D’Arcy Dalton Way – Stage 9

Technorati Tags: Walking,Oxfordshire,D’Arcy Dalton Way

With a long weekend at the end of July we were planning to go to the Cambridge Folk Festival. However, given the price involved and the number of bands that we didn’t know, we decided to stay at home and do something else instead. These four days (Thurs – Sun) presented an opportunity to complete the D’Arcy Dalton way, if we could find somewhere to camp along the way. I considered wild camping along the route. However, looking at the map and Google Maps didn’t suggest any obvious sites due to the proximity of so many farms and villages. We therefore decided on a single day walk.

With the Way now being so close to Oxford the idea of public transport presented itself. Whereas on previous walks we had done 10 mile circular routes but only been able to cover about 5 miles of the Way each time, there now seemed the opportunity of getting public transport to the start of the walk and returning home at the end via public transport.

The day did not get off to a good start. The original plan was to catch the 7.20 bus from home to the railway station and then the 8.04 train from Oxford to Kingham. I think the bus was early, as we got to the bus stop at 7.15 and there was no bus until 7.40. This mean we got to the railway station about 8.10, and therefore had to wait until 9.21 for the next train to Kingham. Fortunately this train was on time and we got to Kingham just before 10am.

From Kingham railway station we followed the road west until we could pick up the Oxfordshire Way.

The Oxfordshire Way

 

 

 

 

 

We followed this path south to Bruern Abbey where we picked up the D’Arcy Dalton Way where we left it the last time (luckily it was still where we left it).

At the junction of the Oxfordshire Way and the D’Arcy Dalton Way in Bruern.

 

 

 

 

 

Rosebay Willow Herb by the side of the road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Gatekeeper butterfly

 

 

 

 

 

Just beyond the bend in the road visible above above the Way leaves the road through the hedge on the right, crosses a small field, passes through another hedge and into a second field before turning left.

The path runs along side a couple of fields and through a green lane, before emerging into Fifield. As we passed through Fifield we came across four goats in a small pen, being fed by a woman who informed us that they had recently been acquired from a rescue centre.

Emerging from the hedges around Fifield we could see the Evenlode valley laid out before us, with Didcot Power Station and The Ridgeway far away on the horizon.

We continued to follow the path around Tangley hall and through Taynton Bushes, where we stopped for a short rest and some food.

The path then continued in a series of long straight sections to descend into Great Barrington.

From Great Barrington we passed through the grounds of an old mill and across one of the branches of the Windrush, to emerge onto the end of Minnow Lane in Little Barrington.

 

 

 

On the path between Great and Little Barrington

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking up (left) and downstream as we crossed the footbridge over the Windrush

  

 

 

 

One of the most picturesque scenes in the Cotswolds – the village green at Little Barrington.

 

 

 

 

 

The adventure continues down this lane. Unfortunately this is where we left the Way for the time being. Instead we turned left and followed the road past the Cotswold Wildlife Park and into Shilton. We turned right just before the Ford and then followed the footpath across the churchyard and into  the fields, where the farmers were collecting the straw bales.

We went across several fields and through Kenn’s farm, before emerging on to the road to Carterton. We turned left and followed this road until we got to the first bus stop. Luckily we only had about 15 minutes to wait for the express bus that whisked us back to Oxford.

 

 

Total distance walked = 17.55 miles.

A map of the route can be seen here and all the photos can be seen on my Flickr page.