The Oxford Green Belt Way – Spring 2019

When we left the Cotswold Way last November we agreed to continue walking locally, if we could. Some years ago T had discovered / bought a copy of the guide to a walk known as The Oxford Green Belt Way. When we met up at HQ (The White Horse) in Oxford for our end of year lunch we agreed to do this route  during the shorter day-light days. The guide is/was published by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, The Green Belt Way – A fifty mile walk created by the CPRE Oxfordshire around the Green Belt of Oxford, ISBN 978-0-9557723-0-6.  We have recorded the first four stages of the walk that total 28.5 miles (45.6km), 57% of the total as one post.

Stage 1: Thornhill to Nuneham Courtenay – Monday 14 January 2019

Catkins already on the trees

Another New Year and we assemble at Oxford Station to take a bus out to the Thornhill Park & Ride to the east of the city. Time to catch up on family news and what was new and so forth over Christmas and the New Year. Our aim was to head over Shotover Hill via Horspath and Garsington to Nuneham Courtenay. The weather was kind, sunny and really a pleasant day for mid-January. The route of the walk appeared to be well marked though that didn’t stop us heading off in the wrong direction to start with. Minor course correction made and we were back on track past the old Nielsen offices and up the northern slope of Shotover, a route much frequented by dog walkers. Up onto the broad top of Shotover and an opportunity to bore A with recollections of when we had been up there before (Roman Way – 1 June 2012 and Route 66 – 18 March 2016). We are going to be crossing many previous walks as we make our way around Oxford.

Not long after we deviated from the route again and took another path around Horspath Common and down into the village and past the Gurkha Kitchen (The Chequers) were we had a lunchtime drink nearly seven years ago.

The path towards Garsington was clear and we made good progress across the fields and up the gentle slope into the village. Garsington is a large village and once boasted many pubs and also Garsington Manor. The manor was home to Ottoline Morrell doyenne of the Bloomsbury group and also the venue for the annual Garsington Opera until 2010. Carefully following the route we came to a view point (Grid Reference: SP5809 0270) in the village that afforded a 360 degree view from Oxford round to the Chilterns and back again.

Look carefully - Snowdrops

We were getting hungry so eventually found a fallen tree just off the route where we could perch and have our respective packed lunches. Fed and watered we proceeded on towards Toot Baldon, past the Mole Inn (SP5670 0069) and then crossing the route of the Shakespeare Way just to the north of Marsh Baldon (last walked 12 March 2010).

Good progress along a splendid avenue of trees and then to the A4074 at Nuneham Coutenay. Here we split, A & N crossed the road to catch a bus into Oxford and P & T stayed to wait for a bus to Wallingford and Reading. No pictures as T forgot the camera! 

A good start to this walk and lucky with the weather. Many memories of past rambles recalled. Agreed we would try and continue in three weeks. We made it 7.8 miles (12.5km).

Bit of snow still around on 4 February

Ponies in Nuneham

Stage2:   Nuneham Courtenay to Abingdon - Monday 4 February 2019

Nuneham Church

The arrangements to meet up in Nuneham Coutenay seemed to work OK. A & N were waiting at the bus stop for P & T to arrive from the south. We picked up the path again next to the Cockadoo (ex Harcourt Arms) (SU5519 9935), known as a venue for tribute acts.

 The present day village was constructed in the late 18^th Century because the old village was in the way of the expansion to Nuneham House commissioned by the Second Earl Harcourt. T believes that there is a portrait of the Earl in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Past the village church, also newly constructed for the villagers in the 19^th Century and out past the House itself, now owned by the University of Oxford but occupied by The Global Retreat Centre (Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University).

Nuneham House

It was rather a grey day with the threat of rain. The path headed south (roughly) and after passing through the New Covert woods eventually came out by the Culham Science Centre. The site was originally a WWII airfield and then taken over by the UKAEA for fusion research. This later became the Joint European Torus (JET).

JET Building, Culham

The basic layout of the runways and some of the old hangers and Nissan huts remain on the site. Our route followed the security fence, we on the outside but on the inside were various employees of the many organisations renting office space taking their lunchtime walks. They gave the impression of being prisoners on their daily exercise. Ironic really as the site was at one time slated to be developed as a prison.

A was familiar with the area as he used to live in the nearby village of Clifton Hampden. We crossed the railway at the old bridge of Thame Lane (SU5280 9606) and had our lunches leaning on the gate looking down into the railway cutting.

The path parallels the railway towards the River Thames for about one kilometre. On reaching the river we turned west to head towards Abingdon passing over the Swift Dich and the site of old flash locks (SU5136 9663). The Swift Ditch was the original course of the Thames but the main channel was diverted in the middle ages towards Abingdon by the Abbey to provide water for the mill and the Abbey itself. We crossed over the river at Abingdon Lock continued into Abingdon and arrived in the Abbey Gardens (SU4995 9710). The Abbey ruins here were carefully erected and landscaped in the Victorian era.

County Hall, Abingdon

We had about an hour before the bus, time to find a pub. Abingdon was T’s teenage home so he suggested the Broad Face (SU4988 9698). It was quiet, well it was a Monday afternoon, beer was good and we agreed that this could certainly rank 7 out of 10. After our short break we headed to Stratton Way to catch respective buses. A & N were heading back to Oxford so plenty of buses. P & T decided to go back to Wallingford via Didcot only to learn that the bus was delayed / cancelled. Change of plan they also headed back to Oxford and changed buses at Redbridge Park & Ride to catch the X39/40 to Wallingford and Reading. Not really impressed as it took T over two hours to get home. However the use of the Redbridge P&R proved useful in the next two stages.

