Tag Archives: Banbury trial

Day p03: 09 Mar 2014; Weston on the Green to Banbury

Day p03: 09 Mar 2014; Weston on the Green to Banbury
Walk descriptor Banbury trial Day 03
Date Sun 09 Mar 2014 Start to end time 06h 29m
Start point Weston on the Green End point Banbury
Miles today 21.26 Cu miles 71.10
Ft today 629 Cu ft 4,063
Route miles left .00 Route ft left
Today’s weather Glorious, uninterrupted sunshine all day. Light southerly breeze. Started cold and frosty, soon warmed up to at least 16C
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Today’s location
(the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)
GPX based track of today’s walk
(click here to access to access downloadable file)
Commentary

“The last day of the three day practice trek to Banbury. Set the alarm for 6:30 am so could make an early start. After a very good night’s sleep, I awoke feeling in remarkably good shape, considering yesterday’s hard walk. When I got out of the tent, it was frostly everywhere – but the Snugpak sleeping bag worked and I slept right through it. Unusual for me as I normally need at least a 4 season bag to keep me warm even when the external temperature is plus 25C!

It was a stunning day, and the sun shone every minute of it. Astonishing. I suddenly realised that I might actually need to take sun cream and extra water with me on the LE2JOG hike. After the last 6 months of rain, I had completely forgotten that these might ever be necessary.

The walk followed the Oxfordshire Way through Kirtlington Park, with its impressive country mansion, and then joined the Oxford Canal Walk at Pigeon lock, near Tackley, and followed it all the next 17 miles to Banbury. I had planned a fallback route keeping to the East of the canal, to avoid the floods, but decided to take a chance and go down to the canal and see if the path was navigable. In the end, although the towpath was muddy (of course), it wasn’t actually submerged, so I didn’t need the fallback plan. The stretch of the Oxford canal that I walked runs alongside the river Cherwell, which had indeed flooded into the plains alongside the river, turning them into paddy fields. But the towpath itself is a bit higher so remained passable.

The advantages of walking on canal towpaths are a) you can’t get lost and b) they are usually well maintained. The disadvantages are a) even if you feel you are slogging uphill, you know you can’t be and b) they are v boring. For me, usually the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, but not today. It was a pleasant walk in its own right, with good views of the river and hills beyond – as well as plenty of interesting canal traffic. But after yesterday, all I wanted to do was to follow an easy path, with no obstacles, and no navigation. So it fitted the bill perfectly.

I arrived in Banbury at about 2:15pm, with plenty of time to catch the 2:50 train to Amersham. Except that it only went as far as Bicester today, because of engineering works. Then bus to Princes Risborough. Then train to Aylesbury. Then another train to Amersham. Took nearly 3 hours! – I could almost have walked it faster.

All in all, a successful practice hike though I think for LE2JOG itself I will try and do slightly shorter days, at least at first, and I need to do some rapid foot-repair before I set off. And I wil need to lose yet more weight from the rucksack, to make room for all the extra water and sun cream I will doubtless be needing!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)
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Start of the day. Up at 6:30 am(!). There had been a gound frost but, unusually, I was warm enough to sleep though it Normally, sheep run a mile when they see me but this one at Kirklington park didn’t. Maybe it’s because I smell like one, now..
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More animals. These ones are horses. Particularly well turned out ones, today Heliotrope. Likes warm wet grassy banks – canal towpath ideal.
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Damage to overtrousers from yesterdays entanglements with barbed wire and brambles is evident. May need a new pair before the LE2JOG hike starts 🙁 Just about the end of the road – for now at least..
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Flooded fields (left), River Cherwell (centre) and Oxford canal (right). Maybe we should consider rice production?
The previous day’s blog follows below the blue line
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Day p02: 08 Mar 2014; Radnage to Weston on the Green

Day p02: 08 Mar 2014; Radnage to Weston on the Green
Walk descriptor Banbury trial Day 02
Date Sat 08 Mar 2014 Start to end time 10h 11m
Start point Radnage End point Weston on the Green
Miles today 29.90 Cu miles 49.84
Ft today 1,282 Cu ft 3,434
Route miles left 20.53 Route ft left 676
Today’s weather Misty and drizzle at first, cleared by early morning to leave bright sunny day. Dry. Light southwesterly wind. About 13C
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Today’s location
(the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)
GPX based track of today’s walk
(click here to access to access downloadable file)
Commentary

“Second day of the 3 day LEJOG practice hike. A bit of a slog, to be honest. At 29.9 miles, the longest walk I’ve done for some time and one of the longest I’ve ever done while carrying a full (36 lb / 17kg) pack.

