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Home , Christmas Common, Cuddesdon, Lewknor

& Wheatley Group

Newsletter Published Autumn 2018 Issue No 20

T&W GET THE KEY OF THE DOOR! The Thame & Wheatley group committee decided that as this was the group’s 21st year, we needed another celebration! And with last year’s 20th anniversary linear walk from Thame to Wheatley being such a success, we opted for another linear walk, this time from Thame to Stone.

So on Saturday, 26th May the walk set off from St. Romanesque entrance archway. The group crowded Mary’s Church in early morning rain, after which the into the porch to admire the features before posing in skies brightened to give a perfect day. the sunshine in the attractive church grounds. Just a stone’s throw away from the start point is the Barns Centre where in 1997 the T&W group was The group next descended formed after the Area Executive to the Thame valley and the committee had decided that the expanding South Eythrope park estate, where Oxfordshire group should be split into three groups – a nearby hamlet was T & W, & Wallingford and Henley & Goring. transformed and landscaped in the 1870s by Alice With these reminders of the past, the 28 walkers Rothschild, a member of headed for the expanding village of Haddenham. the famous family. After a pause for a coffee break, the group took to a section of the Witchert Way, a 12 mile walk planned A stiff climb through the and signed with assistance from the Aylesbury estate led the walkers to the Ramblers some 15 years ago. The walk appropriately village of Stone and the end takes its name from the distinctive straw and cob of the walk at the Village rendered walls, a historic and attractive feature of the Hall. Here, the group older parts of the village. relaxed over tea and cake before returning to Thame on the convenient Arriva 280 bus, which made this Stopping for a relaxing lunch on the lawns of the 21st Anniversary linear route possible. Seven Stars in the village of Dinton, the group paused in sight of the ancient, gabled Dinton Manor, to reflect on a dark period of its history. WOT NO EMAILS? During the 17th If you have been wondering why you haven’t been century, a receiving the monthly T&W email about walks and member of the resident Mayne family is said to have Ramblers related activities then it may be due to th given sanctuary to John Begg in a nearby cave on the GDPR which came into effect on May 25 . manor estate. Begg was reputed to have been the Unfortunately a consequence of this is that emails executioner of King Charles I. He became known as cannot be sent to a member unless Ramblers Central the Dinton Hermit. Mayne, a regicide, was later Office holds their email address on its database and arrested and died in imprisonment and is buried in the consent has been given by the member for its use local church. through their personal Ramblers account. The 12th century church of SS Peter and Paul is famed Get back in touch by updating consent via the link: for its Norman architecture, including a carving of St. http://www.ramblers.org.uk/my-account Michael slaying the dragon in the lintel of the or by phoning Ramblers at 020 7339 8595. This newsletter is produced by members of Thame & Wheatley Ramblers

Walks Diary (full details in programme) Oxfordshire Area Ramblers Events

The monthly leisurely short walks are in italics th th Navigation & Evenings10 , 11 October 2018 October Planning Course: Daytime practical 13th October th Thursday 4 10am. 6 miles. Turville. nd AGM: 2 February 2019, Wytham Tuesday 9th 10am. 4 miles. . First Aid Course: 16th February 2019, Abingdon Thursday 11th 10am. 6½ miles. Whiteleaf Cross. Contact T&W Chairman Bob Ward for details Sunday 14th 10am. 8½ miles. Cookley Green. Thursday 18th 10am. 5 miles. Stanton St. John. T&W Holiday 2019! Great news – we have Thursday 25th 10am. 6 miles. Northend. enough bookings to have sole occupancy of Friday 26th 10am. 8 miles. . HF’s Holnicote House in Selworthy from Tuesday 30th 10am. 5½ miles. . 3rd-7th September.

