21/02/15 - The Scutchamer Knob

Distance - 15 Miles
Distance on the Ridgeway - 6.5 Miles
Geocaches - 15
Inspiration - Self made walk for Stage 8 of the Ridgeway


The first of 2015 bi-monthly trips to the Ridgeway, making it Stage 8 overall and out of Oxfordshire and into Berkshire.

Alarm is set for early, but with the usual skills, I am up like a ninja before it actually goes off.  A decent 90 minute drive to park up where I turned back on Stage 7 - and straight onto the Ridgeway.

Its a very cold 1 degree.  And I am in for a long 15 miles today.

Early Morning Views of Oxfordshire

I know exactly what to expect - a broad, high level track with stunning views.  Stage 7 even gave a sneak preview of Lord Wantage's Monument, which is today's first item of interest.  Dedicated to Robert Lloyd Lindsay, awarded the Victoria Cross in the Crimean war.

Impressive Views over Oxfordshire

A few photos taken and back to the walk.  In practice for my upcoming South Downs Way excursion, where I have to do a similar distance in 5 hrs 15 Minutes to meet the last train, I am on a mission to ensure it's possible.  I am even going to go for the top group of a circular set of caches that are on Ridgeway - provided they are easy.

And they are.... grabbing all 6 before a slight detour at the archeological highlight of the walk, an Iron Age barrow with a name worthy of this blog.

Had to be done

And here is the Knob

As the caches dry up, the Ridgeway turns to concrete as it passes under the A34 on the North side of Newbury.  I remember the roadworks on the bypass here, along with Swampy the tree living protester, who was the darling of the press at the time.  I myself would have gone to protest but the traffic in Newbury used to be a nightmare.  If only they had a road that missed out the town centre.

At 6.5 miles of the day, I leave the Ridgeway at a spot where I can attack it from the East on stage 9. Just because I am leaving the famous path, it doesn't mean the scenery is any way less impressive.

Off the Ridgeway - onto the Berkshire Downs

I have had a to plot a little bit of road walking to get me into East Ilsley, but fortunately, there is a footpath to keep me out of harms way.  The village is both pretty and containing the only pub on today's route.  One of the perils of starting out so early is arriving at the boozer at 10:45.  With much sadness, I walk on by.

Back under the A34, a conversation with a girl lost on her horse and onto a wonderful green lane called Old Street.  Whereas the Ridgeway is all exposure and views, this is a lovely secret tunnel of vegetation.  A joy to use to get back to the car.

Old Street

The green lane comes to an end at the oddly named Land's End, where there a couple of caches to pick up.  Old street opens out to provide some last views across the Berkshire Downs before rejoining the Ridgeway, leaving me about 1/2 a mile of repetition.

Lonely Tree on the Berkshire Downs

The View back down Old Street from where it meets the Ridgeway

Arrive back at the car and check the time.  Delighted to have done it in 5 hours 5 Minutes.  There is every chance that I will make the choo-choo when on the South Downs Way.

No walk of this magnitude is complete without a post walk pint, so I programme the Sat Nav to take me to the nearest pub in its exhaustive database of Points of Interest.

It gives me the Boars Head in Ardington at 3.2 Miles away.

All looks good from the outside.

Promising

But once again, what this part of the world has to offer to the walker, it is sadly lacking in quality for the real ale fan.  Out of the 8 stages I have completed, at least 4 of my post walk pints have been cloudy, tasteless bilge.  I can only assume thats the way they like it in these parts.

Choice of 4 and I went for the Boars Head (When in Rome).  Cloudier than the Ridgeway Sky.

On the next leg of the Ridgeway, Mappiman takes his own Stella.