The Seven Shires Way - Stage 8

Mixbury to Poundon, Friday 14 June 2013

Gt Ouse near Westbury

The logistics of this walk were quite complicated. We could not reach Mixbury unless we used a taxi, should it be from Banbury or Bicester? Bicester was the obvious choice as we only needed to catch a bus (S5) from Oxford to Bicester. A train would have made more sense but they are less frequent and N could catch the bus in north Oxford. Nevertheless T left home at 06:30!. A taxi from Alpha Cars in Bicester got us to Mixbury and we were able to start walking at 09:30. Why the early start? Well N had to get back to Oxford for a certain time and the only way to guarantee this was to aim for the earlier of  the two buses from Poundon.

We remarked last time that the village of Mixbury seems very quiet with just a few houses and a church nothing had changed.

Walked out of the village and then turned north to head towards Westbury (Bucks) under the disused line of the Great Central Railway soon to be the route of HS2, Railway buffs will know that the GCR was closed during the Dr Beeching years. The line was actually a high speed route into London from the north. It never carried much passenger traffic (probably why it was closed) but did carry a lot of freight and revenue per mile was the highest in the country by closing it the freight moved onto the roads or jammed up the remaining railway lines!

Giant Hogweed on bank of Gt Ouse

Crossed over another disused line from Banbury to Bedford and then down to the course of the River Great Ouse (hardly great here) and into our 5^th county Buckinghamshire. Stand of Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) on the bank, a noxious invasive species.

Sheep field near Barton Hartshorn

Route took us up to Westbury and then a turn south towards Finmere crossing the Gt Ouse back into Oxfordshire in the process. Too early for a pub stop so pushed on over the Bicester to Buckingham main road to cross a field of fodder beans on the old WW2 airfield site of RAF Finmere now used for the Sunday Finmere Market (Car Boot Sale). On the edge of the old airfield went past a house with an armoured car in the car port! Emerged at the attractive hamlet of Barton Hartshorn (now in Bucks again) and had a picnic lunch looking at a field of sheep and surrounded by a mass of buttercups, grid ref SP 642307.

Manor Farm, Barton Hartshorn

The countryside is typically middle England. Nothing sensational - we could be anywhere in the south of the country but it has a reassuring pleasing nature. Looking at the map we really seemed to be in the middle of nowhere (apologies to the apparently wealthy* residents of the attractive farms and cottages dotted about).* Lots of double garages, horses and “Chelsea tractors” = apparent wealth.

The path then took us to Chetwode, past the Priory (House) and down a quiet lane to discover an interesting water trough / spring. We didn't actually discover it. The book mentions the water trough!

Chetwode Priory

Water trough near Chetwode

Across the line of the disused Great Central Railway. The cutting is really quite deep and full of trees. We were quite surprised to find no evidence of protest to the proposed alignment of High Speed 2 anywhere along our route. Perhaps because there are so few people around here any poster is pretty pointless. HS2 is proposed to follow the alignment of the GCR hereabouts.

Disused GCR cutting looking north

Disused GCR cutting looking south

Back into Oxfordshire before reaching Godington (didn’t take in the detour to see Moat farm) and then across the fields to Poundon. For the first few fields (in Oxfordshire) the farmer has re-established the path through the crop which made it very easy to follow. As soon as we crossed back into Bucks the path from grid ref SP 645267 to Poundon disappeared and the stiles became major hazards with broken steps and rotten supports.

We will be collecting photographic evidence for future posts. The stiles make an interesting contrast to the often adjacent lowered hedges for fox hunting which always seem in tip-top condition.

Reached our destination at 14:30 for the day at Poundon with about a ten minute wait for the Langston and Tasker number 18 bus back to Bicester and then back on the S5 to Oxford and a welcome pint or two at HQ (White Horse Broad Street, Oxford.) Farewells and back to our respective homes (for T and P via the train).

Buttercups

Summary: Buttercups, Beeching and Buckinghamshire. Dry and just about the right temperature for walking in the back of beyond.

Total miles 9.8 - have now walked 30% of the Seven Shires Way!

