Pete's Walks - Watlington Hill and Park Corner (page 4 of 5)
Some way along the hedgerow (maybe a hundred and fifty yards from the wood ahead of me), a footpath went right over a stile (another walker was re-lacing his boots here and had to get out of the way to let me pass - we had a quick chat before I moved on). This delightful path runs along the top of part of the Chiltern escarpment, and is in part of the park land around Swyncombe House, down at the foot of the slope on my left. I could see over the top of the small settlement of Swyncombe to the long ridge of Swyncombe Downs, which I'd reach a little later on today. I enjoyed the views as I followed the path, with Straights Plantation on my right. At the end of the long stretch of park land, a stile led into Haycroft Wood. I sat on the stile to eat my lunch, but had to get up to let the walker I'd met at the previous stile pass.
Looking towards Swyncombe, from the start of the path along the top of the park land above Swyncombe House
The path along the top of the park land above Swyncombe House
View over Swyncombe towards Swyncombe Downs
The path along the top of the park land above Swyncombe House
The path along the top of the park land above Swyncombe House
Lunch over, I continued through Haycroft Wood, soon crossing a drive heading to Swyncombe House. A narrow grassy ride separated this wood from Church Wood, and just yards into this latter wood I forked half-left onto a path dropping downhill through the trees. It ended at a T-junction where I turned left, rejoining the Chiltern Way which exited the wood and gently descended across another large section of the park land around Swyncombe House (there are usually sheep here, but not today). Through a gate, the path crossed another drive and went through an area of bushes and small trees, before going through another gate (on the right) into the churchyard of the 11th-century St Botolph's church. I said 'Hello again!' to the walker I'd met at the two stiles earlier, who was sitting in the porch (when we'd chatted before, he'd mentioned visiting the church).
Haycroft Wood
The path descending through Church Wood
The path near Swyncombe House
St Botolph's church, Swyncombe (11th-century)
The Church of St Botolph, Swyncombe, dates back to the 11th century. It consists of a nave, chancel and semi-circular apse – the division between nave and chancel isn’t clear from the exterior, but inside there is a large chancel arch that was widened in the nineteenth century. There is a plain font, which is Norman or possibly even Anglo-Saxon. In the apse are faint remnants of wall paintings, including votive crosses thought to have been painted by knights before setting off for the crusades. A window in the chancel shows the coats of arms of the Chaucers and the Suffolks - Alice Chaucer, granddaughter of the poet, married the Earl of Suffolk, and owned both Swyncombe and the neighbouring estate of Ewelme.
On the other side of the churchyard I turned right along a surfaced track. This soon turned left and ended at a junction with a lane. On the other side, a footpath continued, dropping downhill between a hedge and a fence and then climbing quite steeply up the opposite side of a small valley. Near the top the path entered woods, and as it then levelled out I briefly glimpsed a Stoat ahead of me, the first I'd seen for ages. The path then descended for a short distance, before I turned left at a path junction and headed eastwards long the attractive ridge of Swyncombe Downs (an earthwork called the Danish Intrenchment runs along the top of it). Initially the path went through an open area of long grass, with various wildflowers adding colour to it - I also spotted a few Brimstone butterflies here. Further on the path was enclosed between bushes, but eventually it went through a metal kissing-gate (where I took a left-fork at a path junction) into another open area of grassland on the very top of the ridge. There were extensive views ahead over the Oxfordshire Plain, and I spotted my first Chalkhill Blue butterflies of the year (including several of the brown females, which I don't think I've seen before).
The path north from Swyncombe to Swyncombe Downs
The path north from Swyncombe to Swyncombe Downs
The path north from Swyncombe to Swyncombe Downs
The path heading west along Swyncombe Downs
The path heading west along Swyncombe Downs
The path heading west along Swyncombe Downs