Not such a great day weather wise but we stayed dry even if we ended up a bit muddy. Countryside pleasant enough. This stage was 6.8 miles (10.9km)

Stage 3: Abingdon to Lodge Hill – Monday 4 March 2019

P was unable to join us on this stage though he did complete it a few weeks later with his family friend Ln (see 10 May 2019 when she joined us for a training walk). The plan was to meet in Abingdon Market Place. T got there via the Redbridge Park & Ride and was waiting for A & N to arrive on the next bus. It was market day so there was an opportunity to get a coffee before we set off

The three of us then retraced the path through the Abbey Meadows to just before Abingdon Lock. The route of the OGBW then crosses the mill stream and follows the right bank of the Thames all the way to Radley. It had rained a few days earlier and the path was quite muddy in places especially the Abingdon side of the railway. Not many people about except a walker equipped with two walking poles who appeared to have set off from Oxford. As he passed us he asked wearily how much further Abingdon was. He was probably suffering from boredom and mud. We have found that the Thames path isn’t the most scenic and can be a bit boring.

House by the river

We three pressed on past an interesting house by the river and then with a view across the river to the front prospect of Nuneham House. We eventually reached Radley College Boat House (SU 5387 9881) and turned westwards, away from the river, to pass through Lower Radley. 

Radley College Boat House

T used to have a gardening job in a cottage in Lower Radley when he was a teenager.

It started to rain so we took shelter in the convenient Bowyer Arms, near the railway station, SU5254 988. We only had a drink, it was lunchtime after all. When P & Ln did this stage a few weeks later they ordered food as well but were not impressed as their simple order was lost and not delivered until a complaint was made. We can only rate the Bowyer Arms 5/10.

Nuneham House - again

Refreshed and rested we walked on through the village to go through the grounds of Radley College. We guess this is one of the leading schools in the country and it was fairly clear that the facilities are something special. Apparently fees are in the order of many thousands of pounds per term. Sport seems high on the agenda. Those who take an interest in rowing will have often heard that crew members of the University Boat Race have been to “Radley”. Those chaps were “wet bods”, “dry bods” were those who preferred cricket.

Tree in Radley Park

As we climbed gently up from Radley we found a spot in an avenue of trees to have our late lunches and then admire the improving view across Abingdon towards the Berkshire Downs. Our route for the day ended at Lodge Hill (SU5064 9989) on the A4183 where we were able to get a bus back to Redbridge and Oxford.

Pleasant walk, bit slow in the mud along the tow path, more interesting after Radley. Only 6.2 miles (9.9km).

Stage 4: Lodge Hill to Cumnor – Monday 1 April 2019

Sunningwell Church

Another walk with just three of the band of four. This time N wasn’t able to join us. T and P used the Park & Ride again and arrived at Lodge Hill first. A was on the next bus. In his haste to leave home T had forgotten to put his boots in the car so undertook the walk in a pair of old shoes which luckily were fairly robust. Our route for the day was to head through Sunningwell, over Boars Hill to Cumnor.

Flowing Spring, Sunningwell

We were lucky with the weather again, a fine sunny day. The first half-hour or so we exchanged news about friends and families and soon reached Sunningwell, home to the Flowing Well pub where T has his first legal pint of beer!

Keep the walkers in

The path then headed up to Boars Hill. The path had recently been fenced in across the paddock. This was a substantial fence was it to keep animals in or walkers out? We felt it was the latter.

View South with fence!

Good view of the Downs from the top of the hill. The path then followed one of the premier addresses in Boars Hill, Lincombe Lane. Large secluded houses hiding behind big hedges and electric gates. In one or two places we could glimpse well-tended gardens, smart conservatories, and state of the art front doors. The path turned off Lincombe Lane and squeezed between tall hedges to emerge on Foxcombe Road near the Fox Inn. A and family had recently dined there (can't remember what he thought about it).

Skirting Boars Hill woods

The path cut below the woods staying on the contour before heading up to Old Boars Hill and passing Jarn Mound, an artificial mound constructed in the 1930sto give a view across Oxford. The view has long gone due to overgrown trees. Boars Hill has always been a place of spacious houses. It was within 5 miles of Carfax in the centre of Oxford meaning that University academics could live there but enjoy clean air, space and views. Oxford in the 19^th century was probably fairly polluted from the coal burning power station and town gas works right in the town.

Distant Dreaming Spires of Oxford

We made a slight detour to see where T’s grandparents used to live in the same road that goes to Youlbury Scout Camp and then pushed on downhill to get a view of the Dreaming Spires of Oxford (Matthew Arnold’s poem the “Scholar Gypsy”.

It was getting hot in the sun as we descended the slope towards Chilswell farm so our thoughts turned to where to have our snacks. We agreed to walk on to take a detour to Cumnor Hurst Hill, SP4778 0441 and found a shady spot to sit and have lunch.

Woods, Cumnor Hurst

As our readers know we have a rule, “what is said on the walk stays on the walk.” Needless to say the topic of the moment, the B issue, was the subject of some of our musings particularly as the deadline of 29 March had been and gone.

We were close to where A lived but we had to backtrack through to Henwood Farm” (last walked 6 March 2015 on Route 66.) It was then an easy 1km north-westwards to Cumnor. A short wait and then a bus back into Oxford. A got off Elms Parade, Botley and T&P carried on to Oxford and switched buses out to the Redbridge P&R. Before catching the bus in Oxford T&P popped into the Royal Blenheim in Pembroke Street for a swift half. We had been here before and can rate this certainly 6/10 possibly 7/10. 

Another good ramble with considerable variation in scenery and views, on Goggle earth we made it 7.75 miles (12.4km). Pity N wasn’t with us perhaps we will be up to full strength when we continue the Cotswold Way next month.