Monday January 09, 2006

Only one walk this weekend

We had planned to do a new walk near where I work after a visit to a bathroom and tile shop on Saturday. However after getting up on the day it was raining hard and we cancelled that walk. On Sunday morning the promised rain had not yet arrived so we ventured out on a walk according to our records we first did in September 1997. It starts by this pub, The Horns at Crazies Hill.

We used to go to the pub a lot for dinner but it has fallen out of favour with us recently and has been relegated to a lucky dip entry in the Good pub guide having won the Berkshire dining pub of the year award in the past. It is still a very pretty pub. We crossed Cockpole Green and headed to Goulders Farm. Just visible in the distance was Danesfield once the home of RAF Medmenham and now a hotel. Here without the shelter of any trees the wind was raw and it was cold. We were soon slightly sheltered by a thin belt of new trees and where this ended we met Rose Lane. In this area is a large bloodstock farm - we think these horses end up racing in the UK. The owner who keeps this farm in near perfect condition allows people to walk on permitted paths. These can be withdrawn at any time but show a landowner who is willing to share his land so others can enjoy it. We followed a grassy track between two paddocks. Each of the paddocks in this farm has a wire and wooden pole fence and just behind it a nice healthy thick hedge for wildlife. Some of the paddocks had been scarified that is the process of removing a lot of dead material from the grass to encourage new and stronger growth. In these paddocks were often clumps of newly planted trees which will add to the natural appearance of this farm over the years. The path soon became tarmac still between hedges and in the corner of woodland is the BBONT (Berks, Bucks and Oxon Naturalists Trust Hurley chalk pit. Also in the distance is the beautifully restored Pudders farm. Behind us was a lovely view of this rolling countryside. In the picture you can see this new woodland and the hedge with several different variety of plants which are all doing well.

We then followed three more field edges running parallel with the sunken track Hodgedale lane. Here the trees had a lot of catkins on them but still closed up. We left the last field and emerged in Warren Row where it just started to rain but only very lightly. We entered Cayton park and now started the slow climb up Bowsey hill (460ft) now in pretty woodland and beech trees with their leaves still on them. At the top we left the woodland and turned right onto a narrow lane that headed back to the pub. As we drove home the rain got heavier but the walk only four miles was well worth doing.