October in Oxford

In order to get out and do some exercise this weekend, I decided to have a quick blast around Oxford on the mountain bike. This was prompted mainly by articles in the latest edition of Oxford Today, one of which showed the newly revealed view of the Radcliffe Observatory.

From home I headed across Marston Ferry Road and onto the Banbury Road via the cycle path next to the school and on to Lynton Road. This tool me past Lynton Hotel. I don’t think I’ve been there since we used to members of Trumps, years ago.

On the Banbury Road I turned right into Rawlinsson Road and then left on to the Woodstock Road. Down past St Anne’s and there was the Radcliffe Observatory on the right. The front of the Radcliffe Infirmary was covered in scaffolding an plastic but all the old hospital buildings that used to surround it have been demolished. I headed down Little Clarendon Street and then up Walton Street, hoping for a better look. But in the end I had to stick the camera through a hole in a gate next to Freuds.

I wanted to head down to the Railway station via Port Meadow. It took me while to find the right road leading to Port Meadow, so I had a quick detour around Canal Street. From the car park on Port Meadow I headed along the footpath / cycle way down towards the station. I really like this track as there are the railway lines on one side providing the boys’ toys technical interest, while on the other side are the allotments and trees on the edge of the meadow and the canal providing a contrasting natural interest.

As I neared the station there was a very dramatic cloudscape going on:

Cycling past the station I practised my bunny hops over the speed bumps. Pushing down on the bars and then springing up and straightening my arms it was certainly easier to get the front wheel off the ground. Now all  I need to do is to get the back wheel up as well and make sure that as I pull the front wheel up it stays pointing forward. At the moment I seem to always pull the bars to one side or the other.

From the station I headed up Beaumont Street and into Broad Street. Then I dived into the torrent of tourists in Turl street to check out the Missing Bean coffee shop. This had also been in the Oxford Today so I thought I would see what it was like. There was certainly an inviting smell coming from the open door and it was heaving inside. I cycled on by and onto the High. Then back up the path next to St Mary the Virgin church and into Radcliffe Square, frightening a number of tourists as I went.

Then it was back into Broad Street briefly before turning right down Holywell Street and left into Mansfield Road. As I turned into Mansfield Road I could see a crane sticking out, above the university club. From the top of the crane a cage was suspended and it looked like two men were inside it. I looked back at the road briefly and then back at the crane, just in time to see something fall out of the cage towards the ground.

I noticed small groups of people watching something going on and as I neared the club I could see it was bungee jumping. What I had seen fall from the cage was a guy dressed in a tiger suit. The next one up was even more bizarrely attired:

Click on the image or here to watch the video.

From Mansfield Road I headed onto to South Parks Road, then across the parks via Parsons’ Pleasure and home.

9.1 miles in about 45minutes.

My route can be seen here and my photos here.

Once more upon the Darcy Dalton Way

Intro

It seems like ages since we had been out for a good walk, although I had done a couple of jaunts while on the Oxfordshire DofE BELA training course two weekends ago. It was certainly an age since we had last done a section of the Darcy Dalton Way – fifteen months in fact. Although I need to get more Quality Mountain Days prior to doing my ML assessment, I now need to do a number of walks in more lowland country. Oxfordshire D0fE have put me on the BELA course (Basic Expedition Leader Award – how to lead group in Bronze remit countryside), and I need 8 walks – each of 6 hours duration before I do the assesment.

Anyway, yesterday looked like being a reasonable day, so after a quick planning session we set out.

The Route – Overview

Back in July 2010 we had finished the last section of the Darcy Dalton Way when we reached Akeman street, just south of Holwell. So, my first plan was to park there this time, follow the Way down to Filkins or Broadwell and then walk back via the river Leach, to the west. However, I thought it might be better for morale if we did the non way portion first and finished with the easy route back to Filkins. So we parked the car at Filkins.

Our full route can be see here.

The Route – In Detail

We drove into the village of Filkins from the North, past the Cotswold Woollen Weavers museum and found some parking on the right hand side, by an old phone box. We left the village by following the same road, passing the Victorian Gothic revival church on our right, to emerge on to the A361.

We crossed the A361 and headed up the bridleway. The hedge on our right was full of Hawthorn trees, thick with Haws. Just as we were about to cross a horse jump to emerge into a meadow the movement of some flying thing caught our eye. No ordinary wasp or bee, but some huge hornet type thing, like something out of Bugs life. No idea what it was. Answers on an email please.

Leaving the huge insect behind we crossed the field and made it to a small road. Turning left we followed the road for about 100m, before turning right and heading towards Oxleaze farm.

Our first bovine encounter and slight mislocation

Just before we reached Oxleaze farm we turned left and followed the fence line around a field of ridge and furrow to pass along the front of the farm and through a couple of gates. It appeared that the path led straight into a field holding two young bulls. We looked for another route and found a path disappearing into some trees. Sure enough there was a footpath sign, but it pointed into the field with the two yound bulls.

