Another walk with a dog today -‘Bramble’ a long haired Jack Russel, and a dear friend who used to be a teaching colleague and is the founder of the Bateman’s Trust in India. Not too long a walk today as Alex has recently had Covid and is still not regained her full stamina. We also had a purpose of scoping out a coffee stop in a village shop!
We met and parked at East Challow village hall and set off up the hill passed the church and into the estate before emerging at the top of Hedgehill Road and taking a path to the recreation ground. We crossed the end of the football pitch inorder to meet the track we needed and I reflected that I had driven down this to get to the parking space to watch football, in the distant past. Not sure I fancied it today.
We had skirted round the back of the school, Alex had done a supply day there once and I could remember football matches when I taught in Wantage and the ball nearly always went over the hedge out of the school grounds.
Very contrasting weather to my last two walks as it was very windy today. As we turned right and went across this top track to Childrey it was really windy and it was almost too strong to have a conversation – but we did manage. As we dropped down a bit into the village it became a bit easier.
The village shop is delightful and sold some amazing but expensive things and had excellent coffee and cake- highly recommended. Another retired headteacher came in and we had a chat and both remembered the person who used to run the school in the village!
Passed the village pond and through a road of ‘once council houses’ and along a track. We met the most enormous off white Irish Wolf Hound who was very friendly but was clearly quite a struggle to control. This quite good path continued to the edge of the village of West Challow. We crossed over the canal.
This is a section of the Wilts and Berks canal which was built in 1810 to link the Kennet and Avon canal to the River Thames at Abingdon and until the Great Western Railway dominated the area was a useful route for the movement of stone and coal. This part is not navigable but some areas have been cleared so that they contain water and there are paths along good sections of the bank.
We continued along this route crossing the road through the village and continued until we came out very close to the cars in East Challow. Quite a bit of conversation plotting and planning some fundraising ideas.
It was very muddy in sections and we had to practice our good balance. Back at the cars we did a swap, I’d got her some clay from my sculptor to be able to use in school this week and it was exchanged for a jar of freshly made marmalade! I think I did well. This section was 5.5 km.
I decided to continue along the canal which was dissected by the A417 at this point! In my look at the weather first thing in the morning I thought I had still got time left before rain. So along the canal and noticed there had been some tidying up of the trees and an effort to put bark on the path so not quite so muddy in this section.
A new path had been created in an area to the left of the canal with a bridge over from the new housing estate. I guessed this would only loop round through a shrubby area which often used to flood and was also known for its newt population. I discovered a large pond that I didn’t know was there and then back to the canal.
Past the entrance to Stockham Farm and then up into the estate. Familiar territory, I used to teach cycling proficiency on these roads and great to see children out to play at the school where I taught for just over nine years. By now my weather forecasting had failed me and the light rain had turned to a squally shower. The one day I wear jeans on a walk!
Back out onto the A417 and as quickly as possible passed the numerous new houses that are springing up everywhere and back down to the car. The rather small village school must be bulging! So just over 9 km but a rather wet finish – suppose I can’t have sunshine every time.
Marion's 50 Walk Challenge 