Birdlip

The day started with a little drizzle that turned into full-on rain for a bit. But we were well prepared with waterproof boots, ponchos, and gaiters. In a way, it was nice to finally use all this foul weather gear we’d been packing around with us. The rain didn’t last too long, though, and the sun came out by the afternoon, just in time for us to traverse the diversion. The temperature was cooler in the morning, with a high of 64 for the day. It was a longer day, 11 miles with 1,800 feet of elevation gain, and full of adventures, but we did great.

And of course the day starts with some stretching.

Fully geared up now in our ponchos with the rain. 

A little muddy, but not bad. Thankfully the dirt is not too deep before you hit the limestone. 

The sun already started to come out before we stopped for lunch.

There was a roadside stand selling homemade cookies and cakes, with a little cash box and machine to tap your phone to pay too.

After lunch there was a detour to go around a massive roadworks project outside of Birdlip. Lots of roads and trails were closed, there was tons and tons of construction and equipment, and somehow we managed to pick our way around, following various signs and maps to get to the other side. Overall, it was a couple of miles of walking around and through construction sites.

But then we were back on to the escarpment to descend into Birdlip.

There are many beautiful beech forests along the route.

Our hotel for the evening, The Royal George. Not as fancy as it sounds, but it also has the nice benefit of being the only place to stay in Birdlip.