Commons Country Walk 7 Print.Cdr
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an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Natural Outstanding of Area an © Text by Dr Mary Webb. Photos kindly provided by Clive Ormonde Clive by provided kindly Photos Webb. Mary Dr by Text with Traveline. Traveline. with runs from Thame to Watlington and places in between. Check Check between. in places and Watlington to Thame from runs Watlington and places in between. The 124 service by Arriva Arriva by service 124 The between. in places and Watlington By bus: bus: By The T1 service by Thames Travel runs from Oxford to to Oxford from runs Travel Thames by service T1 The 'white mark' to the car park. car the to mark' 'white from volunteers. from funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund and help help and Fund Lottery Heritage the by funding path crosses Hill Road. Follow the path up the hill by the the by hill the up path the Follow Road. Hill crosses path Commons Project. The Project benefits from from benefits Project The Project. Commons just after The Ridgeway Ridgeway The after just Conservation Board as part of the Chilterns Chilterns the of part as Board Conservation the footpath on the right right the on footpath the Watlington Hill Watlington This leaflet has been produced by the Chilterns Chilterns the by produced been has leaflet This If you are walking, take take walking, are you If Watlington via Hill Road. Road. Hill via Watlington www.chilternsaonb.org/commons miles from the centre of of centre the from miles Learn more about Chilterns commons at at commons Chilterns about more Learn Watlington Hill is 1½ 1½ is Hill Watlington www.traveline.info www.traveline.info obtain Chiltern Society footpath maps or to join the Society. Society. the join to or maps footpath Society Chiltern obtain 0871 200 2233 or visit visit or 2233 200 0871 information on the Chiltern Society's walk programme, to to programme, walk Society's Chiltern the on information to the starting point, call call point, starting the to www.chilternsociety.org.uk or call 01494 771250 for for 771250 01494 call or Visit • • anywhere in the country country the in anywhere Chilterns Country walks. Country Chilterns public transport from from transport public www.chilternsaonb.org or call 01844 355500 for other other for 355500 01844 call or Visit • • To plan a journey by by journey a plan To There are many other wonderful walks in the Chilterns: the in walks wonderful other many are There Common. Common. Coppiced oak Coppiced crossroads at Christmas Christmas at crossroads a short distance from the the from distance short a livestock livestock the top of Watlington Hill, Hill, Watlington of top the • • Keep dogs on leads near leads on dogs Keep National Trust car park at at park car Trust National 2½ miles, 3 miles or 6 miles miles 6 or miles 3 miles, 2½ start and finish at the the at finish and start find them find Christmas Common Christmas All three circular walks walks circular three All and leave farm gates as you as gates farm leave and Three circular walks from from walks circular Three Keep to public rights of way, of rights public to Keep • • How to get to the start the to get to How countryside Please be considerate in the the in considerate be Please walkers and non-mechanically propelled vehicles). propelled non-mechanically and walkers www.visitchilterns.co.uk www.visitchilterns.co.uk extensive and varied views. varied and extensive ‘purple arrow’ Restricted Byway (horseriders, cyclists, cyclists, (horseriders, Byway Restricted arrow’ ‘purple Hall in Henley-on-Thames (tel 01491 578034) or see see or 578034) 01491 (tel Henley-on-Thames in Hall Discover local history while enjoying enjoying while history local Discover ‘red arrow' Byways (open to all traffic) all to (open Byways arrow' ‘red walks, contact the Visitor Information Centre in the Town Town the in Centre Information Visitor the contact walks, Christmas Common Christmas For details of places to stay, visitor attractions and other other and attractions visitor stay, to places of details For walkers) Circular walks near near walks Circular 'blue arrow' Bridleways (horseriders, cyclists and and cyclists (horseriders, Bridleways arrow' 'blue shops and a café in Watlington. Watlington. in café a and shops 'yellow arrow' Footpaths (walkers only) (walkers Footpaths arrow' 'yellow Christmas Common (01491 612599). There are also pubs, pubs, also are There 612599). (01491 Common Christmas You will pass, or be close to, the Fox and Hounds pub in in pub Hounds and Fox the to, close be or pass, will You Take a picnic to eat on Watlington Hill and enjoy