Thame & Wheatley Group
Newsletter Published Spring 2016 Issue No 15
ISLE OF WIGHT’S WINNING WAYS Bob Ward’s suggestion of Warner Leisure’s Bembridge Coast Hotel for our 2015 holiday proved a popular choice as 26 members signed up for the trip from 14th – 18th September.
Ruth Cornish set the ball rolling with a walk on along an the arrival day afternoon along the coast path undulating path then inland for a tour of the National Trust’s to Ventnor for Bembridge windmill. There were long and short the stunning walk options the following day. Ex-member coastal walk Roger Mann who now lives on the island kindly back to led, with his wife Julia as back marker, an 8 mile Sandown. walk across Brading Marshes Nature Reserve and On the last day into the picturesque town of St. Helen’s. Peter there was time Bozier’s longer walk took the Bembridge trail to for a stroll in the Newport before catching the bus back. warm sunshine Heavy rain and forecasts of thunderstorms caused along the prom the cancellation of the planned walks for between Ryde and Seaview before taking the ferry back to the mainland. A great holiday, good company, excellent tea shops, reliable buses and entertaining cabaret! AND FOR 2016… TW’s holiday for 2016 will be at the HF’s Longmynd Hotel in Church Stretton from Monday 12th to Friday 16th September. We plan a short walk on the arrival day, a visit to Ironbridge on departure day, Wednesday, so the group stayed in the hotel to and a choice try their hands at indoor bowls and their feet at of sightseeing dancing the cha-cha. After lunch, a few brave or short, souls took the bus to Sandown and embarked on a medium or soggy walk back to the hotel via Culver Down. long walks on After drying off they tested their wits in a game the other of Catch Phrase. three days. An improvement in the weather next day allowed And if you’re a return to the walking programme. Mike Smith not tired after that, there’s a possibility of evening led a leisurely walk from Ryde, through the entertainment! Accommodation, which includes peaceful grounds of Quarr Abbey and ending room, breakfast, packed lunch and 3-course with a journey on the Isle of Wight Steam dinner, is already booked for over 30 people. Get Railway. To their great delight they were given in touch with holiday organizer Bob Ward on exclusive use of a vintage luxury carriage! Ruth 07796 661449 if you’d like to join us, booking led the long walkers from a bus stop outside Lake your own accommodation. This newsletter is produced by members of Thame & Wheatley Ramblers
Walks Diary (full details in programme) AREA PICNIC 2016 Dates in red indicate evening walks with pub th supper to finish. Sunday June 19 April After a very successful Oxfordshire Area picnic Sunday 3rd 10am. 5 miles. Upper Winchendon. organized by Thame & Wheatley group last year, Thursday 7th 10am. 7 miles. Maidensgrove Common. this year’s event is being hosted by the Oxfordshire Tuesday 12th 10:30am. 4½ miles. Oxford. Weekend Walkers. It will be held just outside Saturday 16th 10am. 10½ miles. Adderbury. Stonesfield, within the Cotswold Area of Thursday 21st 10am. 6 miles. Great Kimble. Outstanding Natural Beauty, in a beautiful spot by Sunday 24th 10am. 3½ miles. Thame. Get Walking. a bridge crossing the River Evenlode. Saturday 30th 10am. 4½ miles. Cowleaze Wood + info. Eight walks have been planned with TW’s 10 mile May option starting at Woodstock. Monday 2nd 10am. 6½ miles. Stokenchurch. th Saturday 7 10:30am. 10 miles. Stratford Away Day. Chalk and Talk in the Chilterns th Sunday 8 10am. 8 miles. Kingston Blount. Audrey Parsons’ short, circular walk on 30th Tuesday 10th 10am. 4 miles. Christmas Common. April from Cowleaze Wood is an Information Thursday 12th 10am. 6 miles. Horton cum Studley. Walk. She will spend time explaining the Sunday 15th 10am. 9 miles. Wheatley. influence of chalk and water on the area, in Friday 20th 6:30pm. 4½ miles. Tiddington. particular on its geology, history, flora and fauna. th Wednesday 25 10am. 6½ miles. Watlington. Your T&W Committee th Sunday 29 10am. 7½ miles. Goring. June Chairman: Mike Smith Thursday 9th 11am. 6 miles. London. [email protected] 01865 874300 Saturday 11th 10:30am. 7 miles. Charlton-on-Otmoor. th FOR suggestions or comments on any area of Tuesday 14 10am. 4 miles. Hambleden. our activity – walks, possible future social Thursday 16th 10am. 6½ miles. Whiteleaf Cross. events, campaigns etc. Sunday 19th 10am. 10 miles. Woodstock. Area picnic. Vice Chairman: Bob Ward nd Wednesday 22 6pm. 4 miles. Ewelme. [email protected] Sunday 26th 10am. 6 miles. Wheatley. 07796 661449 th Thursday 30 10am. 6 miles. Chinnor Hill. Secretary: Ann Harman July [email protected] Friday 8th 7:00pm. Social event. Ickford. 01844 214693
