Today's walk was even longer than I thought it would be. And it was a walk whose character changed in various ways.
We took a different footpath from Wallingford back to where we had left the Ridgeway yesterday. As we started the Ridgeway itself it wound its way through trees and crossed over a busy A-road. We were then walking on Grim's Ditch which is a bit of a misnomer as it is a raised bank for a lot of the way. The path mostly followed the top of the bank but sometimes dropped to one side or the other. And all the time we were following Grim's Ditch we were gaining height as the path climbed steadily.
After 3 miles or so we reached Nuffield. Passing through the village we were directed towards the Hunterscombe Golf Course clubhouse and at this point the path traverses the golf course. We had to follow a succession of white-topped posts which directed us across fairways (watching to make sure no golfers were in the vicinity) and naturally we avoided any bunkers. After crossing the golf course, the path made its way between two houses and down their gravel drive!
Crossing another main road the path dropped down through a wood. At the end of the wood and at the other side of a field you saw a white post in the distance which you had to aim for. The path was very distinct so there was no problem finding our way. This was followed by a crossing of an even larger field. Again, the path was distinct so there was no question where to go. Just as we got to the wood at the far end of the field a hailstorm started. We decided this was an opportune time to have lunch.
The field had been in a large valley and these downhill sections followed by uphill climbs (and vice-versa) were to be a feature of the next stage of the walk. The path crossed over a number of wooded ridges and valleys and the weather was changeable as well .. Bright sunshine and blue skies for a while, followed by rain and more hailstorms. At one point I looked out over the vale of Oxfordshire stretching into the distance and saw an old friend. There yet again were the cooling towers of Didcot power station. I am beginning to think that if it's a clear day when we reach Ivinghoe Beacon I will probably still just be able to make out the towers from there.
The steep climbs followed by steep descents eventually finished and we were back walking on byways through fields. By now we were walking at the foot of the Chilterns past various steep hills ( thank goodness we weren't going over them!). Long before we reached it we heard the M40 and we eventually passed underneath that and then shortly afterwards crossed over the old A40. Then it was a matter of keeping going until we reached the road into Kingston Blount. And all the time, the weather was changing from sunshine to rain or hail and back again.
I said at the beginning the walk was longer than anticipated. When I checked the Garmin this evening it showed we had walked a total of 16 miles today. Longer than I had expected and far hillier than I thought it would be.
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