This weekend break was based at the Cleeve Hill Hotel on Cleeve Hill in the northern Cotswolds (not far from Cheltenham and Winchcombe).

The forecast for the weekend was a fine one, and practically everyone arrived at the hotel in time for the Friday afternoon walk.

It was a beautiful day, and the mist was just disappearing from the valley as we ate our sandwiches out on the terrace and started to learn each others names.

We then walked around the hotel, up some steps, and straight out onto Cleeve Hill! Our route took us past the golf club and across the A435 to Nottingham Hill.

This is the hill that we view from the hotel. It has a flat top and there was once a Roman fort here beside a stretch of Roman road.

We walked around the circumference of the hill, then detoured to the summit cairn for wonderful views out over the Vale of Evesham (or Severn Vale) and the Cotwolds further north.

Many of the tracks here are horse tracks from the riding stables that we passed on our way back.

We stopped at the Cleeve Hill Golf Club for tea and very good cake as we neared the hotel, only to find when we got back that there was more tea and cake waiting for us!

Later we congregated in the comfy lounge for a drink before dinner which tonight we would eat at the hotel.

After dinner we played a game of 'In the Manner of the Word' - and laughed till our sides hurt! No one stayed up late.

Cleeve Hill was swathed in mist when we woke this morning - a clear harbinger of fine weather to come.

After breakfast in the hotel conservatory, we got ourselves ready and shared transport the 2-3 miles along the road to Winchcombe.

Winchcombe was once the capital of Wincelcombeshire - and the number of lovely old houses, some half-timbered, and most built of honey-coloured Cotswolds stone - bears witness to its importance in former times.

Our walk took us down the main street, and off along the Cotswold Way in the direction of Haines Abbey. As we walked the sun started to burn away the mist.

Little remains of Haines Abbey now apart from its foundations, but once it was an important Cistercian Abbey with a shrine containing a phial of supposedly Holy Blood which drew pilgrims from all around.

We wandered around the abbey ruins enjoying the serenity of the place, and marvelling at its former size before being demolished by Henry Vlll.

Across the road there is a smaller parish church that predates the abbey.

Many frescos have been discovered on its walls, buried under old plaster and paint.

After a good look around, and elevenses sitting on the wall in the sun, we set off up an old stone laid farm track to the hamlet of Farmcote.

We climbed steadily in the shade and dappled light, and were rewarded by fine views over the valley as we emerged at the other end.

At Farmcote there was another lovely old church - St Faiths - built as a chapel of ease.

Continuing on, we took a path through the fields, stopping in a large partially harvested wheat field for lunch. We mounded up the straw and had a snooze in the sun. What bliss!

It looked like the farmer had got so far with his/her wheat harvest, and had then had to abandon it - probably due to the poor summer.

From here our path circled around over a hill, along lanes and through fields until we found ourselves descending once more towards Winchcombe.

The views to the valley were superb - if still slightly misty - and though it was sunny it was never too hot.

On the way back to Winchcombe we passed the castle of Sudeley which some women detoured to see. There was a mock up Medieval jousting festival taking place!

The rest of us turned towards Winchcombe for a cup of tea and some cake, and a stroll through the its lovely old streets.

That evening we went out to eat - at the Apple Tree pub down in Woodmancote below Cleeve Hill.

The day dawned beautiful again today. We felt so lucky!

After breakfast and packing our bags to be left in cars for our return, we set off on our last walk over Cleeve Hill and away!

Our route onto the hill this time took us below Cleeve Cloud - a striking escarpment of exposed limestone above a beech wood.

Via a short steep path we reached the top of the escarpment with a stunning misty view out over Cheltenham. Time for a group photo!

We now walked across the flat expanse of golf course and common land, stopping for a short break as Old Ladies Tree

Our route then continued on towards Bela Knap - an ancient long barrow or a burial chamber 4500 years old.

We walked there along an ancient drovers track through ploughed fields, passing farmers turning their soil now that it was finally dry enough to do so.

Reaching the long barrow, we of course investigated the side burial chambers, and took a break on top of the mound.

We now walked along a variety of paths, though fields and woods, and through one field with a very frisky horse (whose owner complained that he was 'hooning' around) and indeed the other horses started to join in.

We stopped briefly for lunch beside a small lake just before the hamlet of Postlip.

Here we could see the Jacobean manor house, Postlip Hall, through the trees, before we regained Cleeve Common for the last time.

Now we had a short but fairly steep ascent back onto the top of the common so that we could cut down across the turf back to the hotel. It got our hearts and lungs going!

And we arrived back in time for a cup of tea on the terrace before hugging each other goodbye and heading our separate ways. The end of really lovely, sunny, weekend!