away.

And talking of radar , I must mention as a coda to my last posting regarding Captain Beefheart
this most excellent web-site  " The Captain Beefheart Radar Station " which carries all manner of things
relating to beefheart ; so that no slice of meat is left uncarved . Use the link below to visit and enjoy

Ciao4now
Ck.

 Captain's Log  Moondate  Spring Equinox 


"A little paranoia is a mood propeller "

http://www.beefheart.com/

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please feel free to comment and point out faults.
glad to have you aboard .

Curlykale.

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