Something a little different today. Our walk starts (and ends) in the Cherwell Valley, Somerton, Oxfordshire is surrounded by
beautiful countryside including farm land, water meadows running along
the Cherwell River and Oxford Canal.The canal itself is a wonder of 18th-century engineering, originally constructed to transport coal from the Midlands to Oxford. We are walking in a clockwise direction, It is another glorious day so keeping hydrated is key today.
It's fairly easy and flat walking as you might expect by the canalside. Lots of Butterflies and Dragonflies too, which is good to see. We are walking in the direction of North Aston.
North Aston, on the western slopes of the Cherwell Valley is midway between Oxford and Banbury. The village is on a ridge about
460 feet (140 m) above sea level. It is beautifully maintained with a picturesque lake as the path winds towards the country estate of North Aston Hall. The gardens, farmland and woodland total about 194 acres in total. It is a stunning building in 2018 a guide price of £28 million was set when it went up for sale. A bit of research shows that the Jacobean mansion was on the market for a mere 2.5 million. That would represent a tidy profit in my book.
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Parish Church St Mary the Virgin
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Right next to the Hall is the Church of St Mary the Virgin (1151).The Grade II listed building is mostly decorated Gothic, Around 1485 the lord of the manor, John Anne, took stone from other
buildings owned by the Priory to create the striking tower. Since the
church stands so close to the nearby Hall, the only way to make the
tower fit the site was to insert it partially into the nave.I particularly like the 15th century alabaster monument to a Knight and his Lady. Reported to be 'John and Alicia Anne'.
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Lovely views
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We are now on the Deddington circular walk heading towards Clifton. Where we stop for a refreshing non-alcoholic drink. In the distance there are not one but two Viaducts looming large. As we drop down to the Oxford Canal a rural scene is playing out. The elderly Farmer is giving the benefit of his experience to his son (or even Grandson) as they repair an aged Hay Wagon that has seen better days. We head towards Somerton and it is Canal all the way. I perhaps should gave mentioned earlier that the Oxford Canal is some 78 miles long. From the heart of Oxford to Hawkesbury village close to Coventry. All is very quiet, not many people out walking. Maybe the heat has put them off? The sight of a 'Swing Bridge' is not easy to resist. Actually it isn't a Swing Bridge I now find out. The Chisnell Lift Bridge uses a counterbalance weight system to pivot up. It allows boats to pass. We managed to get the bridge fully extended! Unfortunately getting it back down was something of a problem.Not least as I was stuck on the other side of the water.....
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| The Chisnell Lift Bridge |
There was nothing for it but to use my own weight to try and lower the bridge. I had some success and managed to make enough progress to be able to jump the last four or five feet. All quite hair raising at least I avoided having to swim back. Which really was a strong possibility at one stage. Safely back on the right side the walk continues with some relief.
Calmness restored, I start to enjoy the beauty of being canalside once again. The giant leafed Gunnera are prominent along the banks. A bit like Rhubarb on steroids for those who don't know it. Lock 34 on the Oxford canal is the Somerton Deep Lock and is an
impressive 12-foot deep. As a single-width lock, it feels deep and
narrow when descending. It’s not the deepest lock in the UK canal system, with Tuel Lane Lock on
the Rochelle Canal at 19 feet and 8 inches foot deep, closely followed
by the Bath Deep Lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal.
This Grade II listed, 19th-century home is famous for being off-grid and having no car access, reachable only on foot via the towpath or by boat.
We are on the last part of the walk now and the heat hasn't relented. if anything it seems to have got hotter. The bridge at Somerton comes into sight. I hadn't noticed the WW2 Pill Box on the northern side of the road previously. Now sitting idly in the field it would once have served to protect the bridge and the road. The total length of the walk has been 7.5 miles.
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WW2 Pill box
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