Thanks for your great company, pawb, sorry I left you just before the end, but I reckon I had done 7 milltir as it was, by the time I got back to my sister’s in Sheep st around 4.30pm.! Memo to self: gumboots great for land walking but hard on the feet when road walking.
Brilliant photos, J.P Looking forward to our crwydro nesaf.
Before we get too far into mis tachwedd, here are some ideas for walks closer to Oxford. As we were discussing on last Saturday’s Charlbury walk, this might be better now the nights are drawing in:
A. Wytham Wood – Circular walk from parking area for Wytham Wood near Botley Road/A34 Ring road interchange ( Botley Road buses from Central Oxford/Oxford station); pub and tea shop in Wytham village 1/3 way round anti-clockwise or 2/3 clockwise (differs from previous route through Wytham Wood)
B. Thames Path & Oxford Canal – Repeat of previous circular walk clockwise from Oxford Station circling Port Meadow, passing several pubs – possible return via nature reserve E side Port Meadow rather than canal towpath.
C. University Parks to Water Eaton Park & Ride/Oxford Parkway Station – Linear walk from central Oxford along River Cherwell, passing riverside pub, then Cutteslowe Park and ploughed fields to Park & Ride (buses back to central Oxford and main railway station).
D. Water Eaton Park & Ride/Oxford Parkway Station to Islip – Linear walk from P&R through arable fields, then along River Cherwell to Islip village with pub and station for 15:28 train back to Oxford Parkway (with buses back to central Oxford and main railway station).
E. Shotover Country Park – Circular walk from Thorncliffe Park & Ride (frequent buses from central Oxford and London), uphill through fields and wooded slopes to former hunting forest of Shotover, down again to Horspath with pub, over fields to Brasenose Wood and back up to Shotover Hill (views towards Didcot) before returning to Park & Ride (another option setting out from the P&R could be walk a little way through the suburb of Risinghurst to local Wildlife Trust’s CS Lewis Nature Reserve and then up through woods and fields to continue through Shotover Forest)
Also not forgetting JP’s suggestion of a walk around central Oxford including a visit to the Natural History Museum. A & E involve hills B, C & D are pretty flat – sorry I haven’t estimated distances yet, but I don’t think any of them are more than 5 miles. Plenty of other possibilities so do post if you have any more suggestions.
Let me know which dates might be good for you - could be a weekend or a weekday, as we discussed at Charlbury, Hwyl fawr, John
Wytham Wood gets my vote & I’m opening the days at:
Monday 7th
Monday 14th
Tuesday 15th
But, am flexible with weekdays & could fit in to what suits folk who are working.
I believe i can make either of those Mondays if it is to be a week day not weekend.
Walking out from station to the Botley park and ride is no problem so that walk is
fine with me as well.
Cheers J.P.
Grêt! I should be able to make any of those dates.
For anyone else who might be interested, there’s a map here showing the location of Wytham Wood and one route around it on the main track - there are quite a few possible routes via tracks through Radbrook Common and the Great Wood (for anyone who might be arriving by bus at the Park & Ride the small map om the right shows the cycle path which is probably the best way to reach the Wytham Wood parking area on foot)
PS For anyone planning to come by bus from the centre of Oxford or the station the 400 bus runs every 12 mins to the Botley Rd P&R (confusingly displayed as ‘Seacourt P&R’ on the front of the bus - in the other direction, by the way, it’s displayed as ‘Thornhill P&R’ which I mis-named ‘Thorncliffe’ in the walk E description above)
Just realised we haven’t settled on which of the two Mondays will be our Wytham walk. Unless things have changed - Pippa? JP? - let’s say Mon 7th December.
Hwyl, John
Oops I missed this. 7th is fine Diolch i ti.
Yes I can do Mon 7th too, depending on if I feel up to it and how the weather is. I have a big day singing on the Sunday so might need a ‘dies non’ on the Monday !
hwyl fawr, Caroline
Excellent, that makes four of us so far for Mon 7th’s walk - as always, the more the merrier so do come along if you can make it. One small caveat though, with Caroline having said it’s dependent on whether she feels up to it on the day, I guess I ought to mention that, Wytham Wood being on a hill, there’ll be a bit of a pull up over the first 3/4 mile or so (from contour lines on the map it looks as if there’s a rise of about 250 feet or so from the parking place), so best to be prepared!
I’ve just realised that we haven’t said what time we’re meeting up for next Monday’s Wytham Wood walk. Are people happy to meet at the usual time, i.e. 12.00, or with the dark evenings now would people prefer to meet up a little earlier this time?
I’m afraid it looks like i won’t make the meetup.
Work (the usual reason).
Cheers J.P.
Sorry to hear that JP, that’s bad luck. I remember Pippa originally suggested the 7th, 14th or 15th and we chose the 7th more or less at random - would you be able to make it for the 14th instead if that date’s still OK for Pippa? If so, that could perhaps also be a better date for Caroline, as she wasn’t 100% sure about the 7th?
John W, i’m really grateful for the time you put in organising these outings. Please don’t change any dates just for me as time is a bit chaotic at the moment and so i can’t guarantee what i will be doing until the new year. (other than being busy). Keep doing what you are doing in posting information i will always attend if possible.
Cheers J.P.
OK JP. Hopefully, the timing might work out better for you for the next crwydro ym mis Ionawr. Nadolig llawen!
I’m happy with midday. It looks like a relatively short one this time. Pippa
Diolch Pippa - hanner dydd ydy hi, 'te. Wela i chdi (a Caroline?) yno, John
Yn y maes parcio?
Ie, dyna fo, cyfarfod yn y maes parcio…
Really sorry, but I have got too much on this week so need a day’s fallow tomorrow. Our West Gallery carol singing at N.T’s Canon’s Ashby went down a treat today, doing the same next Sunday too. Will join you when you do your walk round Oxford city.Too tired to think in Welsh !
Have a good day.Cheers.
