The Oxford Green Belt Way - Stage 7

Due to the corona virus pandemic our walking “expeditions” in 2020 (perhaps “rambles” or “ambles” would be a better description) have been severely curtailed. We did manage a couple of afternoon walks, firstly, on 6 July a walk from Wittenham Clumps (Grid Ref: SU5674 9238) via Day’s Lock to Dorchester-on-Thames and back (similar to the walk P&T did on 29 July 2016) and secondly, an afternoon stroll along the Thames from Culham Lock (SU5081 9494) to Abingdon and return (similar to part of the walk that P&T did on 2 May 2017). This was on the hottest day of the year, 31 July 2020.

The first outing started with N going to an alternative (wrong!) meeting point in Dorchester (SU5789 9404). However a few WhatsApps messages managed to locate him and he joined the rest of us at Little Wittenham bridge, Day’s Lock (SU5684 9347). A pleasant afternoon with much catching up on family news, what we had read, and watched or not during lockdown. The pubs had just opened up again so we had a welcome pint or two (?) in the rear garden of the Fleur-de-Lys pub (SU5783 9417) in Dorchester. Can’t remember what we had to drink but it was very welcome and we had an enjoyable, socially distanced, drink and chat. Even though N was parked in Dorchester he walked back with us to the top of the Clumps. He had been cycling a lot during lockdown so was really fit and tanned. A too had a good tan from lots of lockdown gardening. The remaining two (P & T) appeared less fit but had managed their own lockdown exercise walks, respectively on the Downs or in the environs of Reading (or so they claimed.)  

We agreed to meet again and planned another circular walk from Culham via Abingdon. As said earlier rather hot (over 30°C). Pubs by this time were getting popular and we queued up at the Nag’s Head (SU4995 9688) on Abingdon Bridge. To keep it short - a poor experience - once contact details had been given we were shown to a recently sanitised table outside and then told to log onto the pub’s website and download the App so we could place an order for drinks. This defeated our collective smart phones so after some frustrating minutes trying to grapple with the technology we departed and headed into Abingdon finding that the Broad Face was closed, and that The Crown and Thistle and The Kings Head & Bell had to be pre-booked. We eventually found a newish, pop-up pub in High street called The Tipsy Mercer. Usual taking of contact details and table service but very friendly and good drinks. T wasn’t feeling too good (been over doing it on the DIY) so we returned to Culham the way we came, along the river.

Monday 21 September 2020 - Wolvercote to Kidlington Church

At long last we come to the real purpose of this report, the next stage of the Oxford Green Belt Way, from Wolvercote to Kidlington via Shipton upon Cherwell and the Hamptons. We agreed to meet up at the Plough in Wolvercote, next to the Oxford Canal on Monday 21 September.  Despite working out the timings for the buses, T misread his own message and caught a bus half-an-hour later. This caused P some consternation (they were meant to meet up in Wallingford). Anyhow this is getting boring, suffice it to say P & T arrived only five minutes late and then had to wait for N & A to wander round from N’s dwelling. In the process of jumping off the bus in Oxford, P had mislaid his walking stick, hopefully by now found and retrieved from Thames Travel.

Oxford canal near Kidlington

We were off - heading north up the canal tow path towards Kidlington, under the A34 (Oxford Bypass) and past the Duke’s cut (SP4879 1064) that connects the canal to the River Thames. 

 

View from Jolly Boatman

We made good progress and by 13:00 had reached The Jolly Boatman (SP4802 1542). Frequented by Inspector Morse. There was a free table outside and a suitably masked team of N&A went in to get the drinks orders. A pleasant stop, enjoying the September sun discussing all sorts of news, political as well as family and recent breaks in the Isle of Wight, Wales, camping in Cornwall etc. It was also a chance to reminisce about past walks. Somewhere in the discussions we decided that the best fish and chips we had had was in the Scallop Shell, Bath (ST7464 6493) 15 December 2017! Why and how we were discussing this your reporter has no idea.

Thrupp canal basin

A decision was to be made should we continue to Shipton-on-Cherwell or take a short cut to Kidlington? We were all feeling good so continued on to Thrupp where we stopped for packed lunches or one of us visited the nearby tea rooms for a sausage sandwich (this scored 5 out of 10 apparently.) 

A short distance further on and we reached Shipton church yard, last visited by P, N & T when they followed the line of the now disused railway from Kidlington to Woodstock on 18 December 2015.

The scenery along the canal had been pleasant with an array of differently decorated narrow boats some used for holidaying and others permanently moored as floating homes with piles of coal and logs on the bank and potted tomato and pepper plants in much evidence. We were under the impression that one couldn’t moor for longer than a certain time and that at some stage in a year the “house boat” had to be moved an re-moored. Longer-distance views from the canalside had been restricted by trees and hedges and it was not until we crossed the canal at Shipton that the countryside opened up.

Cherwell at Shipton

St Giles, Hampton Gay

Our path took us over the Cherwell river and its flood plain and under the Oxford to Banbury railway line, noting the double bridge of where the branch line headed off to Woodstock. It was difficult to imagine that we were less than ten miles from the centre of Oxford. 

 

 

The path gently climbed from the river to go past the small church of St Giles in the hamlet of Hampton Gay and past the ruins of Hampton Gay manor (SP4802 1649).

We guess that this was the site of a medieval village as the lumps and bumps of what were, presumably, house platforms were fairly clear. Deserted in the Black Death? You can tell we have being paying attention on Time Team programmes!. There was an excellent example of a Georgian farmhouse and recent construction activity near the ruined manor. Perhaps someone was doing a “Grand Designs”?