the views. views. the enjoy and Hill Watlington on eat to picnic a Take Chilterns Country Chilterns way most of which are waymarked as follows: as waymarked are which of most way Visitor information Visitor of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It mainly follows rights of of rights follows mainly It Beauty. Natural Outstanding of This is one of a series of walks through the Chilterns Area Area Chilterns the through walks of series a of one is This Walk 3 Watlington Park and Greenfield, a 6 mile circular walk This is Greenfield Copse, a typical Chiltern beech wood now owned These woods (like many others in this area) were managed for by the National Trust. It is ancient woodland which means that it centuries producing firewood, materials for building and farming 1 From the car park, turn right along the road until you come has been continuously wooded since 1600. It has been managed for and later, in the 19th century, wood for chair making too. to a large metal gate on the right. Go through the gate, bear different uses over the centuries but has never been cleared. In right to the arrow and go through a small wooden gate. 1616 the woodland here was surveyed. It had pollarded beech (ie 8 At the next junction turn left, then almost immediately just Follow the path downhill between hedges and a wire fence. cut above the height of grazing animals and allowed to grow from opposite the field, take a narrow flinty path on the right, marked this cut), saleable oak and young hazel. Look out for these trees as with white arrows. Follow the path uphill through woodland, The path leads downhill through old scrub with many hawthorn you walk. finally leading down to a wide open area of tracks. trees. This area was originally grassland and the trees have grown as grazing has ceased. Further along on the right you will see a At the top of the hill where the path is level, you are likely to see The wide track along the valley bottom follows the line of the large grassy field stretching down the valley; a map of Watlington bluebells flowering in the spring; later in the year you will see the ancient parish boundary between Watlington and Pyrton. In AD parish made in 1800 shows this area was divided into seven fields. silvery remains of the flower stalks. 744 it was mentioned in a boundary charter for King Offa (of 2 The path continues along the edge of mature woodland, with 6 The path leads to a solid wooden gate which opens onto the Offa's Dyke fame). a hedge on the right; it gradually levels out. road, opposite Greenfield. For a shorter walk of 4 miles, you can turn left here along the road to return to Christmas Common. 9 Cross to the path (PS8 CW) almost opposite. (NOTE this path This wood is Lower Dean Wood and here the path has a large To continue the longer walk, cross the road from the wooden gate is slightly hidden so obvious bank on the left which marks the old woodland edge. It to the farm. Look for the bridleway sign on a post under the big you may have to look probably also marks the edge of Watlington Park which was tree. Walk to the left of the large barns and along a track passing for it!) The narrow created by Richard, Earl of Cornwall in 1276. Prior to the cottages and a large garden. Continue between hedges downhill. path climbs uphill and formation of the park, the land was used for common grazing eventually reaches a and for hunting by freemen. There are old yew trees here, as well People have been living in the hamlet of Greenfield since the early stile crossing from the as plants such as dog's mercury which indicate ancient woodland, Middle Ages. In 1764 Edward Horne, who lived here, created the woodland into a grassy so it is possible that this woodland was in existence when the “white mark” in the shape of an obelisk on Watlington Hill. In 1830, field. Walk straight on park was created. Greenfield was the site of rioting and burning during the time of to the gateway to reach the Swing Riots in protest against rural poverty and the loss of After you leave the woodland, you will reach the hamlet of Lower another ancient track, common pasture here, which was enclosed in 1815. Greenfield Dean. In 1883 a well was recorded here but there were no Hollandridge Lane. Farm is now famous for its Christmas trees. houses. The name Dean comes from the Anglo-Saxon word denu which means valley, so very apt for this area! (If you turn right on the track for a few Hollandridge Lane 3 Continue along the track until you reach a junction. Turn metres you can see right here to continue to Greenfield. Hollandridge Farm. The farm here dates back to at least 1282 when it was owned by Emma Herlinggerrugge.