Explore our site:
|
||
| Suggested walks for each season
The Snowdrop Walk – Spring, 2010 The walk starts in Ewelme, from The Shepherd’s Hut in the High St, or park at the recreation ground. Take the road past the church, then turn left onto the signed footpath over the flank of the hill to join the minor road to Swyncombe and Cookley Green, and follow this for a few yards to the sharp bend at the corner of Icknieldbank Plantation. Turn in here, and bear right up through the wood to the earthworks at the crest. Keep straight on there along a clear track with a wooded ditch and bank to your right, and with great views on the left across a bowl of farmland towards Britwell Salome House. This is a good place to see red kites.
Leaving St Botolph’s, turn left again along The Ridgeway down through the trees for some three hundred yards to where it turns off to the left, across a short stretch of parkland and up a steep hill through the trees, then by the field edge on to Ewelme Park. Turn here immediately right, away from The Ridgeway, along the track down through trees and out into a field edge, with the vale opening out in front of you. Follow this down to join the Swans Way track, and, after bearing right at the next track junction, along Grindon Lane to meet the minor road again just short of Ewelme, and thence back into the village. Photograph: Swyncombe churchyard copyright a Member.
A Winter Walk Suggestion -- Bishopstone Full description available from the Vale of White Horse Local Group. See also West Ilsley walk description at the end of the page for an alternative winter walk.
An Autumn Walk Suggestion -- Britwell Salome (NB The Goose is currently closed - Feb 2010) This is a family favourite walk, around the Chilterns slopes and beech-woods above Britwell Salome, with fine views past the mansion and across the vale. Although proposed as a walk for Autumn, when the beeches of Icknieldbank Plantation are particularly attractive, it is pleasant all year round. We start at the crossroads in Britwell Salome, by The Goose – a better restaurant than its homely exterior suggests, and its two-course lunches for £14.95 are excellent value! Follow the B4009 towards Watlington with care, and turn off to the left after 100 yards on the footpath across the field to the little C13th church of St Nicholas and its 1400-year old yew – well worth a visit! Leaving the church, turn left past the Old Rectory back to the road, turning right for a few yards to where a bridleway heads up the hill past Coopers Farm. This soon becomes a charming path through trees, until it meets The Ridgeway. Turn right on this, and cross the paved road at the foot of Britwell Hill, and, after another 200 yards, turn left off the hard track at the North Farm buildings and follow The Ridgeway path up around the edge of a wide field, with fine views back towards the pavilioned, Georgian presence of Britwell Salome mansion. For a shorter walk, bear right as the track enters Dean Wood, and head up across the grassy wedge towards the path around the top of the field, beside an ancient earthwork, as far as the grassy mounds where the path divides. Bear right and steeply down towards the track (here Swans Way), but before joining it turn left through Icknieldbank Plantation to meet the Ewelme road at the corner of the wood. Turn right here, then right again along the byway running in front of the mansion to meet the paved Britwell Hill road at the outskirts of the village, and thence back to the crossroads and The Goose. More vigorous walkers will continue on The Ridgeway path up through Dean Wood to the crest of the hill, down into the valley beyond and up the slope again to cross the Cookley Green road, and then down past Swyncombe House, and the charming little St Botolph’s Church. The Ridgeway turns off to the left after a while, but the walk continues gently downhill for a mile until it meets Swans Way, where we turn right along a field edge to meet the paved road close to the foot of Icknieldbank Plantation. Follow the path through the wood, rejoining the track as the wood ends, and turn left here towards the mansion as far as the byway crossroads. Turn right here towards the Britwell Hill road, then left through the village to the B4009 crossroads and The Goose, and a good lunch to reward your exertions.
The Vale of White Horse Invitation Walk -- Summer, 2009 The new Vale of White Horse Local Group (VWHLG) will launch its The walk starts with a short pull up the hill on the wide verges beside the main road for the few yards to The Ridgeway, where we turn west past two houses down a gentle slope towards Segsbury Camp (Letcombe Castle). The impressive ramparts of the hill-fort soon appear to our right, and the access is reached after a kilometre, via another side road to Letcombe Regis, that bisects the enclosure. Returning to the Ridgeway, the path follows the edge of the escarpment, the classic high downland walk towards the slight eminence of Hackpen Hill, with Childrey Warren and soon the Devil’s Punchbowl below us down the hill. Our walkers with VWHLG will enjoy a lift back to Court Hill from the National Trust car-park at Woolstone Hill, so will press on, crossing the B4001 at Sparsholt Firs, down into the dip and up again to Rams Hill, and on to the bulk of Uffington Castle crowning the hill and marking the site of the White Horse, and the transport awaiting them. Others may prefer to take a different route back to Segsbury Camp, as detailed in The Ridgeway Friend (click here for details), via the kissing gate down towards the Devil’s Punchbowl and Childrey Warren to Letcombe Bassett. Follow the foot-path or the bridle way back up the steep hill to The Ridgeway and Court Hill, and a well-earned cup of tea, and one of their excellent cakes, at the Barn Tea Room. Photograph: VOWHLG walkers taking a well deserved break. Copyright Jeff Goddard.