Although the walk itself was pretty level, and the weather was kind, the going underfoot wasn’t . As soon as I hit the Oxford plain, I ran into mile upon mile of thick, viscous and, in many places, foul smelling mud. Although the floods are receding a bit and I didn’t have to adopt my fallback route today, the going was hard work. I do hope the mud clears up a bit along the LEJOG route, because slogging through it, or diverting around it, takes time and lots of effort.

To make matters worsse, some of the paths were in poor condition. Obviously not used for years, they were overgrown with aggressive impenetrable brambles and in places, blocked with barbed wire. Once I joined the Oxfordshire Way, though, the gpoing was somewhat easier.

The gear is holding up fine, though body is suffering a bit. Sore shoulders from heavy pack, and blisters for the first time in ages. Partly exacerbatedf by the fact that I brought the wrong sort of Compeed plasters with me on the walk. Another great reason for doing a practice hike before the real thing!

Scenery along the way was very rural – pleasant but not outstanding. Highlight was lunch at Waterperry gardens – probably the best teashop in Oxfordshire. Overnight in a field at Godwins ice Cream Farm(!) in Weston on the Green. Fairly basic but absolutely fine!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)
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Mist on the woods near Stokenchurch, highest point of the walk (800ft) idn’t see any snakes, though
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Chapel at Ryecote Park Floods near Waterstock (aptly named!). The path was a little higher and remained dry
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More floods. Actually the only point where I goty really wet feet Coltsfoot – another sign of Spring
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Bizarre notice stating the blindingly obvious!
The previous day’s blog follows below the blue line
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Day p01: 07 Mar 2014; Amersham to Radnage

Day p01: 07 Mar 2014; Amersham to Radnage
Walk descriptor Banbury trial Day 01
Date Fri 07 Mar 2014 Start to end time 06h 18m
Start point Amersham End point Radnage
Miles today 19.94 Cu miles 19.94
Ft today 2,152 Cu ft 2,152
Route miles left 49.74 Route ft left 2,127
Today’s weather Drizzle at first; quicly cleared to leave a dry, sunny day. Mild, around 12C. Moderate southerly breeze
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Today’s location
(the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)
GPX based track of today’s walk
(click here to access to access downloadable file)
Commentary

“This was the first day of a 3 day trial hike, from Amersham to Banbury, carrying all my “”LEJOG”” gear and camping for two nights. A full dress rehearsal fro the real thing, which starts in 2 weeks. It went well – so far at least – becoming a warm, dry day with plenty of sunshine, once the initial drizzle had cleared.

I’d forgotten how pleasant it could be to be out in the countryside on a decent day – after six months of rain and gloom, it was a really enjoyable hike. Very muddy everywhere, of course, but in some parts it was actually beginning to dry out a bit.

The walk started in Amersham then passed through Hyde Heath, Gt Missenden, Prestwood, Speen and Loosely Row before finishing at Radnage, near Stokenchurch. Good, clear views all day, and the warm sun had brought out an abundance of bright yellow butterflies, which seemed most common in the hedge bases and in bramble thickets.

Camping overnight at Home Farm campsite in Radnage, which is surprisingly busy, considering how early in the season it still is. Nice views from the tent, North over the valley. So far body and equipment holding up well. Feet and knees not too painful(!) though it felt good to stop at the end of the day Equipment broadly OK though I discovered (fortunately, before I set off) that my water bottle was leaking and had to be hastily substituted. My pack is still too heavy, depite some pruning this morning, so will have another go at it when I get back home next week.

Dinner and a pint at the Crown pub, about 100 yards from the campsite. What could be better!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)
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Yes – I am really on this walk! Not a Hollywood Apollo 11 creation! Lunch stop in Speen, home of the Bodgers
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Windmill at Looseley Row View from Looseley Row over the Vale of Aylesbury. Next 2 days of walking are on the Vale – currently problematically flooded
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Peculiar device for making horses walk round in circles I mihghy have a go one day, if walking 1500 miles isn’t challenging enough At Home Farm campsite, Radnage, preparing for first night under canvas this year
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Panorama looking North from Bledlow Ridge
The previous day’s blog follows below the blue line
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