Monday 19 December 2011

No December Walk

Hello.

A bit of bad news for the planned 31st December walk.  Due to ill health we need to postpone it.

The next walk will now be on Sunday 29th January.

In the mean time have a lovely Christmas and look forward to seeing you in 2012.

All the best,

Phil.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Crowell Walk

Date: 26th November 2011
Meet at 10.30am to start at 10.45am.

Where: Crowell, near Chinnor. We'll meet in the car park of The Shepherd's Crook, Crowell near Chinnor, OX39 4RR. There is very little parking at the pub so please use the village car park in front of the church. If you're coming from M40 junction 6, Aston Rowant direction the entrance to the car park is on the right immediately after the bus stop.

Route: up to and along The Ridgeway towards Chinnor. Before reaching Bledlow it turns to go up Wain Hill and forms a loop above Bledlow. Then back to The Ridgeway through the Aston Rowant Nature Reserve. It's about 6 miles long and uses footpaths and bridleways, some of which are very muddy. Sections of the paths are very rough and uneven therefore boots are strongly recommended. The inclines are steady rather than steep but one of the downhill sections is quite steep, however it does have steps.

Lunch: at The Shepherd's Crook - If you'd like lunch make sure you give me your order on Saturday morning!

Other Information:  Listen to BBC Oxford on Saturday morning if the weather looks bad. We ask for a £1 donation to this month's chosen charity, BBC Children in Need Appeal.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Friday 11 November 2011

More walk dates


If you like to plan ahead, Kate and I have put together some dates for the first few months in 2012!  They might change, but hopefully not.  So the next few ones are:

Saturday 26th November
Saturday 31st December 2011
Sunday 29th January
Saturday 18th February
Saturday 31st March

Kate did a bit of looking back at the archives.  We've now done 54 walks, with the first one in March 2006!  Not sure how many miles in total, but if we have done an average of 5.5miles per walk it'll be around 297.  So the next walk should take us over the 300 mile mark!

No wonder my feet ache! 

Well done everyone.

Phil

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Next Walk - November 26th

We have a cunning plan thanks to Alan (one of the regulars). So the next walk, on Saturday November 26th will probably go from Crowell near Chinnor and follow a section of the Ridgeway path.

Kate is off to check the route and full details will follow soon.

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Langford Walk - 29th October 2011

Langford Walk - October 2011

Date: Saturday 29th October 2011 Meet at 10.45 starting 11.00am

Where: Langford near Lechlade.  We'll meet at The Bell at Langford.  Click here for a map

Route: to Broughton Poggs, Filkins and Broadway.  It is about 5 miles long on footpaths, bridleways and country roads and is fairly flat.  Sections of the paths are very rough and uneven therefore boots are strongly recommended.  There are a few stiles, one of which is quite high.  The walk will be led at a pace to suit everybody and well behaved dogs are welcome.

Lunch: at The Bell - if you'd like lunch make sure you order before we set off.
Other Information: listen to BBC Oxford on Saturday morning if the weather looks bad.  We ask for a £1 donation to this month's chosen charity,SeeSaw.  This is a charity that gives grief support for the young in Oxfordshire. It helps children and their families both before and after a major bereavement, helping them to move forward and to face the future with hope.
Looking forward to seeing you there.

Saturday 24 September 2011

Ardington Walk - The route

http://bit.ly/pnrdil If you want to see where we are going for the Ardington walk.

Although the start is not the right place and I tried a few different options along the way.

Ardington Walk - Pub

So the plan is to stop at the Boars Head, Ardington after the walk for some food.  I've just had the menu emailed to me.  It's a pricey, but I'm reliably informed that the food is great.

Market Menu
(Lunchtime only)
2 courses £14.50
3 Courses£17.50

Deep fried Goats Cheese with Roasted Tomatoes
or
Ham & Parsley Terrine with Red Onion Marmalade
or
Fried Squid with Chili Dressing

~~~~~

Slow cooked Blade of Beef with Horseradish Mash
or
Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Parmesan Salad
or
Fishcakes with Parsley sauce

~~~~~

The Dessert of the Day is:
Bread, Butter & Vanilla Pudding

STANDARD MENU
Cornish Lobster Cocktail with Marie rose & beetroot Jelly  £9.95
Seared Scallops with Black Pudding & Foie Gras £10.50
Salad of Pigeon with Shallot Puree & Port Sauce £6.50
Goats Cheese & Fig Tart with Thyme & Walnuts £7.50
Kelmscott Ham with Grilled Cepes & Shaved Summer Truffle £7.50
~~~~~~
Tranche of Newlyn Cod , Herb Crust, Light Spices & Lentils £17.50
Cornish John Dory with Parma Ham, Roasted Artichokes & Squid Tempura  £17.50
Fillet of Scotch Beef with Seared Foie Gras & Rosti £23.50
Breast of Gressingham Duck with Rabbit Croustade Fondant Potato £17.50
Roast Scottish New Season Grouse £25.00
~~~~~
British Farmhouse Cheeses with fruit Cake  £8.50
Strawberry Vacherin with Clotted Cream & Strawberry Sorbet £7.50
Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate £7.50
Hot Pistachio Souffle with Vanilla Ice Cream (15 mins) £7.50
Coffee with Truffles £2.75

The Boar’s Head kitchen aims to use the best local, seasonal produce available. All dishes are cooked to order and may take 20 minutes. Red meats game and wild fowl are cooked pink and some are not intended to be served hot. We will be very happy to cater for dietary requirements and please let us know if you're in a hurry.
If you would like us to design a tasting menu please ask
We hope you enjoy your meal.
An optional 10% service charge will be added for tables of 8 or more

Friday 23 September 2011

Ardington Walk - Update

Hello all,

Just to say that all looks like it should be fine for the walk tomorrow.  Bruce at The Boars Head is looking forward to cooking up some lunch for us as well.  We'll take orders when we set off.