A Spring Walk Suggestion
We are indebted to 'A Member' for this great 8-mile walk, starting and ending on The Ridgeway at The Crown at Nuffield. This is a good walk for a cool but bright day in spring, passing through our member’s favourite bluebell woods, and the wonderful ascent to Nuffield along Grims Ditch. From The Crown follow The Ridgeway marks across the Nuffield golf-course to the church, and across the adjacent field to the top of Grims Ditch. Leaving this to your right, follow the footpath straight on to Ridgeway Farm and Homer. Cross the minor road here and follow on through the wood to join the Nuffield-Stoke Row road briefly, before bearing right, to join the track to Well Place. You could follow this down through Berinshill woods, but, for the full Monty, take the first left then right onto the Ipsden road. After a few yards, turn off the road along the path down through the woods of Yewtree Brow to where the paths meet at the field edge, where you turn right, back up to the road at Garsons Hill. Turn right here, back up-hill to Garson’s Cottage, where you turn left onto the path through Berins Hill wood down towards Well Place. At the road turn left again after a few yards, along the path and back to the road, where you take a right and then left, past Warren Farm to the Hailey- Homer track, where the King Billy will be on your right as you go down the hill, and some refreshment may be in order! The King William IV pub is a well-known walkers’ hostelry, with tables outside, beside the track, and a lovely view across fields. The Times’ short version of this walk starts and ends here, and brings you down the track direct from Homer Farm, without the southwards extension to Garsons Hill and Well Place. From the King Billy, turn right and then right again on a straight path past Poors Farm towards Wicks Wood, where a path at the corner leads you down to Wodehouse Farm and the track bringing you out onto the old Icknield Way road at Forest Row. Turn right here down the hill, and in a few yards you meet The Ridgeway, here following Grims Ditch, at the Icknield Way crossing, an atmospheric place indeed! From here you turn homewards, a long ascent through the massed bluebells over Bachelor’s Hill, down into Morrell’s Bottom and up again to Nuffield at the top of the escarpment. A bit of a pull up through the trees, but well worth the effort! Click on the map below for a full-size version.
A Winter Walk Suggestion This is a scenic circular walk of about 4.5 miles, starting from the The Harrow pub at West Ilsley.
Starting from the pub, go west a few yards and turn right up a wide track. The walk starts on a wide hard surface path and then becomes a grassy path sloping gently up to the Ridgeway, through wide open scenery alongside grass gallops. After about 1.5 miles you reach the Ridgeway. Turn right (east) and walk along the Ridgeway over Bury Down to the road and car parks, about another mile. The Ridgeway section west and east of Bury Down is a wide grass track high up on the downs, with views mainly to the north to the Vale of the White Horse. It can be very windy and cold in winter on the downs and this is not a suitable walk on a misty day, as the path ahead may be difficult to see and there won't be any views! To enjoy it at its best, choose a clear calm day. Continue straight over the road. After about 1/3 mile you come across the first route back on your right, a footpath across fields. If you stay on the Ridgeway for a further 1/3 mile or so, you will come to a clearer path down to the right. Both of these paths lead back to West Ilsley. When you reach the tar road at the bottom of the hill, turn right to go back to The Harrow for refreshment. To shorten this walk, just go up to The Ridgeway, admire the view and come back down the same way. The Harrow is a small 17th century pub, overlooking the village cricket ground. It serves a variety of food, and has won awards in the past. Seating is fairly basic and cosy and is divided into two areas. It can be busy, especially at weekends in the summer, so it is worth booking a table if you know you will want to eat there.
OS ref of The Harrow: SU471826
Photographs: copyright Friends of the Ridgeway / a member. Map supplied by a member. |
||
.jpg)
As the track starts to dip downwards, bear up right through the trees to join The Ridgeway, and turn right along it, over the brow and down into a steep valley the other side, and up again to cross the Cookley Green road, then down, past the old rectory, towards Swyncombe House and the ancient St Botolph’s church, with its churchyard smothered at this time of year with snowdrops and aconites. It’s well worth a visit inside too.
programme of guided walks this year, with our very favourite summer walk, starting at the Court Hill Hostel above Wantage, just off the A338, on the side road coming up from Letcombe Regis. There is parking here, and the welcoming Barn Tea Rooms for refreshment.
