Monday, June 16, 2014 Wigginton, UK

20140616_122450 panorama 300 Today’s walk provided beautiful vistas from several Chiltern Hills, chalk escarpments in South East England. This morning I saw my first Red Kite, a medium-large bird of prey. Though we climbed up down the various hills, the walk was not strenuous. If fact, it was quite enjoyable.

We walked through the outskirts of Princes Risborough, a midieval market town since 1376, but today was not a market day. The name ‘Risborough’ means ‘brushwood-covered hills’. The prince referred to in the name is Edward Prince of Wales who was given the manor house in 1344 at age 14 and who lived there until his death 32 years later.

On Whiteleaf Hill, we saw a 4,000 year-old neolithic barrow. (photo right) This was the burial of a man in a wooden mortuary house along with pottery, flint objects and animal bones.

Since we were walking about 18 miles today, we taxied our bags forward. It was costly (about $50 dollars) but worth it in light of my injured foot. The taxi driver picked up the bags and drove us to an ATM on his way to deliver the gear. When Dennis got out of the car, he started to put on the backpack. The taxi driver and I were confused by his doing so. Feeling foolish, Dennis replaced the bag in the trunk and offered the lame excuse that the backpack was such a part of his routine that he “forgot” it was being sent forward. At least we got a few laughs out of his mistake.

Once back up on the ridge, we saw the Chiltern valley below with its various hamlets and communities. There is a lot of history in this region, which we were unaware of as we walked the Ridgeway Path. I am sure if we had had the time, we could have diverted from the Ridgeway to see historical points of interest, but we only had a week.

We walked past Chequers, the country home of the Prime Minister. 20140616_144755 monument 300 The land was fenced off with railroad tracks, cut and welded vertically. There were lots of security cameras, as you can imagine. At one point, we walked through fields on the Chequers’s property.

Later in the day, the sky clouded over and the winds picked up. We hoofed through lovely wooded nature preserves and then climbed to 852 ft (260 m) to Coombe Hill. As we got to the top, it started to rain, the wind made it impossible to use our umbrellas, and the temperatures dropped to mid 50° F. We didn’t stay long at the monument erected in memory of 148 men from Buckinghamshire who died during the Second Boer War.

Once off the hill, the winds were calmer and the rain eventually stopped, but the temperatures never rose. The path took us through Wendover, another market town at the foot of the Chiltern Hills. It was hard to resist stopping at the Rumsey’s Chocolaterie. Then we walked past the beautiful entrance to St. Mary’s church. (photo left) There was an event at the church and we were invited in. Since we have seen many churches on this trip, we continued on our trek.

At last we reached The Greyhound in Wigginton, tired and hungry. Our accommodations were modern and the food was “brilliant”, as the English say. Once again, we had difficulty connecting to the internet from our room. I wonder if the British will ever solve this malady.

Sunday, June 15, 2014 Kingston Blount, UK

Lightning, thunder, and driving rain awakened us during the evening. As soon as the sun was up, around 4:00 A.M., the birds started chirping and cawing. Sue May had returned from the reunion and prepared the English Breakfast for Dennis, while I had a lighter meal. She drove us to the trailhead so we wouldn’t be drenched from walking through the field.

The trail was muddy and buggy…seems the rain attracted the flies. In places, we had to climb over the gate similar to the one pictured because the ground was flooded. No easy task with full packs.

We walked through a large Chiterns wood which opened to a large field of poppies with a clearly marked path. I felt like Dorothy leaving the enchanted forest and following the yellow brick road to Oz. The only difference is the morning mizzle did not invite me to lay down and sleep; instead it encouraged me to walk quicker.

We had to be in Kingston Blount, our destination before the B & B stopped serving dinner—on Sundays, there is no evening meal. Since there are no other eateries in town, we had to arrive there by 3:00 P.M. Additionally, it is Father’s Day and we had no reservations.

I am amazed by how straight the plow lines are in the fields. My neighbor in Hampstead, NH use to chide me for not mowing the grass in a nice pattern. He would be proud to live next to any of these farms. Turns out, the farmers use a GPS to guide them, but prior to that, farmers took great pride in the straightness of the plow lines.

I also learned that the average farm is about 3,000 acres, explaining why I saw farm buildings but not farm houses. It also explains why the fields are so large.

