Oxfordshire Way 2008

 Memories of walking the Oxfordshire Way - 2008

New Year of 2015 and we have nothing to report on the Seven Shires Way. Here is a chance to try and remember how we started on these walks. 

The aim was to find interesting walks that we could access by public transport and that could be easily undertaken in a day and still get to the start and from the finish points from our respective home bases.

Shirburn Estate - November 2008

T had an old copy of the Oxfordshire Way from Bourton-on-the-Water to Henley-on-Thames, a distance of 65 miles, and had often spoken about doing this walk in three days by staying on B&Bs en route. With the republication of the book by Oxfordshire County Council in 2004 (ISBN 1-900478-01-3) “The Oxfordshire Way – A walker’s guide” and eager participation of P and N we agreed to give it a try but in easy to do Friday walks.

According to the guide book “the Oxfordshire Way passes through the most rural and scenic landscapes of Oxfordshire” the book is usefully split into 20 easy to do walks stretching from the Cotswolds in the west to the Chilterns in the east. Just to make sure we agreed to do the last part first (Watlington to Henley) – why? Well it was easy to get to and from Wallingford (which is central for all of us) and in those days there was a Thames Travel bus from Wallingford to Watlington on a Friday morning and a bus back from Henley in the evening.

Therefore on Friday 9 May 2008 we met in Wallingford town square and caught the Thames Travel 125 bus to Watlington (Grid ref: SU690945), the Oxfordshire Way passes just to the north of the village (small town?) passing by the site of the old Watlington railway station we headed towards the first obstacle of the day the climb up the scarp of the Chilterns. P remarked later that he was concerned that both T & N, the younger members of the party, would zoom off and he would have difficulty keeping up. As it was we soon established our modest walking pace which results in us doing, on average, 2 miles per hour (makes it easy for planning purposes).

Bluebells - April 2009 (SU725915)

Anyhow after the steep climb up to Christmas Common (Grid Ref: SU714934) the landscape changed and we were in the much loved beech woodlands of the Chilterns and decided that we must do this walk again in bluebell season. In fact we did do that and repeated this walk in spring 2009 just to see the bluebells). We stopped for a drink at the Crown Inn (6 out of 10) in Pishill (Grid ref: SU725899) and then followed the path though Lodge Farm, Maidensgrove (we later came this way on 8 October 2010 when we did the Shakespeare Way). The path continues through delightful woodlands and eventually emerges at Bix Bottom, bit of a long slog along a country lane to Middle Assendon (later to be visited on 6 December 2013 on the Seven Shires Way). Then the last climb of the day up from Middle Assendon, the book helpfully suggests pausing “to get your breath”. After Henley Park the path slowly descends via an old Deer Park (Google Earth shows that the trees were planted in the form of a Maltese Cross – later research reveals that this was probably planted to commemorate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee in 1897. We arrived in Henley-on-Thames, tired and thirsty and visited the Angel on the Bridge (4 out of 10) before catching the bus back to Wallingford. Walk of 11.9 miles according to Google Earth. We did the walk again on 17 April 2009, when N joined us from the Crown at Pishill with daughters E & R.

Overall it must have been OK as we agreed to continue and trek out to Bourton-on-the-Water to follow the path from its start in Gloucestershire.

You will also notice that many of the place names are hyphenated with prepositions. We suspect this says something about Oxfordshire (please make you suggestions later)

What follows is a summary of the other seven legs of the walk. Sorry there are only a few photographs and we cannot remember all the banter and funny events that happened along the way. The keen among you will total up the distances (all derived from Google Earth) and see that they add up to 75.1 miles the additional 10 miles or so was because of the “ons and offs” we had to do to get to nearby bus stops and train stations.

View back towards Bourton-on-the-Water

Friday 30 May 2008 - Bourton-on-the-Water to Shipton-under-Wychwood, a distance of 11.2 miles, guest walker, T’s son S. Lunchtime pub: Kings Head, Bledington (5 out of 10). Memories: Train to Moreton-in-Marsh where we waited with quite a few tourists for a bus/coach to Bourton-on-the-Water via Stow-on-the-Wold (enough already on the hyphens). 

River Dikler

The water meadows before Wyck Rissington were delightful but soon left behind as we tackled the first hill of the walk upto Wyck Beacon on the Cotswolds proper. We had our packed lunches near Gawcombe and had a quick drink in the Kings Head before walking south to parallel the Evenlode river and the railway. The path was difficult in places with thick mud near Bruern Abbey.

Bruern Abbey

We eventually came out at Shipton-under-Wychwood and caught the train back from the local station where a notice proudly announced that the train service had been improved from this station thanks to the intervention of the local MP a Mr D Cameron. Since then the Cotswold line has been improved again with strategic line doubling. 

Saturday 6 July 2008 - Shipton-under-Wychwood to Charlbury, a distance of 6.9 miles, guest walkers, N’s daughter R and T’s son S. Lunchtime pub: The Swan, Ascott-under-Wychwood (5 out of 10) and at the end in Charlbury (can’t remember the name). Memories: As it was a Saturday there were no buses to get us to Shipton station so we travelled by train to Charlbury and took a taxi from there though we had to wait while the taxi took one fare into the village before coming back for us. Early rainfall meant that a lunch stop in the Swan pub (Inn) was welcome (actually we had our sandwiches later on) and then the sun came out and we had a very pleasant ramble into Charlbury and a final pint somewhere before catching the train home.

