The Oxford Green Belt Way - Stage 8

Kidlington to Elsfield (then Marston) -
Monday 26 October 2020

Exciting news, our band of four has been expanded to five!  However, as it turned out D had to send his apologies due to work commitments and then P dropped out due to feeling a bit under the weather.

"Morning"

Never mind, the three of us, A, N & T met up at St Mary’s Church, Kidlington (Grid Ref: SP4973 1481) at just before 11am and after N had his breakfast sandwich we set off.

The weather had been very wet the previous week though the forecast for today was reasonable. Cling on to that hope as it was already raining as we followed the footpath skirting the built-up area of older Kidlington and passing through pasture fields with a variety of horses and then cut though a 1960s housing development to emerge onto the Bicester Road. “Why didn’t I wear a hat today?” wondered T as he peered through raindrop-splashed glasses at the map.

Gosford fields

While making good time along the path we exchanged updates on respective family news and what had been going on since we last met in September.  The footpath continued to the east of Gosford Farm (not too muddy) and then joined a concrete farm road up and over the A34.

This “improved” road continued over the Oxford to Bicester (and thence to London Marylebone) railway line, SP5091 1287. We discussed what the numerals on the railway bridge meant, 27M 71Ch. T suggested that this was the distance from (somewhere?) in miles and chains.

Chiltern Train !!

 A chain is to 66 feet or 22 yards (20.1m).  There are 10 chains in a furlong, and 80 chains in one mile. The distance between the stumps on a cricket pitch is one chain.

 

The conversation then drifted onto the fact that the area of one acre was a chain by a furlong and that this was apparently the amount of land that could be ploughed in a day. Interestingly there are many farm fields around the world that have areas measured on the basis of the ability to cultivate in a day. A said there was a French measurement of area that was similar and there is the fedan in Eqypt and Sudan which is very nearly an acre.

Middle Farm pond

We passed Middle Farm and then headed across fields towards Water Eaton Manor (SP5157 1207). Various humps and bumps in the fields around suggested evidence of an earlier settlement. (Thank you “Time Team”.) All that is left now is the grand looking, still occupied, but isolated manor facing east towards the Cherwell River. We suspected that this area was at risk of flooding in wet times.

 

Water Eaton Dovecote

Water Eaton Manor

 

 

 

 

 

We crossed over the Cherwell at Sparsey Bridge (SP5186 1190)and then had to head away from the river across a muddy field to cross the parish boundary before tracking back to follow the left bank of the Cherwell.

Upstream from Sparsey Bridge

This trek around a large field seemed to go on forever. There were few places to stop and have our packed lunches. We eventually found some boughs on which to perch and had our respective snacks. Said “Hi” to a passing couple. The first people we had seen since the railway bridge.

We set off after about a 20 minute stop. The path moved away from the river across a cultivated field. According to A “Surprisingly well drained”. Too late we hit a wet patch and were up to our ankles in mud. This was just to the north of Sescut Farm (SP5240 1049) which we dog-legged around.

The route then followed the Sescut farm road out to the Wood Eaton road which we reached just as a large truck from Wales (is that relevant?) turned in to go down to the farm. Was it delivering or collecting?

Towards Elsfield

Another kilometre and a bit, up a slight hill, and we reached Elsfield (SP5400 1028). N often cycles out this way and had always wondered what was down the path we had come up. Elsfield’s sewage works as it happens.

Elsfield was the “official” end of this stage but due to the lack of buses we had to walk downhill towards Marston. Walking “off” the route is never that exhilarating as it means we will have to retrace the 3km (1.9 miles) next time. Never mind, Elsfield looked a pleasant place. We walked past the house where John Buchan had lived for a time (“Thirty-nine Steps” and “Greenmantle” author among other things).

St Thomas of Cantebury, Elsfield

The road crossed over the main A40 “Northern Bypass” into Marston. We eventually found the correct bus stop (SP5297 0770) and after a wait of about 10 minutes caught a bus into the City, Oxford that is.

We had a drink outside of the Bear Inn in Bear Lane (Oxford’s oldest pub?) and then said our farewell to N. T & A walked to the station as T had decided to return home via train and bus which was much speedier than the Thames Travel X40. True, one has to pay on the train but in these days of near empty trains it’s rather nice.

Despite the risk of rain and getting a bit damp early on it was a good day for walking. Certainly some unknown territory around Water Eaton even if it was a bit laborious trudging along the Cherwell at one point. We made it 8 miles (12.9km) in total though 1.9 miles (3km) of that was walking back to Marston. Hopefully we can walk again before the end of the year.