 

Hampton Gay Manor

Across the fields to Hampton Poyle, past hedges with good crops of sloes and blackberries and then missing the path at some stage, necessitating crawling under some railing fences to get back on track. The equine occupants of the fields didn’t seem bothered. We arrived at the edge of the larger hamlet of Hampton Poyle by the church of St Mary the Virgin (SP4984 1553).

Hampton Poyle church

More fields and horses and on towards the spire of Kidlington church crossing the meandering Cherwell again and past the site of a Roman Villa (not visible). It was clear that we were getting nearer to habitation as the number of dogs and their walkers had increased.

St Mary's - Kidlington

 

 

The neighbourhood of St Mary’s church (SP4973 1481) was attractive, with old stone houses and alms houses. Not at all like the rest of Kidlington. The spire of the church is a prominent landmark and, in times past, known as the "Lady’s Needle".

We decided to walk on down Church Street and into Mill Street to catch a No. 2 bus (suitably masked) back into Oxford. N got off the bus at Five Mile Drive and the remaining three travelled into Oxford. A said cheerio and elbow bumped before heading off home and P & T returned to their respective homes via the slow Thames Travel X40 bus.

 

 

Overall it all worked out OK. We managed a pleasant walk in what turned out to be some delightful countryside and in good walking weather. Great to be back on a real walk again. Plotted on Google Earth we covered 7.56 miles (12.2km) though P did more than that as he walked from Westgate on St Aldates several times!

The Oxford Green Belt Way - Stage 6

Swinford Bridge to Wolvercote – Monday 10 February 2020

Following our practice of undertaking shorter journeys nearer to the home base of Oxfordshire in the winter we agreed, when we met for our pre-Christmas amble around Oxford and lunch at the White Horse, Broad Street, to continue the Oxford Green Belt Way.

It seems ages since we assembled in St Frideswide’s Square to catch the S1 bus to Swinford Bridge on 10 February. P&T had travelled up from Wallingford on the X39 and A arrived just about on time. N appeared a bit later (sans pie in hand) but, no worries, the bus seemed to be late anyway. Not a bad day for walking, fairly mild for February with a pulse of rain forecast for midday.

Way through the Woods? (Morse ref)

We started to catch up on news of friends and family as we swayed along on the top deck of the bus past Dean Court, Farmoor and Pinkhill. We soon arrived at the Swinford Toll Bridge and alighted opposite the Waterworks (used to be the main supply for Oxford) and walked down to Eynsham Lock (Grid Ref: SP4453 0865) to start this leg of the OGBW. The short bus journey hadn’t been long enough to catch up with all the news so we were in good spirits catching up on Christmas, New Year and so on.

The route follows the Thames Path and N&T owned up to the fact that they had followed the same route back on 25 June 2010 when they circumnavigated Wytham Woods. The going wasn’t too bad despite the previous wet conditions. We had had doubts about the condition of the path so close to the river and whether it was flooded but that wasn’t really a problem.

We went into the woods and emerged opposite one of the mouths of the Evenlode River.

Evenlode joins the Thames (Isis)

Discussions changed to speculating about reinstating the railway link from Oxford to Witney. The old track bed was across the river from where we were. T remembered travelling from Oxford to Eynsham on a train back in the 1950s. In these days of daily traffic jams on the A40 anything to improve links would be useful. Speculation of railway links inevitably lead on to discussion of HS2. The Government announcement was due fairly soon as to whether to continue or modify the project. Our own discussions carried on after the walk with various WhatsApp exchanges.

“Hang on chaps, we’ve deviated from the route”. Hurried examination of the maps showed that should have stayed next to the woods and not followed the tow path. An easy course correction and we were back on the Oxford Green Belt Way.

The going was getting a bit stickier as we slowly climbed round the edge of Wytham Woods and turned eastwards to go past the University Farm Field Station. We were hit with the rain as forecast. Well “hit” is a bit strong, it was certainly unwelcome but the Howbery Hiker boys are made of strong stuff and we pressed on past Wytham Mill on the Seacourt stream (SP4768 0949). This is a mill stream that takes off from the main Thames River and flows to the west of Oxford. It also provides some flood relief capacity though how effective that is debatable. After several name changes the stream re-joins the main Thames downstream of Oxford near Redbridge/Iffley

A34

The sound of traffic on the A34 (Oxford Western By-pass) was becoming intrusive as we plodded through sodden meadows, under the A34 and came out at Godstow, SP4840 0920. Opposite were the ruins of Godstow Abbey through most locals know this as Godstow nunnery. By all accounts this is where “Fair Rosamund” Clifford who was the mistress of Henry II retired to and died at the age of 30!

Our path then followed the road towards Wolvercote, past the Trout Inn one of many Inspector Morse pubs in the area. It was either P or N who said they came across a pub in Oxfordshire once where there was a notice to say that “Inspector Morse hadn’t drunk there”!

Past the entrance to Port Meadow (a SSSI, ancient common pasture, etc). N has special status being one of the Wolvercote Commoners. Past the Red Lion and White Hart pubs but neither took our fancy or weren’t open on Mondays or something like that. A quick diversion to look at the new fancy housing development on the site of the Oxford University Paper Mill (SP4882 0971) and then on towards Upper Wolvercote and our destination of the Plough Inn (SP4960 0966). We’ve been here before and it doesn’t disappoint, 8+ out of 10.

Sad end

By now we were cold so a warming cup of tea for some of our party, a refreshing pint for others and some chips (fried potatoes not those things in bags) to share. After a warming hour we said cheerio to N who wasn’t far from home and P, A & T headed up to the main Woodstock road to catch a bus into the city centre and thence home.

Not a long walk, 4.64 miles (7.5km) but pleasant enough. In the next few days we discussed when we should meet up again, should we continue on the OGBW out to Kidlington or plan to get back to the Cotswold Way. The remainder of February became rather busy for all of us and then the coronavirus hit. Doubtful if we are going to meet up for some time.