Today’s walk was fantastic.  There were clear and sunny skies and it was downright warm at times.  

Walking out of Wonton Under Edge, I stumbled into a 17th-century almshouse – medieval pubic housing for the needy.  In the peaceful courtyard was a tiny chapel where the residents were required to worship daily.

The landscape consisted mainly of rolling hills and wide open pastures, which made for a much more leisure walk of 16 miles.  

I crossed through a number of very small villages each remarkably charming, even Thomas Kinkade-esque, and warm but completely quiet.   One of the joys of this hike is walking out of a pasture or wood and walking passed these beautiful homes.

These villages are often too small for a single store, although occasionally there might be a solitary pub.  By the time I came to a village with a pub on the route, they just finished serving lunch.  So I downed a quick pint and hit the road to Tomarton.  My Belgian buddies are staying at an inn down the street, so I plan to meet up with them for dinner (at the only pub in town) in about an hour.

Tormarton

Tomorrow will be the last day of walking.  It’s a long 17 miler with no place to stop between here and Bath.  

I have a tendency to look at vacations in a cup-half-empty kind of way.  I find myself moping about how it will soon be over and dreading the return to the mundane.  But oddly, on the mother of all vacations, I’m looking forward to completing the hike.  There were a few times when I thought my foot would prevent me from finishing but now that I’m so close, I might be willing to crawl to Bath.  

It has been a joyful grind.  This must be satisfaction – getting exactly what you want to such a degree that you don’t crave more.  How often in life are we ever satisfied in such a way?  Good for me.  High fives all around.

Happiness as halt of holiday hastens