November st Your T&W Committee Thursday 1 10am. 5½ miles. . Saturday 3rd 10am. 8 miles. . Chairman: Bob Ward th [email protected] Thursday 8 10am. 6 miles. . 07796 661449 Sunday 11th 10am. 6½ miles. Wheatley. th Tuesday 13 10am. 4 miles. . FOR suggestions or comments on any area of our activity Thursday 15th 10am. 6½ miles. Great Kimble. – walks, future social events, campaigns th etc. Saturday 17 10am. 5 miles. . Thursday 22nd 4:30pm. 3½ miles. lights. Secretary Christine Barnett [email protected] December 07772 867681 Saturday 1st 10am. 6 miles. (Xmas lunch). Thursday 6th 10am. 6½ miles. . Membership: Wendy Mannix Sunday 9th 10am. 5½ miles. Studley Green. [email protected] 01844 215364 th Tuesday 11 10am. 4½ miles. Saunderton. FOR information on advantages in joining Friday 14th 10am. 7 miles. . Ramblers

January 2019 Treasurer: Linda King th Saturday 5 10am. 7½ miles. Kennington. [email protected] Sunday 6th 10am. 8 miles. Lambert Arms, A. Rowant. 01865 890829

Tuesday 8th 10am. 4 miles. . Walks Organiser: Audrey Parsons th Wednesday 16 11am. 7 miles. Chalgrove. [email protected] Friday 25th 10am. 7 miles. Nuffield. 07919 046330 FOR advice on becoming a walk leader or for February sharing a favourite walk. rd Sunday 3 10am. 7 miles. Wheatley. th Thursday 7 10am. 5½ miles. . Footpath Secretary: Ken King Sunday 10th 10am. 6½ miles. Turville (Candlemas). [email protected] Tuesday 12th 10am. 5 miles. Beckley. 01865 890829 th FOR reporting obstructions, broken stiles, non- Friday 15 10am. 5½ miles. . st reinstatement etc. on paths Thursday 21 10am. 6½ miles. Lewknor.

March Publicity Secretary: Ruth Cornish [email protected] th Thursday 7 10am. 6 miles. . 01844 213608 th Tuesday 12 10am. 4 miles. Woodstock. FOR sharing opportunities to publicise our Saturday 16th 10am. 9 miles. Gifford. activities st Thursday 21 10am. 6 miles. Lock. Saturday 23rd 10am. 8½ miles. Marsworth. Group representative on Area Council: th Mike Smith Saturday 30 10am. 8 miles. Watlington, rec ground. [email protected]  If there is a risk that a walk will be cancelled due to 01865 874300 bad weather, check the website or phone the leader. FOR liaising with Area Council members on all Ramblers objectives in Oxfordshire Please be aware that car break-ins have occurred at some walk starting places recently so never leave valuables in your car or bags on display in the boot. 2

T&W VISIT CIRENCESTER After heading north the previous two years for our Away Days, this year we decided to go West and started our walk in Cirencester, the historic Roman town in the heart of the Cotswolds. Mike Smith led the twenty walkers, initially through the town and then out into the countryside, skirting the Royal Agricultural College before taking a short detour to visit the source of the Thames in Trewsbury Mead – worth a photo but rather an underwhelming spot apart from the sign indicating that the Thames Barrier is 184 miles away! We continued on, following the Thames and Severn Canal, until we reached the mouth of the Sapperton tunnel. This tunnel, with a length of 3,817 yards, was the longest canal tunnel in from 1789 to 1811. The walkers then picknicked or ate in the Tunnel House Inn, built in the 1770s to cater for the thirsty navvies and leggers of the canal (and equally thirsty walkers!). The final section of the ten mile walk took us through the beautiful Cirencester Park. We finished in the town with welcome afternoon tea at ‘Made by Bob’.

Ten years ago the T&W annual social was a game of Aunt Sally and we thought it was time to try it again! So, on July 21st, in the middle of the heat wave, 40 members and guests arrived at the Fox & Goat in Tiddington to test their skills. Teams of two played two rounds of four throws of a stick at a dolly perched on a pole. A point was scored if the dolly came off. The top four pairs contested the final. Ultimately it was the duo of Sarah Howes and Peter Lawrence that took the prize – congratulations to them! Following the competition we enjoyed supper in the garden. Many thanks to Bob Ward for arriving just in time after a swift journey from Heathrow to be Master of Ceremonies, to Mike Smith for supervising the game and to Alan Cornish for manning the scoreboard, totalling the many scores of zero must have been particularly taxing!

