Well January 2023 is nearly over and for those of us in the northern hemisphere there is a noticeable increase in the length of day and thoughts turn again to venturing out for longer walks. These thoughts then morphed into looking at the blog and your author realised that we hadn’t reported anything for 2022. True we didn’t do much and due to other engagements the “we” ended up just being P and T. 2022 wasn’t a very productive year for walking. P & T managed three walks a local circular walk around Sonning Common on 11 April and then two walks along the line of the Oxford canal, north from Tackley station and then south from Tackley on 29 June and 14 July respectively.
Sonning Common to Crowsley Park, circular – 11 April 2022.
We hadn’t been walking for ages so P (or was it T?) planned a modest afternoon walk from Sonning Common out towards Crowsley Park via Blackmore Lane and Crosscroft Wood (Grid Reference SU7231 8072). There were plenty of wild flowers in the woods, Bluebells, Lesser Celadine, Primrose, Wood Anemone, and possibly Bugle and Speedwell. After passing through the wood we emerged at Kings Farm (SU7297 8084) and followed the lane downhill past a posh country cottage residence and up into Crowsley Park. We last came this way on 5 April 2016 and stopped again at a fallen tree (now much decayed after six years (SU 7326 8030) to admire the view and watch a courier drive his van up King’s lane delivering that days Amazon parcels. We headed up a slight hill and crossed the minor road to Harpsden and walked into the hamlet of Crowsley were some one was attacking their grass with a loud motor mower. We then followed the path west towards the Bird-in-Hand pub (SU7157 7920). T and Cy used to be a customer’s way back in the BC (before children) era. The pub has changed hands and fortunes many times. Crossed over the busy B481 and went through the Millennium Green (SU7144 7928) playing fields (developed no doubt as the village contribution to the Millennium celebrations. Then skirting the newish housing developments to the south of Sonning Common, past the Herb Farm and back to P’s base for a welcome cuppa. A pleasant afternoon walk and a time to catch up on family news. A total of 4.20 miles (6.7 km).
Oxford Canal walks
Looking at the Google earth display of all our walks since 2009 there was a bit of a gap between Banbury and Oxford so we decided to fill some of that in by walking the Oxford canal path. It ended up being P & T again as A was away in France and N was off to pastures (dales) new in Yorkshire. The attraction was the access given by using Tackley and Heyford stations.
Tackley to Heyford, 29 June 2022
This was another afternoon walk as stopping train frequency between Oxford and Banbury wasn’t plentiful. P & T met up on Oxford station and made the short trip up to Tackley (SP4845 2053). A pleasant village, very quiet (it was lunchtime) and the usual village lanes filled with parked cars. We headed north on a farm lane, parallel to the railway and stopped by a convenient farm gate (SP4826 2153) with a view of the railway below and the Cherwell meandering in the gentle valley.
Holihocks in Tackley
After our lunch break we continued over the railway and down into a field of cattle. Experience has been that we keep a weather eye on cattle and stay near the field margin. All was going well until the animals started to move and we realised that there was a chap causing the cows to move towards us. We eventually met and exchanged pleasantries. He wanted to know if he was heading towards the river – he was but not by a direct route. We left him in his quest for the Cherwell among the disturbed cattle and quickly moved on. We came to the canal and river at SP4896 2202 but could see no way down to join the canal so carried onto Northbrook Spinney and joined the canal at Dashwood Lock. It was an easy towpath walk then into Lower Heyford.
Narrowboat garden
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| Canal side in Heyford |
T found where The Bell Inn was (didn’t go in) and walked round by the church back to the boat yard adjacent to the station. Great, the boat yard shop was open and had ice creams. So one Magnum Classic later back on the train to Oxford and all places south. A lovely walk of 3.36 miles (5.4 km). Starting to get warm but a great way to see the Cherwell valley.
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| Cherwell valley view |
Tackley to Thrupp, 14 July 2022
This time we took the same timed train out to Tackley from Oxford but headed south. We joined the line of the Oxfordshire Way. Goodness, we last passed through here on 25 July 2008 which was another hot day on our way from Charlbury to Kirtlington, we did some long walks in those days. We joined the towpath of the Oxford canal at Flights Mill / Pigeon Lock (SP4868 1940.) and headed towards the general direction of Oxford.
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| Oxford canal |
Found a grassy bank and some welcome shade by the canal side at SP4839 1916 and had our packed lunches.
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| Enslow canal side |
It was getting quite warm so we were grateful for the tree lined canal path as it went under the railway line at Enslow and under the A4095. The canal cuts the meander of the river here at Bunkers Hill.
Bakers Lock
Just beyond Bakers Lock the Cherwell River and canal combine for about one kilometre past the disused cement works. At Shiptonweir Lock the canal heads west towards Shipton-on-Cherwell (which is more on the canal than on the Cherwell).
Disused Woodstock Line
A short distance further on we went under the railway line again and the disused abutments of the old railway line from Kidlington to Woodstock which branched off the main line at Shipton in years gone by. We were now reaching one of those walking nexus points. We went past the footbridge over the canal that we had used on 21 September 2020 when all four of us were walking the Oxford Green Belt Way from Wolvercote to Kidlington and we were on the opposite bank to Shipton Church that we had passed by on 18 December 2015 when we were tracing the course of the Kidlington to Woodstock line.
It was hot and we were in need of refreshments so we stopped at Annie’s Tea Room (SP4831 1595) and had a refreshing brew sitting outside next to the canal turning pool at Thrupp. It was fairly busy even for a mid-week afternoon. All we now had to do was, after using the facilities, to walk down the lane to the main A4260 and wait in the sun at SP4788 1561 for the S4 bus into Oxford (bus from Banbury). It arrived just about on time and we got back into Oxford for a walk back to the station and our respective trains home. Slightly longer this time at 4.98 miles (8km) not bad for an afternoon ramble. It was getting hot and the shade when available was welcome.
Shipton Church
This was our last walk of 2022. The summer continued to get warmer and really wasn’t conducive for walking. Both P & T had other commitments, A was still away and N was only making the occasional visit to the Oxford area. Here is hoping that we can complete that last bit from Heyford to Ayno sometime in 2023 and perhaps find some other walks to fill in the gaps on the map.
