Monday February 28, 2005

A walk around Littlewick Green

As I was on my own again Saturday, after a few domestic chores I went for a five mile walk starting at Littlewick Green a small village just off the busy A4 road. The village is loop of road that leaves and rejoins the A4 so is pleasantly quiet. I passed the home of Ivor Novello known as RedRoofs. I walked south, across a field over the Paddington Westbound railway line. At the most southerly point of the walk I passed Shottesbrooke House home of Sir John Smith the first freeman of the new Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and founder in 1965 of the Landmark Trust . I then walked through the churchyard of this church.

The church has a legend which is the architect climbed to the top of the spire to toast his work, fell and was buried on the spot ! Either way the church is meant to be a small version of Salisbury cathedral. After the churchyard by a field was what we call a Ha-Ha (below). As can be seen it is a ditch with a fench at the bottom of it. Landowners desperate not to spoil the views from their houses employed Ha-ha's to keep the animals in the field but not ruining the view.

I then walked back to Littlewick Green in a Northerly direction across the railway again. I crossed a field with turnips in it where a load of sheep were graving on them. Usually the sheep are kept to a restricted part of such winter food so they do not gorge themselves on it. I could see an electric fence so perhaps the sheep had found a gap in it or the battery powering the fence had failed.

On returning to Littlewick Green I went to the pub and had a nice prawn and marie rose sauce ciabatta with salad and crisps. On leaving the pub it was raining so the walk was timed to perfection.