There was a team race today throughout the Ridgeway. For 87 miles, runners ran cross-country. The 25th Ridgeway Relay Race started on Ivinghoe Beacon near Aylesbury at 7.30 A.M. and attracted 47 teams. The race finished at Marlborough Leisure center later on during the afternoon. I was amazed by the number of older runners and the number of females entered in the race. 20140615_143617 The Cherry Tree 300

Our estimated seven mile day turned out to me slightly more than eleven, but we managed to arrive at The Cherry Tree in Kingston Blount at 2:30 P.M. Just in time, we were the last served.

Saturday, June 14, 2014 Ewelme, UK

We had thunder storms all night and awoke to grey skies. Richard and Kim, owners of The Swan were very sympathetic and kind hosts who seem to understand hikers and their needs. In the morning Richard took us to the trailhead so we wouldn’t need to cross the wet fields and shorten our walking about a mile. As we got there, John and Ken walked up and we stroll along together for several miles. It started to rain and we all donned our rain gear, which made carrying the weight worth while.

We walked with them until we reached the approximate half way mark—Overton Hill to Ivinghoe Beacon. It felt good knowing that I had only 44 miles to go, and the end seemed doable, even with my hobbling.

John and Ken were faster walkers and they resumed their normal pace.

We entered Streatley and crossed the Thames in Goring-on-Thames, the river is not very wide at this point. A party boat was moored near a restaurant and yachts and more modest boats were in the marina.

We went in search of the ATM indicated on our map. To our disappointment it was not functioning. In these remote areas on the Ridgeway, there are few opportunities to get cash out of the “holes-in-the-wall,” as the British call them.

After a quick snack, we walked in pastures along the Thames. They were sopping with the night’s rains and full of cow plops so we had to tread cautiously. In spite of this, it was scenic with swans and geese swimming in the water. On the other side there were houseboats, large homes, and recreation areas. I heard my first coo-coo bird and understand why it was chosen to mark time.

We passed through South Stoke and then the more affluent North Stoke. There we rested on a bench in the church yard before continuing on. Both of us have tired feet. We have been walking long distances and have not acquired our “hiker legs”. By the time we do, we will be on our way home.

At the intersection of the Swan Path and Ridgeway path, we called May’s Farm and B & B in Ewelme (a town that is no more than a spot on the map) for directions. The proprietor Sue was at a school reunion, so her husband gave us directions. “Not far. Take a path on the left, and then go through the field.” “Not far” turned out to be a couple of miles. Allistar is not a hiker and confused where we were.

The Ridgeway Path became a narrow single track barely wide enough for a bicycle. Since it was “not far” we took the wrong turn and went through another farmer’s field (luckily we weren’t shot for trespassing.)

We stopped to ask directions, but people were not aware of the B&B in Ewelme. At Oakley Court (the map listed Turner Court; the name changed about 10 years ago) Dennis called for better directions.

We were told to look across the field for the house with the rose bush. From where we were, we could barely see a house. It took us about twenty-five minutes to get through the soybean field—not far.

Our room was bright with windows opening to gorgeous views. After 18 miles, we welcomed the hot showers. Allistar took us to the King Williams Pub for supper. Since we had no reservations, we had to sit on picnic tables near a sheep pasture. It was idyllic, but cold. I waited in the alcove for our host to fetch us. Sleep came easily.

Friday, June 13, 2014 East Ilsley, UK

Michael Lowrey, the proprietor of the Fox and Hounds, pointed out the stylized Uffington Horse. (Small white spot on hill). It is hard to discern and best when viewed from the air.

He has not hiked the Ridgeway and is new to the area, so his directions down from the scarp were misleading. When he drove us back three miles to where we got off the Ridgeway, he was surprised to see how far and steep the road was. He also transferred our bags ahead twelve miles to The Swan in East Ilsley. Slack packing (only carrying a light day pack) will be easier on my injured foot, which is swollen and mottled.

Climbing back up onto the ridge took us past scrubs and flowering plants. Birds chirped, insects buzzed, and butterflies added fluttering daubs of color. It was predicted to be the warmest day of the year, and I was all smiles–I hate the cold.