Tuesday 12th 10am. 4 miles. Kidlington. Thursday 14th Kirtlington.10am: 6½ mls, 2pm: 4½ mls. Membership: Chris Bignal [email protected] th Saturday 16 9:30am. 11½ miles. Christmas Common. 01865 358905 Wednesday 20th 6pm. 4 miles. Christmas Common. FOR information on advantages in joining Sunday 24th 10am. 5 miles. Cowleaze Wood. Ramblers
th Wednesday 27 6pm. 4½ miles. Old Marston. Treasurer: Linda King August [email protected] Thursday 4th 10am. 6½ miles. Watlington. 01865 890829 th Sunday 7 10am. 13 miles. Wheatley. Walks Organiser: Audrey Parsons Tuesday 9th 6pm. 4 miles. Great Haseley. [email protected] 07919 046330 Saturday 13th 10am. 6½ miles. Dorchester. Thursday 18th 10am. 6 miles. Hambleden. FOR advice on becoming a walk leader or for sharing a favourite walk. th Saturday 20 6:30pm. 4 miles. Tiddington. st Sunday 21 10am. 9 miles. Christmas Common. Footpath Secretary: Ken King Tuesday 23rd 10am. 6½ miles. Marsh Baldon. [email protected] Wednesday 31st 6pm. 4 miles. Cuxham. 01865 890829 September FOR reporting obstructions, broken stiles, non- Sunday 4th 10am. 10 miles. Cowleaze Wood. reinstatement etc. on paths
th Thursday 8 10am. 6½ miles. Ibstone. Publicity Secretary: Ruth Cornish Tuesday 13th 10am. 4 miles. Chinnor. [email protected] 01844 213608 Thursday 22nd 10am. 6½ miles. Ewelme. th FOR sharing opportunities to publicise our Saturday 24 10am. 10 miles. Hambleden. activities Wednesday 28th 10am. 6½ miles. Ewelme. 2
T&W CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS T&W’s 2015 Christmas celebration on 5th December proved to be the most popular yet with forty-five people enjoying a delicious three-course luncheon at the Village Hall at St. John’s, Stadhampton, the majority turning up for a bracing 5-mile walk in blustery conditions beforehand.
Ken King's pre-lunch walk headed to the village the villagers in southern Mali. The food had been of Little donated free of charge, so the event raised an Milton before impressive £759. returning via the Ascott Annual social event Park heritage BEETLE DRIVE & SUPPER trail. The Back by popular demand (!) event aimed this year’s social event is a to raise funds Beetle Drive, to be held at for the Mali Development Group so supporters of Ickford Village Hall on Friday, the group, including T&W member Linda King, 8th July. Tickets are £10 to decorated the hall and effortlessly prepared a include a two-course home selection of festive fare, including venison cooked supper and a glass of casserole and local free-range turkey. Following wine or soft drink. William There Roberts will the meal a short informative and moving be prizes for winners and a raffle for charity. documentary film was screened, describing how Throw the dice and take your chance! the funds raised by the group were helping in the Application forms available nearer the time. educational, health and welfare needs of many of
To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of Only six members braved the incessant rain to William Shakespeare, this year’s Away Day will be in turn up for the Stratford-upon-Avon. The 10 mile undulating walk pre-AGM walk will follow parts on 7th of Shakespeare’s November in Avon Way and Stadhampton. Monarch’s Way. However over Tea shop in 20 arrived for Stratford to the meeting in finish. There is the Village Hall an option to at St. John’s. reduce the walk to a distance of 5 miles. Chairman Mike Smith reported on a very successful year for the Thame & Wheatley Meet at 10:30am at Bishopston Park & Ride group. On the committee, Bob Ward stepped (Stratford-Upon-Avon Parkway). Either go direct down as Walks Organiser to be replaced by (M40/A46) or if you want a lift, please contact Ruth Audrey Parsons, and Chris Bignal relinquished Cornish, who will arrange a pick up from Thornhill his Treasurer’s role, a position he has held Park & Ride at 9.00 a.m.). since the formation of the TW group in 1997. Fancy dress optional!! He will be replaced by Linda King. Mike thanked them both for the valuable work they had done while serving in these roles. Happily, Area AGM Bob and Chris retain their roles as vice- A highlight of Oxfordshire chairman and membership secretary area’s AGM on 23rd January at respectively. Begbroke Village Hall was Brian Fisher from the RSPB finished the T&W’s Mike Smith and Judy meeting by giving an informative and Westgate, along with Blitz & entertaining talk on identifying local birds. Klean’s Mike Sergeant, judging the cake competition!
