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| Christmas Common , very appropriate |
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| Today's route |
We knew before the start that the weather forecast today was at best 'grim'. . High winds , rain , snow and sleet were all in the mixture. Taking onboard the old Billy Connolly saying of 'No such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing' we set off in dry conditions . As always a circular starting very close to the small , picturesque village of Lewknor. From our starting point you can hear the M40 long before you get to see it. The very last part of the walk would take us under the elevated part of the motorway. So about 10 miles or so of the Chiltern Hills to conquer.
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| Three dogs in tow |
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| Typical Ridgeway path |
It would be reasonable to say , and I probably have said it before that walking the Ridgeway in a straight line can be a touch bland. Turning it into a circular walk certainly adds interest and some trepidation when you basically get lost !
We came off the Ridgeway at the turn for 'Christmas Common' .Replacing the flat with the steep climbs of Watlington Hill, Pyrton Hill and Shirburn Hill.
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| Shirburn Hill |
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| Pyrton Hill |
By now the wind had got up and the rain was steady
and it was hard going on the knees.There was the odd
fleeting glimpse of a Roe Deer to keep us on our toes.
At times we were totally exposed to the elements only
occasionally finding shelter out of the wind in the woods.
At one stage we did find ourselves in the wrong valley. Remedying the problem either involved crawling under barbed wire or going over the top. I opted for the latter with the aid of a tree and overhanging branches. It turned out that we had inadvertently ended up in a Deer Farm...
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| Wormsley Estate |
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| An unfortunate Pheasant |
Our walk then took us into the Wormsley Estate, some 2500 acres and an 18th century country house. Lying somewhere between Stokenchurch and Watlington it is the former home of the Philanthropist John Paul Getty.
There was quite a number of guns taking part in a pheasant shoot that we got very close to. A number of 'picker uppers' were stationed in nearby woods with their trusty Retriever dogs to round up the wounder or had flown in on the wing. On poor soul was stuttering around very close to us so my companion put it out of his misery . Not one to miss an opportunity he slipped it inside his pocket to take home for the pot .
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| Under the M40 |
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| Drenched through |
By now everything was just about soaked through. Even my boots had given up the ghost and were squelching with standing water. Undeterred we carried on with a stiff upper lip going under the M40 as we finished back on the Ridgeway. Have to say it is quite an anti-climax , I at least expected a few murals or words of encouragement , but nothing . After weather like today it was just good to get back to the car and get and get the wet gear off. Taking some dry clothes to change into wwould have been an even better idea though !
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