Moulsford to Aston Tirrold, Friday 28 February 2014
A belated happy new year to our readers. We finished our
last walk in Henley-on-Thames on 6 December and the plan was to then follow the
Seven Shires Way by way of the Thames Path through Reading to Mouslford.
However nearly two months of rain meant that the Thames Path was impassable due
to floods. So we will keep those legs for the summer and report back then. The
plan was to jump ahead to Moulsford and take the Ridgeway path across to West
Ilsley in the belief that there would be no floods actually in the Berkshire
Downs. “Ah ah!” you say “how come you only went to Aston Tirrold?” Well the point
is we have walked the Ridgeway several times. So we agreed that as we have
actually walked from near Lowbury Hill to Bury Hill on our Ridgeway walk in
2009, there was no need to repeat it. This we are sure doesn’t follow the
principles of true long distance walkers but when you are on top of the Downs
in a gale with pouring rain and covered in mud the thought of repeating a walk
comes second to the prospect of cups of hot tea in front of warm fire at P’s home.
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| Well Barn Estate |
So back to the walk. We set off from Moulsford at around
09:45, N & T journeying there from Wallingford on the Thames Travel 135 bus
and P getting a lift! Umbrellas and waterproofs at the ready we walked south
westwards past Greenlands Farm across the A417 and into the Well Barn Estate.
Security cameras, new gates and fences surround the area which has obviously
been manicured and laid out. In about half a mile we came across the main
dwelling (Grid Ref: SU578826) which seems to include all sorts of buildings.
The main house looks very grand and posh but has clearly been built recently
even though in a Georgian style. The style just isn’t Berkshire Downs. Investigation
later using publically available records from the local planning department
shows a whole host of planning applications of ever increasing scale and
expenditure. In fact Google Earth shows the place under construction.
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| Well manicured posh estate |
We pushed on through the Estate, past an up market shooting
lodge/cottage making good time along the estate road and then gently climbed up
through woods full of game bird feeding stations to cross the county boundary
at (Grid Ref: SU553813). Then up onto the familiar Ridgeway path as it comes up
from Streatley.
Time for a brief sandwich stop (Grid Ref: SU5508100) which
was only disturbed by Postman Pat driving past at full tilt to and from Warren
Farm. We then agree that as it was nearly opening time we could not miss the
Bell Inn in Aldworth.
The Bell Inn (Grid Ref: SU55587964) is a fantastic
traditional pub with a proper central bar. Here again we have been here several
times before twice when doing the Ridgeway and the last time when we were on
the Roman Way en route from Bradfield to Aston Tirrold. It was not on the route
but well worth visiting. Be warned through, it can get very busy and on a sunny
day at the weekend - patrons queue down the village street to get a drink (as
reported by N a couple of weeks later).
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| Sandwich stop view |
West Berks beer was on offer so we sampled a few Maggs Milds
and Old Tylers. As this was the first meeting for several weeks we had the
opportunity to discuss all manner of things from families to politics, work and
pensions and how disappointing Which? Magazine had become. There was a good
crowd in the pub and time soon past too quickly and we left a couple of hours
later much refreshed but not looking forward to the prospect of heading into
the wind and (by then rain).
Our route took us North West past Starveall onto the
Ridgeway again and then past Lowbury Hill (site of Roman Temple). P suggested
that as we had walked several of the other routes north to Aston Tirrold we
should dog-leg to the north of Lowbury Hill and cross over Aston Upthrope Downs
to below Langdon Hill. Needless to say we missed the path and spent longer in
the rain than we would have liked. T slipped over in the mud and cursed that he
didn’t have any waterproof over trousers on. Eventually we managed to find some
shelter in a hazel coppice (Grid Ref: SU546838) to consume the remainder of the
sandwiches and coffee and then a long walk northwards to A417. Spring Lane
(there is a reason for that name) in Aston Tirrold was flooded so with care we
walked along the A417 and took Chalk Hill down into Aston Tirrold arriving at
P’s house at 16:30 for a welcome cuppa, a declaration from C that we were mad
Englishmen and the embarrassment of T sitting there with no trousers on (too
wet and muddy). P gave T&N a lift to Didcot Station for their respective
journeys home and we agreed that the next walk would start from Bury Down (near
West Ilsley).
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| What the view can be (ex Roman Way 13 Apr 2012) |
Summary: Well Barn -
well posh and well muddy (to use the common parlance). Great to be walking
again. Poor weather was always going to be an issue but we managed half the day
without getting wet and 10.1 miles according to T or 10.3 miles according to P!
