But first, there was an hour's walk along the Cotswold Way from the Picnic area close to the entrance to the Farncombe Estate. No wildlife on this walk, except for a small speckled wood butterfly that landed on a shrub at the edge of a copse.
On the outward part of the walk, I felt an ache in my right knee. By the time we'd climbed up to the road crossing and looked at the broad path through the field of ripe linseed pods, it was racking up to more of a scream.
On the return journey, I squatted down to get a long shot of MWNN and Ron walking back up the hill through the linseed field towards the carpark. On standing, my knee felt a lot easier but tightened up again as I followed slowly. I can't fathom what's happened as all was going so well at home. Perhaps the lack of physio exercises and constant jarring going down all those steps to breakfast is doing more damage?
We returned to the car by 11am and had our morning cuppas and fruit shortbread biscuits on our folding chairs underneath the rear door (opens upwards). The plan was to move on to Moreton-in-Marsh where we hoped to have lunch.
We arrived in Moreton-in-Marsh to find a market in full swing and parking impossible. The town was thronging with visitors who'd come in by coach for the market and an early lunch. The main street contained a series of 'coach pick-up ponts' and the pavements were full of groups of (mainly) elderly people waiting for their coach to take them back home.
Eventually, we found a parking spot in a side street and started our tour of the main street and its attractions. The first one was a Jamaican steel-drum player and his companion selling CDs from a market stall.
We completed our tour at the large Budgens Supermarket which sits at the opposite end of the main street from where we were parked.
We packed Ron into the car which was now in full shade and returned to the restaurant we had chosen as our lunch venue from among the many to be found in the town. The Beagle Brasserie at the Manor House Hotel was offering a Table d'hôte which looked very different from the meals on offer at the other eateries.
A two-course meal was served with a glass of good house wine for under £15 a head. The food was very good, beautifully presented and served courteously and with concern that the 'tomato and basil' soup ordered as my starter turned out to be tomato and mascarponi. Once again, we found the quality of restaurant food in England outstripping France in quality and value for money.
