Day 3: East Ilsley to Letcombe Regis

 

After a very difficult night I decided I wouldn't walk today. I messaged my doctor back in London to see if was possible for her to prescribe some antibiotics for me that I could collect from a pharmacy in the nearest  town. I chose the small town of Wantage which would be the closest to where everyone would be staying tonight. Today's walk of 11 miles on an exposed ridgeway was going to be too much for me. Sometimes you just know.   I wasn't ready to give in and go home but I thought a day of taking it easy might help me get through the week. The only way for me to get to Wantage would be via a taxi.

After waving the others off I thought it would be easy to arrange transport. Not so. The majority of taxi firms I contacted only dealt with prearranged trips and didn't have any vehicles available that day. Eventually I found a much bigger company ( I think they were based in Reading) that could pick me up within the hour and drive me the 9 miles to Wantage. 

After that it worked well. By the time I got to the pharmacist in Wantage the antibiotics were waiting for me. I then had plenty of time to look around the town. I started at the Vale and Downland Museum which had exhibits from fossils to a Formula One racing car.   

A bust of John Betjeman (1906-84) adorns the front of the museum. An English poet and writer who I assume must have lived in the locality at some point.  

There was a skeleton of an Anglo Saxon woman from 526-575AD

Market Cross given to the Lord of the manor in 1580. the cross was probably destroyed by Cromwell's army. these pieces were discovered in a garden in the 19th cent.

Williams Racing is a Formula One team based in Wantage and usually there is a Formula One car on display in the museum but they are updating the display so there was nothing there today.

I wandered round the town, through the square,

browsed in a bookshop and then found a cafe to have some lunch.

This used to be an Old Town Hall built in 1877.

After lunch I made my way out of town for the 2 mile walk to the pub in Letcombe Regis where we would be staying that night.

I walked on the roads as I didn't have a map to help me find the right footpath.

I got to The Greyhound about an hour before the others. Too early to check in so once the others arrived we all had a cream tea in the garden (scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream).

We have been so lucky with the weather. Although showers were forecast we somehow keep managing to dodge them.

There was still time left to have a look around the village before our rooms were ready.

Once we were able to check in, I went for a rest. The rooms were very spacious and Tina and I even had a small lounge. The food was also excellent.

So it was fingers crossed that I would feel well enough to continue the walk in the morning.

Day 2: Goring to East Ilsley,

 

I woke up to the sound of a church bell chiming 6. The rain was falling heavily. The weather forecast wasn't that good so as today was our shortest walk of the week we decided to leave later when the the rain was supposed to ease off. We finally set off from 'The Swan' at 10.30. This was the best Paul could do with the morning photo. I think it took 4 tries to get us all in the photo. Finally we were ready to get going. One of the joys of this kind of walking is that we leave our luggage behind to be collected and delivered to our next port of call.

It was time to say goodbye to the Thames. From now on the Ridgeway trail would take us away from the river.

started with a slight incline admiring the fresh shades of green that seemed to have enveloped the trees over the last few days

Another look at the map. You could easily do this walk without a map as the path was so well signposted. 

The path was long and straight. We did see one or two other walkers coming in the opposite direction. Most people do the Ridgeway walk from West to East but we are doing it from East to West. You wouldn't think it would make any difference but today it made a huge difference. 

The path was now on the ridge and very exposed. We had 40mph winds blowing at us and almost knocking us off balance. It made the walk very difficult and unpleasant at times.

 Although it was only 7.5 miles it was much tougher than I ever thought it would be. I don't recall ever fighting my way through  wind like that for mile after mile.

Fields of yellow rape seed oil brightened up the surroundings.

We saw a lot of flooding as well as a number of unplanted fields where it is still too wet to sow the spring crops yet.

We thought this was a large lake at first and then realised it was a flooded field.

As you would expect the path was also very muddy here.

We now had to find a track taking us off the Ridgeway and down into the village of East Ilsley where we would be spending the night.