Just to warn you again that we are meeting at the car park of Home Farm, which is actually a little collection of business units.  It's on School Road as you leave Ardington and head to Lockinge.  It's on the left hand side.

Look forward to seeing you in the morning.

Full details here.

Phil

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Ardington Walk - September 2011

Date: Saturday 24th September 2011 Meet at 10.45am. Starting at 11.00am
THIS IS A WEEK LATER THAN ORIGINALLY PLANNED!

Where: Ardington near Wantage. We will be meeting at the car park of Home Farm on School Road. This is on the way to Lockinge. Link to a google map.

The route: is nearly just over 4 miles long and pretty flat in the main. The walk is mainly along quite roads but a short section was a little rough and uneven therefore boots are strongly recommended. There are also a few patches of nettles so shorts are not a good idea. The walk will be led at a pace to suit everybody and well behaved dogs are welcome.

Other Information: We plan on heading to The Boars Head for lunch if you would like to join us, as usual we will place food orders before we go. We'll keep an eye on the weather during the preceding week and make adjustments if absolutely necessary. If we feel the weather isn't good enough to picnic a pub in Cuddesdon is on standby to accommodate a large party for lunch.
We ask for a donation of £1 for a chosen charity. Before the walk this month we'll make a collection for SeeSaw, a charity that gives grief support for the young in Oxfordshire. It helps children and their families both before and after a major bereavement, helping them to move forward and to face the future with hope.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Tuesday 30 August 2011

Cuddesdon Walk - Drying out

Hello.

Thank you to everyone who turned out for what proved to be a lovely walk. Even if it did bucket it down and the beginning and end. It might go down as the second wettest walk so far.

Interestingly a couple of our regulars announced that they have now walked 200miles with us on the Get Active walks. Although Kate and I have failed to work out how many we have now done in total. Not bad really.

Don't forget to post your pics of the walk up to the flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1488403@N23/

Details of the next walk will be posted up shortly, I hope to see you then.

Phil

Thursday 25 August 2011

Cuddesdon Walk Update

Having checked the weather, there are some heavy rain showers expected on Saturday so Kate and I have decided we should stop at the pub (The Bat and Ball) for lunch rather than have a picnic. All other plans stay the same, just remember your waterproofs! There are also quite a few stiles - just to warn you.

Here is the route we will be mostly following. This was my GPS track from testing the walk with Kate... so includes a few diversions where we were finding paths etc.



Phil

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Cuddesdon Walk (August 2011)



Date: Saturday 27th August 2011
Meet at 10.45am. Starting at 11.00am



Where: Cuddesdon, (a couple of miles south of Wheatley.)
In the car park of Rippon
College
. See it in google maps.
That's the 1st entrance to the College on the right if coming from Wheatley direction. Please be aware that there is building work currently on site. It's away from the car park but still be aware and take care. I'm afraid that there are no toilet facilities available.



The route: is nearly 6 miles long with a couple of fairly gentle uphill sections. Some of the paths are very rough and uneven therefore boots are strongly recommended. There are also a few patches of nettles so shorts are not a good idea. The walk will be led at a pace to suit everybody and well behaved dogs are welcome.




Other Information: We're planning to stop for a picnic lunch en route so allow about 3 hours to complete the whole walk. We'll keep an eye on the weather during the preceding week and make adjustments if absolutely necessary. If we feel the weather isn't good enough to picnic a pub in Cuddesdon is on standby to accommodate a large party for lunch.



We ask for a donation of £1 for a chosen charity. Before the walk this month we'll make a collection for SeeSaw, a charity that gives grief support for the young in Oxfordshire. It helps children and their families both before and after a major bereavement, helping them to move forward and to face the future with hope.






Hope to see you there! Don't forget your sandwiches!


Wednesday 10 August 2011

August Get Active Walk

The next walk will be on 27th August 2011 starting from Cuddesdon, a couple of miles south of Wheatley. We'll meet at 10.45am to start at 11.00am. We're planning to stop for a picnic en route rather than going to the pub for lunch so the walk will take about 3 hours to complete. Meeting place to be confirmed so watch this space for full details.

Welcome

Hi there,

For the last five years (I think!) we have been leading walks around some of the prettiest corners of Oxfordshire. The aim, to get a little fitter and to take in some country air. The walks are free and normally happen once a month. They are typically 5 mile circular walks and start from a pub so we can stop off for lunch when we get back.

We will always try and keep at a pace to suit everyone, but bear in mind their will be stiles, occasional hills and probably some mud. A good set of walking shoes are advisable and also waterproofs if the weather is looking English!

So welcome to our new blog. This is a place to get information on where and when the next walk is. You will also find links to photo collections as people send them in.

We also give out information on BBC Radio Oxford, 95.2fm and online at bbc.co.uk/oxford