Whaddon Chase -Swans Way (5)

Field Day

Our starting point today is the village of Whaddon.  A perfect day for walking, with a dry day forecast and blue skies withlots of fluff happy white clouds. Today is going to be a lot different from the previous two legs of The Swan's Way around Milton Keynes. Prepare yourself for plenty of photos of large wide open spaces and maybe the odd sheep?

Heading out of the village we walk towards Thrift Wood passing Chase Farm and Crabtree Farm.  We go over Railway Bridge 11 and take a small route along a fairly busy 'B' road. Below is a disused railway line that seems to be in the process of being made for use again?

A bit of further investigation reveals that it is part of 'East West Rail Phase 2'. This involves upgrading and reconstructing underused and mothballed sections of the railway linking the Great Western, Chiltern, West Coast and Midland main lines north of London and providing strategic east-west route connecting key centres .Eventually it will link Oxford to Cambridge  and beyond. 

There is a nice little Aqueduct across the track (Also known as The Salden Water Trough). This is situated 430 metres west of The Swan's Way.

Sadly to allow for the passenger trains the Aqueduct will have to be removed.

Salden Water Trough (Aqueduct)

Unusual Waymark sign

We passed an unusual waymark post that marked the Millennium and the creation of the National Cycle Network. Deep in the undergrowth as we contemplated trying to climb over to get a closer look at the Aqueduct . We stumbled across two random sculptures, of what seems to be some sort of funghi ?

The looked quite nice though and were well worthy of a photograph each.

Certainly more interest already than I had anticipated. I suppose that is the thing about these walks there is always something there if you look hard enough. As we reached the furthest point and headed homewards we encountered the lovely little village of  Little Horwood in the Vale of Aylesbury district. The television gardener Percy Thrower of 'Blue Peter' was born here at Horwood House.
Behind the Church of St Nicholas is possibly the most uneven football pitch I have ever seen!
It was actually being mowed by 2 x unattended  robotic lawnmowers, not quite what you would expect....

St Nicholas Parish Church

We continue over a style into rich golden fields of wheat rocking gently in the warm sunshine. It's a perfect English Summers day far away from all the chaos and madness going on in the world.
Beautiful open expanses of greenery are topped only by an oasis of blue water shimmering and inviting . On this occasion it's only little Archie who takes the plunge into the cooling waters. was more than slightly tempted myself as well !

'Archie'

'Peace and Calm'

The water break has provided a welcome interlude, especially for a 're-vitalised 'Archie' .

'Whaddon Chase' has been for centuries the site of Royal hunting grounds. It is also designated an area of 'Special Landscape Interest'.

For the first time today we have a large panoramic landscape to enjoy.
There is a little bit of interest from the odd sheep and another occasional walker. Otherwise it is virtually deserted as we head back towards our starting off point. Ending with a different view of St Mary's Church Whaddon.

St Mary's Church Whaddon