Pete's Walks - Watlington Hill, Swyncombe, Russell's Water (page 2 of 4)
From Swyncombe I continued along the Ridgeway (the Chiltern Way turned left through the churchyard), following a muddy track along the floor of a valley called Colliers Bottom. At one point there was a gateway on my left, with the park land around Swyncombe House sloping up steeply to a crest where I walked on my Chiltern Chain Walk. The Ridgeway soon also turned left, like the Chiltern Chain Walk heading for Ewelme Park. I was going there too but by a much longer and more convoluted route, simply to take in some paths I'd not walked before. The first of these was the continuation of the bridleway through Colliers Bottom, which further on is labelled Ladies Walk on the OS Map. The bridleway followed the valley bottom through a long thin belt of trees, with sheep pastures to the right - a stoat suddenly ran across the bridleway in front of me here, the first I'd seen for ages. Further on, the bridleway followed a hedgeline through arable fields to reach a private drive, where I turned right (and was soon passed by a horse rider and her two dogs).
The Ridgeway path just beyond Swyncombe church
View over the park around Swyncombe House (my Chiltern Chain Walk follows a path along the top of this slope, with great views out over the Oxfordshire Plain)
The bridleway through Colliers Bottom, just after the Ridgeway turned off left
Bridleway through Colliers Bottom
The bridleway named Ladies Walk on the map
The bridleway named Ladies Walk on the map
The bridleway continuing along a private drive - I turned left where the drive bends left and goes out of shot. A Red Kite flew over just here, just above the level of the trees either side.
I soon turned left, briefly rejoining Swan's Way as it passed Ewelme Downs on my left (the large house on top of the downs was surrounded by scaffolding and sheeting). The bridleway followed a farm track between arable fields, where I heard Skylarks singing (as I did in many other places today). In the bottom of a small valley I came to a path crossroads. Swan's Way turned right (towards Potter's Farm, Ewelme, a place I also know well from the Chiltern Way), but I turned left on another bridleway that was new to me, heading southeast towards Ewelme Park. I'd already found most of the paths I'd walked to be pretty muddy, and this bridleway was possibly the worst so far. It initially followed the floor of the shallow valley, then rose uphill towards Ewelme Park. Like the path up Swyncombe Downs, this uphill section was straight and at the same gradient all the way, but it was much longer (though less steep). It was quite tiring trudging uphill in the muddy conditions, but at least I could pause and enjoy the views back over the Oxfordshire Plain.
Part of Swan's Way again, running below Ewelme Downs which are out of shot on the left
The post at the start of the hedgerow marks a path crossroads. I would turn left here to head towards Ewelme Park, while Swan's Way goes right to Potter's Farm, Ewelme. The Chiltern Way follows the hedgeline down from the skyline as far as the small copse (around the ruins of an old farm), then turns across the ploughed field to also reach Potter's Farm.
The bridleway to Ewelme Park
The bridleway to Ewelme Park
Looking back to the Oxfordshire Plain from the long straight uphill section to Ewelme Park. Wittenham Clumps are on the skyline (left), and I think that the white blur just under the skyline further right are the labs at Culham.
Approaching Ewelme Park
From Ewelme Park, I continued straight on (in an easterly direction) along the long private drive. After a few hundred yards, I was again on new ground - I usually turn right on footpaths to reach Park Corner, but today I just followed a bridleway along the drive for about a mile to reach the same small village. As with the path down Watlington Hill, this had the value of novelty, but turned out to be less pleasant than the route I normally take.
The long drive from Ewelme Park to Park Corner
Approaching the road junction in Park Corner