Walking the Ridgeway - Tring to Hastoe and Beyond ..

Starting Point

A chilly and dull morning welcomed me to Tring, my starting point for today's adventure. I managed to park close to the canal , just down from the Railway Station. I seemed to recall that the Ridgeway re-connected through a hedge . somewhere on the corner of Beggars Lane?

I was flying solo today with my erstwhile companion living it up in London. I couldn't persuade my wife to join me either, she opted for coffee with her friend at the Garden Centre ......

I had missed a couple of legs that my usual companion had completed last year so today was an opportunity to catch up a little bit. I must confess at this stage that he is the expert when it comes to navigating and map reading (usually). I am quite content to leave it to him , trusting that he will get us from and to the destinations as required. Today it was going to be all down to me.

The Ridgeway is generally pretty well signposted so it would be fairly easy to walk to a given point and back again. At least that was my theory.

The rough plan today was to follow the path to Hastoe, then pick up the Chiltern Way for a circular route coming back along the canal again.

Ivinghoe Beacon in the distance

A gentle climb past open fields and Chestnut Wood before  the trail crosses the A4251. I then crossed the busy A41 via a footbridge.

Some nice views on the right hand side even in the dismal light on offer. The imposing Ivinghoe Beacon looms large in the background.  Just before Bulls Wood is the 'Trig Point' on the side of a field.

Trig point

 The next point of interest is Tring Park. Unfortunately not as big as it once was due to the A41 cutting through it in1974. Nevertheless still a very pleasant section of the walk .
Covering an area of 107 hectares (264 acres), it contains a mosaic of habitats such as chalk grassland, scrub, mixed woodland and parkland landscaped by Charles Bridgeman in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Lying to the south of Tring, the site runs along the Chiltern ridge, offering superb views eastwards over the lowland vale.

A view over the lowland vale

 
It felt a little bit disappointing arriving in Hastoe, there's not much there in truth. Maybe I expected too much? A welcoming party ? A marching band? Dancing ladies? Well, none of that , not from what I saw at least. I had to content myself with knowing that I was at the highest point in Hertfordshire no less! 803 feet (245 m) above sea level.

I decided to keep on going , recklessly abandoning my best laid plans  to loop back to Tring.

Going through Pavis wood there were several interesting structures that warranted further attention. This involved me climbing up a slope to get in to a very cramped area. It looked liked some sort of feeding station on two levels ? Decided to get out again as quick as possible as a bit claustrophobic.

The Ridgeway then crosses two large cow fields , thankfully minus the cows.  I decided to stop at Uphill Farm just before Hale Wood.

It was getting murkier and there was a light drizzle. Not entirely sure of my route back I favoured caution on this occasion.  

I retraced the route back to Hastoe and deviated slightly along a permissable footpath in what felt was roughly the right direction. Eventually after some half an hour I arrived in the village of Wigginton. It was tempting to pop into The Greyhound for a swifty as I was sweating up a bit. However I wasn't entirely sure where to go from here? I couldn't find the path to take me back over the A41. I had to do it the hard way by road. Mostly downhill but not quite the scenic canal walk I had envisaged! At least I ended up back at the car though

Barnwell Country Park and Summerleys Nature Reserve

Barnwell Country Park

My first ever visit to Barnwell CP ,and getting the full guided tour from my friend Mr David King.
Barnwell Country Park comprises 37 acres of lakes, riverbank and meadows to explore, situated close to the historic market town of Oundle.

There have been regular sightings of Kingfishers as well as Otters around the lakes so we were hopeful of spotting something a little out of the ordinary.

An early start on what was a fairly dull morning , despite the poor light it was at least mild an dry.

After paying the £3 car park fee we made our way passed the children's playground over to the 'Kingfisher Hide'.

Already there is a a lot of bird activity around the logs and branches outside the Hide. Several Dunnocks, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Chaffinches and a rather splendid pair of Robins one of whom wasted no time flying up to the window ledge in search of  food.

 Probably the friendliest birds you will ever find , but very territorial so quite unusual to see two getting on so well together. Most people only associate the Robin with Christmas but they are for all year round .

