Rolling Oxfordshire Countryside and a
Wetlands Nature Reserve
SWC 292: Islip Circular (in reverse) t=swc.292
Distance: 10.8 miles or 17.4 km for those more
metrically minded with shorter options available – see walk instructions
Difficulty: 3
out of 10
Train: Take the 9:42
AM Oxford-bound Chilterns Railway train from London Marylebone, arriving at Islip at 10:57. Return
trains are at 16:51; 16:58 (change at Oxford); 18:51 and 18:58 (change at
Oxford). Buy a day return to Islip.
In addition to gently rolling landscapes and
picturesque villages, one of the real highlights of this walk is the Otmoor Nature Reserve, a favorite haunt for various birds of different sizes and
shapes. In fact, the main reason for doing the walk in reverse is to have some
time towards the end of the walk to explore the reserve without feeling the
need to rush on to lunch. So bring your binoculars and a flask (hip or
thermos) and enjoy the action…..before the final stretch back Islip
(which takes about 45 minutes)—but do watch the clock, as the trains back to
London are not super frequent…..Last year about this time, we were lucky enough
to see hundreds of thousands of starlings coming in to roost at dusk between
sunset and darkness……hopefully, we will be treated to a similar performance again
this year…..
You can find more information about the walk and
download the walk instructions here.
As we will be going in reverse, a print-out of the map or download of the GPX
will be helpful.
The recommended lunch pub on the main walk is the Abingdon Arms
in Beckley (01865 655667) a popular community-based pub,
serving excellent food (a booking for 6 at 1pm has been made).
Back in Islip, tea and other bevies can be had at
the Red Lion on the High Street. Fortunately, unlike last year, the Red
Lion looks to be open until 11pm…..
Enjoy the walk!
1 comment:
Islip Circular Saturday 14th Jan 2023
#6 of us set off under a #cloudy_but_dry conditions with a short sharp shower later in the morning. We even had periods of sunshine in the afternoon. We walked through muddy and claggy fields usually surrounded by vast stretches of flooding. We had to diverge from the official route a few times because of the said flooding, at one point slithering down and then scrambling back up a steep and very muddy and watery ditch.
We were reliably informed by the walk poster not to rush lunch so that we could time our arrival at the Otmoor Nature Reserve in time for the starlings. So we had a very nice leisurely lunch at the Abingdon Arms in Beckley, then on with the walk spotting a muntjac. We arrived at the Reserve at dusk and saw lapwings (we think) and then onto a viewing point keeping our eyes peeled for Starlings. Suddenly thousands of starlings flew over our heads towards the marshes. This however was nothing compared to the delights that awaited us when we got to the viewing point overlooking a lake and the marshes. That’s when we saw the murmuration – amazing dark clouds of starlings rising and falling in waves out of the marshes, merging together to form even darker clouds breaking up and re joining. Spectacular.
The sight was worth any amount of wetting – and we did get our feet very wet as we walked back to Islip, wading through a foot of water along a flooded path. We stopped at the pub in Islip for a final drink and to dry off – then onto the station to catch the 18.51 back to London. A very exciting day. Thank you Stargazer.
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