Pete's Walks - Circular walk from Ewelme (page 5 of 5)
Across the road a path led through Oakley Wood. It continued across an empty pasture, then followed a fenced path between what I presume is a scrap merchant's yard (lots of rusting old vehicles and so on) on my right, and a ploughed field with sheep in it on my left. The sheep looked like they were eating stones, but I assume they were turnips or some other root crop.
Path in Oakley Wood
Path in Oakley Wood
The path continuing northeast from Oakley Wood
The start of the path beside the scrap merchants
The path beside the scrap merchants
Looking left from the path past the scrap merchants
The path beside the scrap merchants
I crossed a minor road and followed the wide track leading towards Potter's Farm. At a track crossroads I turned left to pass the farmyard and the attractive old farmhouse. The track led on to some farm buildings and a major path junction (where the southern extension of the Chiltern Way rejoins the original route). Here I turned left to follow a hedge-lined track called Potter's Lane.
The drive to Potter's Farm
Potter's Farm
Approaching the path junction by farm buildings at Potter's Farm
Potter's Lane
Potter's Lane
After about half a mile I crossed a lane and continued onwards, with a meadow on my right and a landfill site to my left. On reaching a bend in a lane, I took my usual photo of the fine view towards Ewelme and then turned right on a path that dropped downhill along the left edge of a pasture that extended a long way to my right. This was very muddy, particularly around the stile in the bottom corner and my boots were dripping with mud as I went round the edge of the playing fields (a soccer match was now in progress) and returned to my car.
Path past the landfill site
Near the end of the path past the landfill site
I always like this view of Ewelme, from the end of the path past the landfill site
This was a good walk, and probably just as good this way round as when I did it the other way. It seemed a relatively flat route, with just the long climb up to Ewelme Park (or the path up through Mongewell Woods, doing it the other way round), plus a few minor ups and downs. There were some nice views out to the Oxfordshire Plain (despite Didcot Power Station!), and a pleasant mixture of field paths and short woodland sections.