 

The Seven Shires Way - Stage 7

The Seven Shires Way Stage 7 

Souldern to Mixbury – Friday 24 May 2013

Back again after a couple of months away. No one reason, a combination of bad weather, business travel, ill health, etc.  Anyhow good to be arriving on the usual CrossCountry train at Banbury station and waiting for our taxi to Souldern to pick up the Seven Shires Way. We finished off last time taking a detour up to Aynho to catch the bus.  So we apologise dear readers that we missed out the bit of the walk from the Oxford canal to Souldern.  Didn’t see much of this quiet village though noted that it did have a pub “The Fox”.  Grateful for an easy start to the walk which was along a quiet minor road parallel to the Oxfordshire-Northants boundary. Followed the directions in the book as far as Pimlico Farm then realised that the farmer/landowner had diverted the path around their property at grid ref SP558314.  Headed towards the radar domes of RAF Croughton and picked up a path actually along the boundary!

Domes of Croughton

Crossed over A43 (Oxford to Northampton road) and carried on down another minor until a convenient spot to shelter from the wind. A quick lunch and then headed through the stinging, wind-swept rain to Juniper Hill (hamlet) famous as the birthplace of Flora Thompson and the setting of “Larkrise” in Larkrise to Candleford (Banbury). We didn’t detour to see the actual cottage. It was too wet. (By the way when plotting out this route on Google Earth Juniper Hill is incorrectly identified by Google at Heath Farm!)

A couple more miles of wet grass but generally easy walking and then P attempted to phone the bus. This is the C500 South Northants Countyconnect service which is proudly identified in the Travel Line.com as being a request service. Apparently one phones in and requests the bus. P will have to fill us in with the minutiae but one has to be a member and then they didn’t seem too keen to turn out to Mixbury until quite late.

Never mind we pushed on to Mixbury despite the local sheep farmer putting a fence right across the footpath at grid ref SP603336and then there were a series of stiles across the stables at Barrow Stables, grid ref SP 606337 that were increasingly in poor repair; rotten wood,  split steps and the last one had a fallen tree right across the stile. We have now become familiar with the apparent frontier mentality of landowners along the Oxfordshire border (out-of-sight-out of mind of the Council?). Walked into the quiet village of Mixbury (no obvious shop, post office, pub or tea room).

Altar window, All Saints Church, Mixbury

Sheltered in the porch of the Church (All Saints), phoned for a taxi and were whisked back to Brackley in no time to catch a Stagecoach 500 bus back to Banbury. N and T got into conversation with a chap who had been born and brought up in Brackley and who gave the impression of being very concerned if he was more than three miles away from his centre of the universe. P had to return early for grandchild-sitting duties so N & T took an hour out to sample a selection of brews at the Bell Inn, Banbury before returning by train the Oxford and Reading respectively.

 

In summary: Dull, dreary and damp (weather).  A short walk of 7.8 miles, easy going apart from the wet conditions. Countryside pleasant enough but nothing of great note.

The Seven Shires Way - Stage 6

 Banbury to Aynho Friday 1 March 2013

Looking across the Cherwell valley

We’re back. Bad weather and overseas business trips have dented our reputation of walking every three to four weeks. No matter the walk on Friday 1 March was a gentle walk from Banbury station  (where we left off last time) to Aynho mainly along the Oxford canal. The path was in reasonable condition though it was clear that only a few weeks ago the canal had been over-spilling its banks.

On towards Kings Sutton

We set off at 10:30 (usual CrossCountry train) and picked up the route of the canal and then southwards to where the Seven Shire Way joins the canal towpath near to the M40. So as to allow access via public transport we had left the “official” route and walked into Banbury last time so this time we followed the canal out of Banbury until we regained the route.

Lift bridge (one of many)

The rumble of the M40 was present most of the day though as we were upwind it wasn’t too bad. Delightful old canal buildings turned into (presumably expensive dwellings) seem permanently blighted by the M40. On the plus side were frequent trains and delightful countryside. Only saw one narrow boat underway and a work boat lopping overhanging branches ready for the boating season. Several moored narrow-boats were obviously occupied and sported collections of old bikes, wood for the stove and generators puttering away on the sterns.

Old railway crossing (lunch stop)

Weather could have been a bit warmer but the rain held off and a sheltered spot on a welcome tree trunk was found for picnic lunch. This was very close to the disused crossing of the Kings Sutton to Kingham railway (closed in the early 1960s). In the days of steam this line would have connected Banbury to Chipping Norton and the Cotswold Line.

Cherwell joins the canal

Leisurely lunch and then pushed on to Aynho wharf (near the junction of the Banbury to Marylebone and Banbury to Oxford lines). Lots of interesting side weirs, very deep and narrow locks and hydraulic structures along the canal which about a mile from Aynho wharf which receives the River Cherwell and becomes wider.

