Walking the Ridgeway - Chinnor to Watlington

We picked up the path last visited a few weeks ago in Chinnor. Well known in the 19th century for it's production  of lace and chair legs. The plentiful supply of Chiltern Beech provided the wood for the chair legs.
The path is flanked by huge pits of the local quarry.
It is a fairly straight and uneventful part of the walk  along this stage in all honesty.

The plan today was as usual a circular walk and we wouldn't really be covering a great deal of the Ridgeway unfortunately. Another very hot and humid day and with three dogs in tow we were glad for any shade provided.

Parched fields

This Summer shows no sign of letting up with the heat and sunshine. It must be at least 6 weeks since we saw any rain.

We cross a junction signposted 'Kingston Blount'.
A small village that isn't really worth a detour although it does have a pub, a tempting proposition even at this early stage.

 As mentioned this part of the Ridgeway was very easy walking .

We excited the Ridgeway at the junction with the A40and picked up the footpath leading to Aston Rowant Nature Reserve , a good place to see Red Kites.
The Reserve is also bordered by the Swans Way.This path starts at Salcey Forest in Northants and ends in Goring on Thames , Berkshire .

About a seven mile walk in total so definitely one of the shorter legs we have done so far.
We stopped off afterwards at the Fat Fox inn Watlington . A Brakspears house. I opted for an expensive yet forgettable pint of 'Oxford Gold (4.6%).  It didn't matter too much as in the heat of the day anything would have gone down well.

Walking The Ridgeway Ivinghoe Beacon and Ashridge Estate

 Time to catch up on some missing legs of the Ridgeway.  My usual walking partner was on a jolly at Ascot races so I was flying solo today. Where better than the start or endpoint of Ivinghoe Beacon depending on your point of view. Standing 233 m (757 ft) above sea level it is close to the village of Ivinghoe in Buckinghamshire. It lies between the towns of Dunstable in Bedfordshire, and Berkhamsted and Tring in Hertfordshire.

Rolling Hills

Another blisteringly hot Summers Day and I left the car in the free car park . Following the signs I made my way to the summit of the Beacon. The chalky grassland is fairly easy walking although quite steep in places , another tester for the knee.
On arrival I wasn't totally sure what to do next?
I decided to have a wander around some of the fields and footpaths.There are breathtaking views of the Vale of Aylesbury right across to the Lion carved into the  chalk hillside at Whipsnade.

Huge Skies

Chalky grassland path

I soon found myself back at the car park after about half an hour. It wasn't time to pack up and go home that was for sure. I had noticed earlier on my map something called the 'Bridgewater Monument' in the Ashridge estate. All I had to do was to navigate myself there then !

From the main car park at Steps Hill I walked away from the Beacon following a woodland path 'Dunscombe Terrace' leading to the Visitor Centre on the Ashridge estate.

Restored Victorian shooting Lodge

The Bridgewater Monument

 The first thing you notice as you approach the Ashridge estate visitor centre is the listed Georgian 'Bridgewater Monument'.
Towering above the trees the monument was built in 1832 in memory of the third Duke of Bridgewater who once lived in Ashridge house. The monument is dedicated to 'the father of inland navigation' because the duke became famous for building canals during the Industrial Revolution.
I climbed all 172 steps to the viewing gallery and took in the views of the Ashridge estate.

It is said that on a clear day you can see Canary Wharf , The Shard Building and Wembley stadium. I must admit I did struggle a bit with the dodgy pair of old binoculars the kind man from the National Trust lent me.

Changing direction you can spot Waddesdon Manor and Wendover Woods in the distance.

The Ashridge estate is set within 2,000 hectares of atmospheric mature woodland with lots of marked trails to explore and is owned by National Trust.

I would have been quite happy to stay at the top admiring the view
all afternoon. However there was plenty more walking to be done.
There was time for a quick cup of tea with an old friend of mine who had seen my post on Facebook and arranged to meet up with me.
Only living in Berkhamsted it only took him a few minutes to arrive to a place he knew very well.

I never really  enjoy walking back the same route although sometimes it is unavoidable. From my lofty eyrie I spied a Golf Course out the back and a different path leading roughly in that direction.
After a quick study of the trusty ordnance survey map I reckoned if I could get the other side of the Golf Course and hopefully pick up the trail going up Pitstone Hill. From there it then joins the Ridgeway and the missing section would be completed back to the car park.

Stocks Golf Club

For once the plan worked like a charm !
by the time I had climbed up  Pitstone Hill the poor old legs were starting to feel it . In the heat I definitely began to feel weary and the ice cream back in the car park had never tasted quite so good.

Ridgeway Map

Nuns Valley Madeira

 More spectacular views as we visited Curral das Freiras ('Nuns Valley') A small parish nestling between almost perpendicular mountains in the heart of the island. We stopped at the viewpoint at  Eira do Serrado and Paredão to look down on the valley way below.

In 1566 the nuns from the Santa Clara convent fled from pirates attacking Funchal and found safety here. They also lugged with them the treasure from the convent ensuring the pirates left virtually empty handed. The area is famous for it's chestnuts and seem to be used in all sorts of cooking.  I believe they also have a yearly festival dedicated to the chestnut.

We almost didn't make the trip as our mini bus didn't turn up. We only got on this trip after sitting through the most tedious and boring 3 hour time share presentation (never ,ever again). So there was no way this was not going to happen.  We marched back up to to the office and demanded action. Thankfully common sense occurred and a taxi was ordered to catch us up with the errant mini bus.