Nuthatches

It wasn't long before we were joined by a pair of glorious Nuthatches, tempted by the addition of some Sunflower hearts placed invitingly. Nuthatches are omnivorous where they eat mostly insects. They forage for insects, nuts and seeds hidden in or under bark by climbing along tree trunks and branches, sometimes upside-down. They get their name from wedging items of food in tree crevices and then hacking it open. Another lovely bird the 'Treecreeper' was a fleeting visitor on this occasion and a little camera shy sadly.

Dunnocks

 Dunnocks are small Passerines or perching birds. Often known by their alternative name 'Hedge Sparrows'.

Ducks at Barnwell but no Otters

North Lake

After a couple of hours we decided to move on to Summerleys Nature Reserve between Earls Barton and Wollaston Northants. The parking is free here and its a gentle two miles of fairly easy walking around the perimeter. The Wildlife Trust have done a fantastic job in transforming these former gravel pits into a haven for wildlife. An additional bonus is that the sun has broken through and there is some lovely blue sky.

Summerleys, Gt Doddington village on the hill

Sun breaks through over the reeds

Buzzard soars overhead

There is great excitement at Summerleys as a very rare visitor has been spotted. This visitor has come all the way from the USA and is a 'Ring Necked Duck'. Slightly ambiguous in my opinion as it doesn't have a ringed neck at all. The ring is on it's bill ! Needless to say we didn't spot it among the thousands of other similar looking estuary birds.

Its always good value to visit the feeding station where you are almost certain of seeing a selection of; male and female Bullfinches, Chaffinches, Reed Buntings, Long Tailed Tits, Goldfinches, Blue, Great and Coal Tits, Bramblings, Pheasants and the odd Pigeon among others.

Goldfinch

Female Bullfinch

Different types of Egret can be seen quite regularly, usually Cattle, Great or Little. They are Heron like with white or buff plumage, and develop fine plumes.

Egret in full flight

Cormorant

 A really enjoyable half day spent a two of the counties best sites for birdwatching.

Walking The Ridgeway Watlington to Ewelme Park

Nuffield bound

The route

First Ridgeway trek of 2019 ! A good route planned as always with options to cut short if need be. The thought of finishing by going up Watlington Hill again had very limited appeal I must say.

Not a great deal to report really , standard flat going until we reach the Hamlet of Swyncombe and  St Botolphs Church. About 4 ¹⁄₂ miles (7 km) east of Wallingford , in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Swycombe

St BotolphsChurch

St Botolph's parish church was originally early 11th  century Norman , and a Grade II listed building.
Despite the remoteness it is a large place. There is a well populated cemetery and some overspill across the road. The Church is famous for its blanket of Snowdrops that  cover the grassy areas in February. Quite a sight I'm reliably informed.

Ted in full stride

Always interesting trees on the walks

There followed  a steep walk down through some woodland , it was quite noticeable that there seemed to be quite a lot of other walkers out in force today. No doubt a few Christmas excesses being walked off early this New Year.

Ewelme Park Estate

Ewelme Park House

 

 

Following a stony track we then went through a farmyard and encountered a rosy cheeked fellow who introduced himself as 'Lester' the 'Head Gardener'. I asked him how 'Ewelme' was pronounced? He explained that it was as follows, 'Ewe as in Sheep and Elm as in tree' very simple 'Ewelme'. Old Lester was quite an authority on local history explaining the estate was formed some 450 years ago. A large quantity of Roman coins were found during a tree planting. Probably explains why there are so many trees!The main house is very impressive with it's gatehouse but is probably not as old as it looks ? Some Peacocks on the lawn and Pheasants in the hedgerows complete the idyllic scene.   

Lester did warn us 'keep away from the even bigger house down the lane'. 'Belongs to the Russians'. Putin's Financial Advisor he'd heard. Grounds patrolled by armed guards!

We went the opposite way ......

We left the Ridgeway completely cutting off the bottom chunk of the planned route. Passing the edge of Hayroft Wood up to Cookley Green. We then cut back across Dame Alice Farm back on to the Ridge way and back to the car. Despite missing off parts of the planned route we still covered 9.1 miles. Which left a little time for a beer at Ye Olde Leathern Bottel' and that is the correct spelling. A pint of the local Brakspeares Bitter 3.4% (Brewed at Henley On Thames) went down nicely !

The Gatehouse