GILL READ RADIO Congratulations to T&W member Gill Read who T&W member Peter Bozier has a regular monthly won Volunteer of the Year in the 2018 Thame slot with Red Kite Radio presenter Howard Bond Town Awards for her to talk about services to many Ramblers activities, organisations, including the but on the 21st June Thame Good Neighbour it was Chairman Scheme, Museum, Arts & Bob Ward’s turn to Literature Festival and the be in the hot seat! local Citizens’ Advice Peter had led a walk Bureau where she has been from Haddenham volunteering for over 20 Garden Centre years. Photo courtesy Caz where the radio station is based and took Bob in Wales shows Gill with to meet Howard – next thing Bob was on air! Thame Mayor Tom Wyse. Tune in to listen on 107.2fm.

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FOOTPATH NEWS There has been a change in the Oxfordshire County Council Countryside Access Team (OCC CAT) with Jackie Smith taking over from Jon Beale as Field Officer for SE Oxfordshire following Jon’s promotion

to Highways to investigate potholes rather than broken stiles. And OCC have upgraded the online portal for section of the Shakespeare’s Way between Toot reporting rights of way problems (CAMSweb): it is Baldon and and this has now now possible to add photos to your report and to been cleared and waymarked. Other paths in our keep track of problems you have entered – a great area are in the pipeline. improvement! Currently the information you enter However, our activities would be much more is assessed by a member of CAT before being effective if we could use a brush cutter instead of entered into the database. In the future it may be just relying on hand tools. We now have the possible for 'trusted' members of the public to enter opportunity to purchase one, together with all the reports directly into the system. The link is: necessary safety equipment, and to get two people https://publicrightsofway.oxfordshire.gov.uk/Web/ trained to use it. This is an opportunity we do not standardmap.aspx want to miss so we need two people to come Further incentive for Parish Path Wardens (PPWs) forward and volunteer for this training, which would to continue monitoring public rights of way came be completely free. If you feel you would like to when Bob Ward and Janet Noyce, the PPW for take advantage of this offer please contact myself or Waterperry, discovered recently that OCC CAT had Mike Smith as soon as possible. made several improvements to Waterperry Common Tony Clark PPW Co-ordinator paths which have been a problem for some years. The work included 8 new gates, 5 new bridges, T&W AGM th replacing broken stiles and clearance of some 100 Saturday 17 November 2018 2pm metres of severely overgrown path, with the Lewknor Jubilee Village Hall. consequence that another access to Bernwood Forest 5 mile morning walk, followed by lunch in the hall. has been opened up. We are still looking for PPWs Speaker this year is Ivan Wright, for Stanton St. John, Lewknor and . Chairman of Wildlife. Lost Ways Get Walking Day The government has imposed a cut-off date of 2026 to identify 'lost ways' - public rights of way that T&W’s introductory were not included in the definitive map in the 1940s walks have been a feature for which there is evidence of their prior existence. of our calendar for ten Everyone is encouraged to help identify such ways years now, with many new as, after 2026, there will no longer be any means to people subsequently claim them as rights of way joining us. Tony Clark led the walk this year (for the A list of possible lost ways has been drawn up for 9th time!), around Moreton some areas of Oxfordshire and help will be sought to th On way to Moreton on April 29 . investigate them. Contact me if you think you know of a possible candidate, and I will advise you on T&W Celebrate Christmas 2018 how research can be undertaken. Ken King Footpath Secretary Put these dates in your diaries! st Path Clearance Working Parties Saturday 1 December for our Christmas Lunch, again in the T&W have recently Village Hall at St. John’s in agreed to increase our Stadhampton, with food produced by path clearance activities the Mali Development Group ladies. in line with other There will be a walk Oxfordshire groups and beforehand to stimulate to this end we have set up appetites! regular monthly sessions, currently on the third Thursday 22nd November Monday of each month. to see the London The first three sessions Christmas lights. The trip will include a short walk have concentrated on our and a supper to finish. The Ramblers: Registered Charity No: 1093577. Company Registration No: 4458492 Website www.ramblers-oxon.org.uk 4