We crossed the stile and walked straight across the field as the two bulls stood in the far corner watching us. As we reached the far side we followed the fence towards the bulls and the small gate about 12′ in front of them. They watched us closely as we walked up to the gate and went through it. Only as we watched them from across the fence did they seem to get agitated.

As we turned to continue our route the path ahead was far from obvious. There appeared to be three options; left, right or straight on. With no clue we plucked for the central route, at least as far as the next hedge line. We headed across the field and soon reached the next hedge line. There was no obvious path or gate, so we followed the hedge to the north, seeking the correct path. Finding the corner of the field with no obvious route we were able to squeeze through the hedge into the next field. We could see the road that we were heading for and so followed a hedge line and were able to get through a gate into the next field and from there onto the road.

Once we made it onto the road, lo and behold we saw the footpath sign a bit further up the road, indicating where we should have come out. The BELA is all about leading groups of 14-15 year olds and getting them to navigate across the countryside. Me and D were perpelexed but not worried about finding our way across the fields. Goodness knows what a group of young people would have felt had they been in a similar circumstance.

Where we should have come out:

Bulls, Sheep and a big sky

The path continued on the other side of the road, crossing a field and into a wood, where we passed from Oxfordshire into Gloucestershire – as indicated by a new style of footpath signs. We turned right and followed the path through the wood before descending a slight slope to another road.The path continued on the far side of the road and led us into an estate that proclaimed that it worked to be in tune with nature.

The path into Gloucestershire:

The path followed the route of a long dry stream, at the base of a steep escarpment. Three huge bulls lazed in the long grass, fortunately ignoring us completely as we headed across the slope. We followed the base of the escarpment and the dried stream bed, to cross over a slate bridge to reach a another field filled with sheep. As we headed into the field the sheep parted for us. It must have been feeding time as they then all rushed past us heading in one direction.

Rather than head into the woods we went up the nose of the hill, with the valley to the right looking like the Microsoft desktop (or telly tubby land as someone said recently). As we reached the summit of the hill we experienced the “big sky” effect. Barely 30 miles from Oxford, Cheltenham and Gloucester we could see no sign of human habitation other than rolling fields. The sky was just one huge expanse of endless blue. Not bad for the end of October!

Crossing the stile that is just visible at the top of the hill we saw some great lichen:

Crossing the top of the hill we made it to the bridleway that is all that remains of Akeman Street, the great Roman road. we turned right and headed towards Bradwell Grove.

A meeting of ways – modern power lines cross Akeman Street

A failed road

Once on Akeman street it was a straight forward 3km to Bradwell Grove and the point where we could pick up the Darcy Dalton Way again. As we reached the road we noticed a sign that warned that the road had failed. We wondered how and why it had failed exactly. Had it been born on the wrong side of the tracks and just not had the oppotunity that other roads had? Or did it not revise properly for the road exams? Maybe it went to a party the night before the exams and was a bit hung over. whatever the reason, it had indeed failed. It was narrow, dirty, and full of potholes. Eventually though we emerged onto the road and the tree lined alley that led to Bradwell Grove. From there we picked up the Darcy Dalton Way again.

On The Way Again

The Darcy Dalton Way from Bradwell Grove was easy to follow down to the A361 and into Filkins. Then west along the northern side of Filkins to come out by the museum and then along the road, coincidentally to where we had parked the car, and then to turn left down Hazells Lane. We crossed a field of Brassica and turned left to pick up another path (passing a Sloe bush covered in lichen) that headed towards Broadwell. We crossed the field into Broadwell, passing a wonderful Georgian manor house next to a pond and next to the Templars church.

Broadwell manor(?)

The church in Broadwell was built by the Knights Templars. It is oriented to the North East (rather than the traditional East) and has an octagonal tower.

And back to Filkins

Coming out of the Broadwell Manor estate we turned right and followed the road towards Langford. Just before reaching the village we turned onto a footpath and our third bovine encounter of the day. A big bull and his harem of cows. He watched us as we walked around behind him and then went back to his cows as we crossed a ruined stile into another field. A brief jaunt along a road and we were back onto a path that ran along the other side of the first field of brassica. Then it was back along Hazells lane and back to the car.

A great walk, 12.3 miles and six hours long. Another 3.75 miles off the Darcy Dalton Way and another walk to count towards the BELA.

Office 365 and Document Sets in SharePoint 2010

A couple of interesting posts in other blogs today.

First, document sets and folders in sharepoint 2010. A great explanation of the latter and a comparison to the former

http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/Blogs/GetThePoint/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=462

Then a comparison of Office 365 and Google Docs here:

http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/Blogs/GetThePoint/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=516