We left the canal and found the warm and comfortable Great Western Arms pub. Reasonable selection of beer. The Old Hooky was very smooth though N stayed on the Bombardier. We gave the Great Western Arms an 8 out of 10. There was cause to celebrate as we had just completed 50 miles since leaving Moreton-in-the-Marsh.

Aynho junction lock

The downside was the walk along a busy road from the pub into the village of Aynho to catch a bus back to Banbury. Strictly we should have continued and ended up in Souldern but then we would have still needed to get back to Aynho to catch a bus.  We plan to see Souldern next walk.

Aynho is an interesting village and we discovered later that it is the most southerly parish in Northamptonshire so technically we were also in the East Midlands! Research on Traveline.com had revealed that there was bus back to Banbury. This in fact is a minibus (Tex Cars and Coaches T1A) working from Bicester to Banbury. We were the only passengers until we picked up a family in Charlton or was it Kings Sutton? Good timing into Banbury which meant we could catch a CrossCounty train back to Oxford and Reading without much of a wait.

Summary: Total distance walked 8 miles (a reasonable breaking-in after an eight week gap). Pleasant country side, not too muddy. Hopefully the last of the Winter.

 

The Seven Shires Way - Stage 5

Wardington to Banbury (4 Jan 2013)

Happy New Year. January always feels like a long month so time for a walk. If you remember we left off at Wardington. We were out of sync. with the suggested stages in the book so took the opportunity to catch up (so to speak). This made the walk a bit shorter than usual but then we added two miles at the end to walk back into Banbury, leaving the recommended route just to the east of Overthorpe.

Usual journey to Banbury but on the later 10:36 train from Oxford. This connected well with the Stagecoach 200 bus out to Wardington. Usual crew, P, N & T with the addition of S. Weather dry, not too cold, overcast to start with until later in the day when the sun came out. A great improvement as for most of December it had been raining. Set off from Wardington at 11:30 and skirted around the village to end up in Upper Wardington. T declared the village attractive with ironstone cottages and old farm houses (no longer farms). N pointed out that it couldn’t really be rated as a village as the pub had disappeared and there was no obvious shop.

Soon tramping across soggy fields and soon covered in red/brown iron stained mud. The ever present hum of the M40 was evident to the west (about 5 km away). The route follows another way marked path called the Jurassic Way. Plenty of mud at field entrances and gateways – apparently farmers seem happy to have their animals wade through a quagmire at every gate (perhaps there is a connection with dinosaurs and Jurassic Way here?)

Route went under the dismantled line of the Great Central Railway from Rugby to Banbury and shortly afterwards we crossed a tributary of the Cherwell into Northamptonshire. An opportunity to wash the boots off as we approached the village of Chacombe with its obvious lumps and bumps of a deserted medieval settlement. Yet more ironstone cottages but we noted that the newer builds were actually only faced with ironstone replica materials and the rear and sides were built of brick.

The George and Dragon pub in Chacombe was open so as it was 12:30pm we stopped off for a pint of Everards Beacon ale. S had cider of some sort. {Lightly enforced rule: Never pass by an open pub unless it is Greene King}. Pub rated as 6 out of 10 food looked interesting and they didn’t object to walkers.

Stopped for a sandwich lunch just to the south of Chacombe on a bench on the 15^th tee of the Cherwell edge Golf Club (the Seven Shires Way crosses several fairways). P suggested that we need to give more detail about what we had for lunch – perhaps next time.

Tree south of Chacombe (SP495432)

Took the only picture of the day of a solitary tree at (SP495432) and carried on south to Middleton Cheney which is a large village. Lot of new houses being built at SP498424 the book refers to this as a field. Not surprising really. The M40 junction is 2km away, and Banbury station with trains to London and Birmingham is 4km away.

Middleton was the end of the stage in the book but we decided to push on towards Warkworth. Why do all paths we follow go past sewage works or scrap yards?

Across the A422 with great care and eventually left the Seven Shire Way at SP489412 to head west to Overthorpe and then on a road across the M40 into Banbury (Grimsbury) to the Bell Inn for a well-deserved drink. Back on the 16:55 from Banbury. Agreed that next time we would miss out the small section of the official path between Warkworth and the Oxford Canal.

Summary:  About 7.5 miles. Good to start the New Year (2013) with a pleasant walk though attractive countryside. A rusty day – rusty mud, rusty houses and rusty joints but some lubrication was at hand.