The forecast for next week is to be in the mid 30C temps. Seems astounding if it happens. In anticipation we thought we would check out walks that have somewhere that the dog, Omey, can swim to cool off. We set off to the Minster Lovell loop from Crawley. Plan to walk a figure 8 with Crawley in the middle, second loop being Wychwood Way.
Minister Lovell Hall had beem a 15th century family home. They ultimately had to forfeit the property to the Crown in 1485 after fighting for Richard 3rd at the Battle of Bosworth. Because Henry 7th won he passed a retrospective law that said anyone who supported King Richard 3rd has committed treason and land would be confiscated. Vast lands were taken making Henry 7th very powerful. Difficult to pick the right side in those days, forfeiture or execution or both was the outcome.
Certainly had been a functional grand residence. To the left of the above picture is a bend in the River Windrush, a clear Cotswold river. Omey was straight in. She loves swimming. We made our way back through Crawley village towards the well known local pub, past the quinessental Cotswold homes.
We were rather taken by this piece of art in a window. Very effective, you took a double take.
The folks we are housesitting for left us some ordinance survey maps, general house notes and the best local pubs. Great names like the 'Lamb and Flag', 'Bird in Hand' and the ' The Lamb Inn'. Having completed the first 6km loop lunch was called for before the afternoons walking loop.
We sat outside under one of the umbrellas and Jeff was a starter for the Wednesday special, moi fancied a starter of goats cheese on toast. They were delicious. The pub is family run, opening 11am each day. Omey behaved herself and sat quietly under the table. We then set off to walk the Wychward Way, which is an ancient forest on 500ha. It had been substantally larger but had been cleared for agriculture, villages etc. The British Navy cut down Oak and Ash trees in the 1770's for shipbuilding. It was a fabulous 7km loop.
This is part of what is called 'Five Ash Bottom Avenue' being the remnants of Ash trees still alive after 200+ years. Astounding they continue to grow with hollow trunks.
A stone keep around a well.
Wild fallow deer come out of the woods to graze.
Following day we found the Windrush River again on a walk around Witney Lake. Can park in the Sainsbury carpark (3 hours free) and cross over the road to the public walkway. Witney is the biggest town near us with all the essentials - Waitrose, independent shops, Boots, Marks and Spencers etc.
Omey the swimmer. We keep our extender lead on her at all times. Jeff had to help her out at one stage as it was a bit steep and slippery getting out of the water.
A friend from Newcastle was down visiting family in Oxford , half an hour from here. So we met Lesley at 'The Back Lane Pub' for lunch in Woodstock. We had sussed it out on Monday when we did the Blenheim Palace walk from Woodstock. Omey sat under the table and we had a lovely couple of hours catch up. She had moved from a large house and garden in Horncliffe to a modern Newcastle apartment when her husband died. Took quite a lot of adjustment but she is settled now.
Over the years we have noted many changes to the English countryside and towns. Rewilding is the thing to do via government subsidy if you are not bothered to farm animals, cereals or food in general. Traffic islands, roadsides are let go, litter all along the 'A' roads. Many new housing blocks built on the edge of villages to home the 8 million extra inhabitants over the last 20 years. Traffic can be overwhelming and the Brits pet hate - potholes - the poor quality of general roading due to no maintenance and too may vehicles, particularly on the B ( provincial) roads.
Rewilding, thousands of hectares like this. England can not feed itself, no self reliance. Whereas NZ can feed itself multiple times over.
A by-election was held in Makersfield near Manchester on Friday and the winner is supposedly going to unseat the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and the usurper will solve all the UK problems, nirvana and prosperity will be achieved for all! Their present problems have been decades in the making and a further shift to the left will not fix the rot.
We wandered up the the local school fete yesterday morning. Was not up to much but Jeff enjoyed viewing a few classic cars on display.
We undertook an afternoon walk to Holly Grove - Conygar Copse from North Leigh on a 10km loop. We use a Komoot app which brings up a huge range of walks on public paths within a designated area; lets say within 10km of where we are housesitting. On the left are what I would call "Johnsons Blue" a perennial in our gardens but which seens to grow wild here.
We called in for a swift half pint on the walk. Can be tricky as having a snooze afterwards seems a better idea than walking another 5km in the woods.
These are accommodation huts behind the pub. Beauty of not being in a room over the bar, kitchen and having some quiet space.
Got to 30C today, Sunday, we walked the lake early, stocked up on groceries. Visited folks Jeff had met one morning, young couple with twin 12yr old boys. They are renovating one of the villages houses they live in, he runs a building business, she works for Mercedes. Exhausting.
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