On arrival in the Nuns Valley we were ushered into one of the local cafes. Part of the deal or ordeal as it was turning out was to have coffee and cake. Naturally it was a slice of chestnut cake and very nice too . Could well have been walnut, hazelnut or peanut really. Then a waiter started bringing out some gharishly coloured liqueurs for us to dry.
The first was bright green and was some sort of menthol flavour? Tasted just like the stuff the dentist gives you to gargle with but not so nice. The second , surprise surprise was a chestnut liqueur that looked and tasted like cold Horlicks. The third was a little better and made from the Ginja berry. It is like a sour cherry and compared to the previous two was almost palatable.
The problem came when we got up to leave and were expected to make a purchase. I politely declined and hastily exited stage left not for the first time.

 I found the small Parish a strange place really and in truth not really wort the visit. I thought that I was doing my good citizen bit when I heard banging coming from a padlocked garage door. The garage door was attached to a large white building. I had just read a Peter James novel involving a hostage who had been left locked away and immediately my mind was racing. I tried to communicate with who or whatever was banging on the door to no avail. What could it be , someone trussed up until the ransom money was paid? Still the banging kept happening with no answers to my 'Hello , is everything alright' ?... I decided to fetch assistance in the form of two non English speaking locals who seemed bemused , more with me than the contents of the garage really if i'm honest. Another local appeared after a hasty phone call, he was armed with some bolt cutters. I was starting to worry a little now just what we might find lurking behind the door. I decided to retreat to a safe distance at this point. 

The Church at Curral das Freiras

As soon as the shackles were lifted and the door opened an elderly lady exited at a rate of knots  nearly knocking the men over. She disappeared up some steps and out of sight without so much as thank you. It was only later back on the bus I found out from our guide that the building with the garage was the local asylum ......

Scene of my 'rescue'

Praia Formosa walk

 It seemed like a good idea at the time to catch the bus to Praia Formosa.. The promise of the Atlantic surf crashing onto dark volcanic sand didn't quite live up to expectations. 

Another cloudy and overcast afternoon and being dropped off in the middle of nowhere was not a great start. It was only when we found the beach that we realised that it would probably have been easier to have walked.
The wind had got up and the word that sprang
to mind was 'bleak'. Sitting at the beach-side cafe

The words to the Morrissey song ' Every Day is like a Sunday' were going through my head 'This is the coastal town that they forgot to close down'.
Fueled by an ice cold Coral beer we made the decision to walk back to the hotel . 

It was difficult walking on the beach with all the pebbles until a tunnel appears and bores through the rock. 

 It was cool to walk through the tunnel and hear the sea crashing all around.

The rest of the walk takes us along the hotel zone. The south facing slopes are carpeted in tropical and sub-tropical  flora. There are plenty of lizards scampering between rocks. 

We spot an interesting bird in the branches of a tree, a 'Harris Hawk' . It is undisturbed by our presence and I noticed that it had a tag on its leg. This is probably a 'tame' bird of prey that is used to scare of the local pigeon population.

Harris Hawk

 
We walk back past the lido, a popular sunbathing area. 

 

Madeira Flora and Fauna

Pride of Madeira

As i've said previously Madeira is Portugal's very own floating garden. It is a garden lovers paradise. My favourite the Agapanthus  'Lily of the Nile' seem to be everywhere. From lining the roadside the blue and white flowers  are also high in the mountains.

Agapanthus

Equally common is the Bird of Paradise 'Strelitzia' although strictly speaking it is of South African origin. 

Pride of Madeira 

 

Bird of Paradise

Pride of Madeira 'Echium Candicans'  is an attractive herbaceous perennial whose flowering stalks produced clothed in rough leaves.

There are several botanical gardens in easy reach of Funchal . But for the princely sum of 1 euro you can visit the Presidents Gardens.
he gardens harmoniously combine large trees, exotic birds, flowers and many species of interesting plants. The following pictures were all taken in there. 

Dahlias

The gardens around our hotel were also very well stocked with an array of spectacular plants . As such they were very attractive to the equally stunning  Monarch Butterfly.

Monarch Butterfly

Madeiran Bananas

Serra D'Agua Valley Levada walk

This particular walk is approx 5.5km but only climbs 80m throughout the length due to the way the levadas wind around the hillside.Marina a gone off searching for whales and dolphins so I joined a guided tour, made up mostly of pensioners .

Our guide  was very knowledgeable of the flora and fauna and showed us a different side of life in Madeira.





Serra D'Agua is described as one of the most beautiful places on Earth, well they do have to sell the tours I suppose? A bold statement perhaps but from here you can see the South coast, Encumeada, Ribeira Brava and Campanario.
Today we are walking just 5km of the 65km route and naturally it is the most beautiful part.

Pinus pinaster and Eucalyptus globulus, are widespread in the surrounding woodland. When sugar cane was a major crop, timber was used to make the sugar mills. Soil  erosion has become a serious problem in the south of the island, where logging and overgrazing has intensively destroyed vegetation cover. The trees mentioned play an important part in holding everything together if that is not too technical an explanation?

Our weary traveller

I enjoyed the walk and would like to have gone further really . I'm not sure the others would have agreed as they were mostly pensioners and were blowing a bit by the end.

It's true the views were spectacular and it's amazing how they farm on the side of a mountain in very challenging circumstances. We stopped off on the way back at a small cafe for a cheeky ' Pastel de Nata' and I was severely tempted by the 'Bolo De Mel' too I can tell you !