13.7 miles 22 km. Difficulty 3/10
Through an attractive part of the Thames Valley to lunch in Dorchester-on-Thames. Dorchester Abbey (now the parish church) is one of the few large monastery buildings to survive the Dissolution and is worth a visit. After lunch, you go back along the river to Little Wittenham. The church there is also worth a look. Soon afterwards, you reach Wittenham Clumps, a nature reserve encompassing two Iron Age hill forts.
Trains
Get the 9:47 train from Paddington arriving Didcot Parkway at 10:32.
Freedom Pass holders can travel free on the Elizabeth Line as far as Reading but require a ticket for the rest of the journey. (Elizabeth Line times: Paddington 9:18, Ealing Broadway 9:26 arrive Reading:10 10, depart 10:18 on the above train).
Four trains an hour back from Didcot (times vary slightly). Change at Reading if you want the Elizabeth line. Get a return to Didcot.
Lunch: On past occasions, walkers have used the Fleur de Lys (01865 849475). There’s also the George, and the White Hart.
Tea: There is a real ale pub, the Prince of Wales (01235 511380) opposite the station.
Directions here At point 12 in the text, be sure to follow the directions back to Didcot, not Appleford. (Appleford has no trains on a Sunday). t=swc.44
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2 comments:
N=12 at the station. 8 of these had decamped from the other walk which was scuppered by cancelled trains.
11 went off quite fast, like, leaving Mr Tiger to plod along behind. He was caught up by a n=13 th who had accidentally got a slow train. The day w=started-cloudy-got-sunny. Lots of flowers, some butterflies.
One interesting development is that the fields along the river have been given to the Earth Trust, who are turning them into a wetland reserve. That bit is still a bit long though. If only they could shorten the river. Sigh.
In Dorchester, the Fleur de lys was not doing food so the George it was. Attentive if flustered staff and big portions. Mr Tiger did quite well with kindly benefactors flocking to ply him with drink. Maybe a bit 🤏 too much considering the hill to come.
All too soon, the others left leaving 3 soon to be 2) to plod along behind, up the big hill but avoiding the trek round the other hill.
Bit of a shock after Ladygrove Farm. What once was fields is now houses. But the paths were stil there.
Then another shock. The path down to the cycleway was blocked and required a diversion. The fast people cheated and found a quick diversion off their own. Not so the back two who took the official diversion. Along a busy road and through a hard to navigate housing estate. Gasp. (The blockage is temporary, while a bridge is fixed)
11 reached the station for 16:30 of whom 5 went for drinks. There, they all caught the delayed 16 :43. A lot of delays and cancellations today.
The 2 at the back got to the station in time for the 18:07.
Grand day out.
I am being told the number was actually n=15.
If only I had more fingers to count with.
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