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FOOTPATH NEWS T&W Lead the Way The Ramblers’ Big Pathwatch project came to an end on December 31st with almost 76,000 square kilometers of countryside covered and over 80,000 kilometers walked. In Oxfordshire, we covered 1,600 squares, walking 4,000 km in the process, almost 62% of the squares available, which is a superb result.
Alongside the general survey, the Ramblers asked challenge from the landowner and nearby Areas to ensure a selected set of sample squares residents, in 2006. were covered in order to perform a random This has been a massive exercise and credit must survey of squares across the country. The go to Jonathan Beale, OCC ‘s Field Officer, for Oxfordshire Area team asked the Groups in finding the resources, negotiating with the Oxfordshire to take on this task and due to an landowner and organising the whole operation. enthusiastic response, became the first Area in the He was even out on the afternoon of Christmas country to complete their sample squares. T&W, Eve putting up waymarks! If you want to explore thanks to our PPWs, were the first group to these paths, join Bob Ward on his evening pub complete their allocated squares in Oxfordshire – walk from Tiddington on Friday 20th May. a very well done to everyone concerned. PPW Success in T&W Chippinghurst Stepping Stones The parish path warden scheme has been very Another major milestone will be reached on successful in our area with only one parish, March 8th when the public inquiry into the Beckley, without a warden in the past year. This Modification Order issued by the council, to add success is due partly to our excellent cooperation a public footpath across the River Thames at the with the Chiltern Society in the nine parishes in Chippinghurst stepping stones, begins. The which we have a common interest and also to the inquiry, in Garsington Village Hall, starts at 10am. encouraging amount of work carried out in our Ken King area by OCC’s Countryside Access Team as the Breakthrough at Tiddington! result of reports sent in. The work being done by The siting of Second World War searchlight our path wardens really is making a difference. battery no. 507 41 at Albury resulted in the Tony Clark closure of several Tiddington footpaths. So for as Social Walk! long as any of us can remember walkers coming On April 24th Tony Clark will lead our annual walk for from Albury and wishing to proceed across the members and their friends and to introduce new A418 towards Ickford Bridge have been met by a people to walking. 3½ leisurely miles with coffee and thick, impregnable hedge blocking access to the cake afterwards. Meet at 10am outside Christchurch, footpath shown on OS and all other maps. Their Upper High Street, Thame. only course of action has been to walk 130 yards along the verge Festival of Winter Walks! of this very This year’s New Year walks held a few surprises! busy main road, Mike Smith’s without a path annual long walk and with their on the first backs to the Saturday in traffic, to a January is layby. They usually beset by Some of the committee at a new gate could then rain and flood, proceed over a but on January nd very rickety stile to a path along the edge of the 2 the 15 same field they were trying to get into. Until 2006 walkers enjoyed even this path was not deemed to be a public right (mostly!) fine weather and a display of daffodils in Sandford. of way. Now, finally, OCC has managed to find the resources to cut through the hedge and restore The following day Peter Hetherington was not so access to the footpath. At the same time two new lucky as the rain was heavy and incessant. As well paths have been created in the same area, both of as enduring slippery paths, the group had to which have been appearing on maps since navigate Hill Road back into Lewknor which had approval for them was obtained, in spite of a legal become a fast-flowing stream. Congratulations to the 7 walkers for taking up the challenge! The Ramblers: Registered Charity No: 1093577. Company Registration No: 4458492 Website www.ramblers-oxon.org.uk 4