So a whole week of walking – the Oxfordshire Way, all 67.5 miles of it over 5 days- 108.6 km . Organised by SPR so transport to the start of each day was included and pick up at the end of each days walk. Every day had a very different structure and grouping so each day will count as a separate walk.
So Day 1 – Monday- started with a trip to Bourton on Water. This is on the tourist route for visitors to the Cotswolds and boasts a model village, perfume factory, a car museum and the River Windrush running through habitation with quaint, picturesque bridges crossing at several points. It is in fact a Roman Settlement and is nestled next to a Roman Road – Fosse Way.
This large village was sometimes visited as part of a residential visit to Stow on the Wold – usually with Year 3 and sometimes Year 4 children( 7-9 year olds) . A great area to visit. 
We started the week with a reasonable sized group- Annie leading, plus myself, Anna and Andy, Jennie , Sheila and Richard. Not everyone was planning to complete the whole week but even those plans changed! The day had been advertised as a 10 mile walk which had left me wondering how long the other days would be?
We set off from the car park in the village and quickly made our way across fields and down tracks. Crossing a stream we stopped to admire the craftsmanship of this barrier/ dam.
It wasn’t long before we added drizzly rain to the rather slippery mud under foot and this persisted for a while. We met with civilisation quite quickly in the form of Wyck Rissington a beautiful little village straddling the road with picturesque houses and intriguing doorways! The Cotswold stone is always pleasing to see and evokes a past time. A village like this could easily be in a time warp.
The path took us across more fields, across the A424 to Stow on the Wold and then through a short section of wood before we met the village of Bledington. We were all hungry and the rain had stopped for a bit so the benches in the church graveyard seemed quite inviting!
Trees in the skeletal form can often be quite exciting!
The church was quite big and had impressive clerestory windows, possible added in times of affluence due to the sheep trade.
The weather had certainly improved and once refuelled we set off again passed Breun Abbey and keeping the railway line on our left. This is the route between Oxford and Hereford and provides a valuable commuter service to villages on route.
It was quite warm for a short while this afternoon and I ventured to remove my coat- I hate being overheated when walking- not for too long as there were a couple more showery moments.
The light started to change significantly by about 2.45 pm and this was the first of some spectacular skies – plus looking in the other direction!
We came out into Shipton under Wychwood. This was once the area of the Wychwood Forest another great royal hunting forest. Now sadly diminished. Having walked for half a kilometre along the busy A361 we decided not to go up hill to the station but to take a path off to the right which would soon remeet with the signed way. The GPS on my Ordanance Survey map app proved useful for this non existent/ underused path. By now the light was amazing and we were almost at our destination – Ascot under Wychwood.
So not 10 miles but 11.6 – so at least a little more ticked off ! A good days walking with pleasant company.
Marion's 50 Walk Challenge 