Paul does a great job of finding accommodation for us that is not too far from the pathway. Not an easy task as we require three twin bedded rooms. It is the accommodation that usually dictates how far we walk in a day. So, yes, we could have walked a bit further today, but there was nowhere for us to stay unless we wanted to walk a further 5-7 miles to a larger village. and I certainly did not want to walk any further today.

We were staying at the Swan Inn. A lot smaller and less luxurious than 'The Swan' we stayed at the previous night but it was only a short walk from the Ridgeway and was clean and comfortable.

 There was another pub across the road which was open for meals that night.

After we had settled in and enjoyed a drink together in the bar. I went to my room to rest. I hadn't felt well all day. The virus I picked up over Easter is still lingering in the form of a barking cough and now I have got a UTI which isn't pleasant when trying to enjoy the walk. I hoped an afternoon rest and a good night's sleep would make me feel better for tomorrow- our longest walk of the week.

Day 1: Shillingford to Goring

Five of us started the 60 mile walk from South Oxfordshire to Avebury in Wiltshire. Tina will be joining us tonight after our first day of walking. We will be following the Ridgeway trail, one of the oldest roads in the country.

We are not doing the whole trail which is 87 miles as we decided this year to limit our daily mileage and enjoy the walk rather than test our endurance.

This is the Shillingsford Bridge hotel where we stayed the night before we set off. It's a beautiful setting overlooking the River Thames.

Today's walk starts with us crossing over the River Thames and then joining the Thames path south for about 3 miles.

It was in 2013 that I walked the 182 miles of the Thames path so I remembered this section quite well as it was one of the most picturesque sections of the path.

The path was much drier than I had anticipated which made for much easier walking conditions.

Steve decided it was never too soon to get the shorts on. I don't think any of us agreed.

Being a Sunday there were a few people out walking. It was lovely to see the blossom on the trees and all the wild flowers springing up.

We left the path to walk into the town of Wallingford to buy something for lunch.

There are lots of thatched properties in this part of the country.

I liked the penny farthing bicycle fixed to the wall.

This row of cottages had a blue plaque to commemorate Jethro Tull who lived here from 1706-1710. Tull was the inventor of the horsedrawn seed drill which revolutionised farming in the 18th century. His name was also used by a British rock band in the late 60s.

Wallingford is a lovely town with lots of history. We didn't linger but it was a handy place for making use of the facilities and picking up something for lunch.

The scooter boys were in town with their gleaming machines.

Interesting passageway beneath someone's house.

We easily found our way back to the river and the Thames path. This is Oxford University's Boat House.

It wasn't long before we moved away from the river and finally onto the Ridgeway Trail.

Couldn't believe our luck with the weather as back home in London it was raining.

There was lots of evidence around of the incredible amount of rain we have had these last few months.

The path took us through small hamlets with just a couple of houses to small villages like North Stoke and its beautiful church.

There was only one section of the path which was also a bridle path which was really churned up but we managed to clamber over a fence and cross a field to avoid the worst of the mud.

Then we were back to walking alongside the river again. These two horses were enjoying cooling off.

Enjoyed lunch by the river listening to the Canada Geese making a racket, chasing one another from an island in the river which I assume is where they were nesting.

We then walked beneath the arches of the railway bridge which was built by Brunel for the Great Western railway. It is still in use today carrying numerous trains to and from London.

The Ridgeway was very well signposted and every no and again there would be a map for us to check on our progress. There were  also information boards about this ancient trail.

The trail took us through some very pretty villages with pristine gardens. It was as we were leaving one of these villages we got chatting to a young girl who was selling cakes that she had made. She was trying to raise money for a trip to Borneo next year with her school and they are encouraged to self finance it. I bought a few cakes for us to share with a cup of tea, once we reached our hotel for the night.  

Another up and then down to the riverside again where are hotel is located.

That's our hotel for the night. 'The Swan' at Streatley.

It is a beautiful hotel with comfortable spacious rooms. Tina, my room mate for the week arrived in time for dinner so we spent the rest of the evening eating, drinking and catching up.