Charlbury station

Friday 25 July 2008 - Charlbury to Kirtlington, a distance of 11.6 miles, guest walker, T’s son S. No pub stops and no hyphens had a drink in Oxford somewhere in Hythe Bridge Street on the way back to Oxford station. Memories: S set off fairly fast to Stonesfield. Crossed the large stone wall into Blenheim Park at Stonesfield Steps (a nexus of other routes we were to walk, the Shakespeare Way on 10 September 2010 and the Roman Way 13 May 2011).

Stonesfield

Took our sandwiches etc, sitting in Blenheim Park watching a procession of Range Rovers, Land Rovers and country types in tweeds and wellies heading towards the Country Landowners Association fair in Blenheim.  The day continued sunny and hot and we all felt the heat and humidity crossing a large, recently harvested field, down to Oxford Canal from Sturdy’s Castle. Trudged up the path from the canal into Kirtlington and just managed to catch the number 25 bus back to Oxford.

 

Friday 29 August 2008 - Kirtlington to Islip, distance of 6.9 miles, guest walker T’s son S. Lunchtime pub in Weston-on-the-Green, The Chequers (5 out of 10). Memories: Cooler weather than last time, bus from Oxford. Easy walk past attractive Kirtlington Park (Palladian style), missed the path but rapid map and compass work soon got us back on the path to Weston-on-the-Green (see we are back in the hyphens again). We waved at stationary traffic on the jammed-up A34 as we crossed the fly-over and then crossed the single track line from Oxford to Bicester Town. Headed though fodder bean fields to Islip. Islip appeared asleep and dormant. No open shops or pubs sat around on the village green for a bit and then went down to the station. The single DMU came in from Oxford and we chatted to the one chap who got off with his bike. The chap confirmed that the village was full of people who commuted to Oxford (significant number going to the university) He wondered if we were train spotters! No comment.

Saturday 11 October 2008 - Islip to Forest Hill, a distance of 9.8 miles, guest walker T’s son S. Lunchtime pub: The Abingdon Arms, Beckley, (6 out of 10) visited again on 29 June 2012 on the last leg of the Roman Way. Memories: Due to a delay from Didcot P missed train from Oxford to Islip however very helpful FGW staff at Oxford station provided a free-of- charge taxi to Islip. Autumn was setting in and leaves in the woods surrounding the Otmoor villages of Noke and Beckley were starting to change colour. There was asplendid view across Otmoor as we sat and ate our packed lunches just above Beckley Park. We left the official route at Grid ref: SP597087 to head south-westwards to Forest Hill to catch the bus into Oxford on the A40.

Friday 24 October 2008 - Forest Hill to Tetsworth, a distance of 10.6 miles, and no guests. Pub: The Swan in Tetsworth while waiting for the bus, 3 out of 10 (bit posh the “Inn” is also an Antiques Centre, we had to sit outside.) Memories: Beautiful autumn day, had to walk back to Bernwood Forest before joining the official path. Crossed over the noisy M40 motorway and passed through Waterperry (visited again on 4 October 2013). Cut across Waterstock golf Course and had lunch sitting in glorious autumn sunshine on the line of the old Oxford to Thame railway line. 

Rycote Chapel

The route continued to follow an interesting ridge path with views to the north of the Thame valley. Stopped for a break at Rycote Chapel and then headed south-eastwards, disturbing pheasants in the field margins  to emerge on the A329 and then across The Oxfordshire golf course and then to Tetsworth to wait for the  Red Rose bus from High Wycombe back into Oxford which was driven full tilt along the old A40.

Footpath near Adwell

Friday 28 November 2008 - Tetsworth to Watlington, a distance of 6.2 miles, and no guests this time. James Figg pub in Thame while waiting for the bus to Tetsworth (6 out of 10), visited again on 4 October 2013 and on completion in Oxford at the Old Tom (2 out of 10) waiting for bus back to Wallingford and Reading. Memories: It proved difficult to get to Tetsworth so that is why we took the bus from Oxford to Thame and then had to wait in Thame for the Red Rose bus to Watlington via Tetsworth. It was the same friendly but speedy driver as on 24 October. “Why do you want to walk? I can take you to Watlington and you can have more time in the pub”. We left him as planned in Tetsworth and plodded though the heavy mud of a recently ploughed field to go under the M40. This area was unknown to us. T didn’t seem to have any distant relative who had or were living or working hereabouts! This was the first part of the walk that had poorly maintained styles.

Westfield Park Chapel

We skirted pat the tiny village of Adwell, and were much taken by the isolated chapel at Wheatfield Park Farm (Grid ref: SU88993) – isolated as Wheatfield Park House was destroyed by fire in 1814. The path passed through the Shirburn estate and then to Pyrton. We arrived at the B4009 (Grid ref: SU694952), shook hands on having completed the Oxfordshire Way and headed back into Watlington where it was dark by the time we caught the Thames Travel bus back to Oxford.

Pyrton cottage

“What next?” “How about The Ridgeway” suggested P.  “Okay, see you in January 2009.”

Summary: We recommend the Oxfordshire Way. It’s not necessary to do the whole walk but in the official distance of 65 miles it gives a great cross section of this county of Middle England. From popular and well known places like Bourton-on-the-Water and Henley-on-Thames, though much favoured commuter villages of Charlbury and Islip to forgotten corners like Adwell and Bruern and, not forgetting the Thames tributary valleys of the Windrush, Evenlode, Glyme, Cherwell and Thame there is something to please most walkers. There were only seven places with hyphens after all!

Three trees (P, N & T) near Model Farm, Shirburn