Once up on the scarp, the sizzling sun beats down and I am glad to have the GoLite Chrome-Dome trekking umbrella. It provides shade and reflects the heat.

We spent most of the day on the ridgeline. As we progressed east, the Didcot power station (lower right photo) seemed to grow until we paralleled it. We met two Ridgeway hikers, Ken and John. They told us that the Didcot was decommissioned and would soon be leveled.

There have not been a lot of thru-hikers on the Ridgeway, though we have meet many day hikers, joggers, and mountain bikers. This lack of traffic surprises me because the Ridgeway is one of just 13 National Trails in England. Even though it is only about 40 miles from London, it is very remote and access to accommodations requires descending the Ridgeway and hiking to nearby towns. Perhaps this is why the trail is so little used.

Dennis and I were getting tired and thirsty. We found no place to refill our water bottles up on the Ridgeway. We crossed under the A34 (highway). The tunnel walls had an artistic graffito depicting the local towns. (See left below). Just after the tunnel, we walked about a half mile through a field to our B&B and an ice-cold beer. Life is good!

Thursday June 12, 2014 Uffington, UK

By the time we finished taking buses back to where we finished the hike yesterday, it was almost 11 AM. From the start, we climbed steadily under the shade of overhanging trees. Occasionally we could see the Og valley slowly diminishing as we climbed back up to the Ridgeway.

Once on top, we were exposed to the sun and heat and to miles of oat, soy bean, and wheat fields. The soil is hard-packed and muddy when wet, but it must be fertile. We walked for miles past these fields, with little variance in the scenery. We knew water would be scarce in this remote region, but it was hard to conserve it because of the sun’s intensity and the heavy packs.

We only took two short breaks. The first was just a few miles from the start (right) and the second was for a picnic lunch near Liddington Castle, under the shade of trees and on a bench at a scenic stop.

This is day three, and we met our first Ridgeway hiker, and a few traveling mountain bikers. Oddly enough, runners seem to enjoy the Ridgeway, having arrived by car.

Near Lower Upham Farm, we got lost because the signage was confusing. Near Shipley Bottom, we were walking on tractor wheel ruts, and near the plants where it was easier to walk. Dennis says, “As far as hikers go, this is the bad part of town.” Approaching the B4192 (road), I grabbed a nettle bush to prevent a fall, and my hand continues to prickle.

The road was busy and a sign warned that 27 deaths occurred in the area last year. Not wanting to risk death, we hitched about two miles to get back onto the Ridgeway, where it follows a street for about two miles before climbing back up onto the scarp.

The highlight of the day was the Wayland’s Smithy, a long barrow used for burials 5,500 years ago in the Neolithic period. On the site, there were three pot-smoking “worshipers” burning incense and wild flowers, and a drum circle of about 10 participants. If it had not been for them, we may have taken a snooze on the grassy mounds, but it was getting late and we need to continue to the B & B in Uffington. We descended the scarp after the White Horse Hill, and found the Blowing Stone. We were too tired to see if we could make a note by blowing into the stone’s perorations.

From there, we continued down to Uffington, three or more miles on tarmac. After over twenty miles, my shin was starting to hurt, and both of us were tired. We must have looked terrible, because no one gave us a lift.

Shower, meal, and sleep awaited us.

Wednesday, June 11, Ogbourne St. George

Our B&B hostess treated us to a savory vegetarian English breakfast…fuel for the miles to come. Afterwards we visited the Sanctuary, a prehistoric site on Overton Hill. The site consists of six concentric rings of timbers erected around 3000 BC. In 1930, excavators found 162 postholes, some with double posts. It is believed that he timbers may have supported a roof of turf or thatch and had been a ritual site or mortuary house where corpses were kept. There are also two concentric stone circles. To the right is an interpretation of what the Sanctuary might have looked like (taken from an information panel.)

Across the street from the Sanctuary is the start of the Ridgway Path. Most of the path is packed earth, sometimes grassed-over, and the walking is easy. (After working out the kinks, I managed to develop a good pace in spite of my injured foot, and without a heavy pack)

We walked along one of the most important geological areas in England, the Fyfield Downs with its dry valleys and sarsen stones.(sandstone blocks). People have lived and worked in this area for more than 7000 years.

We passed one of the Wiltshire white horses, chalk hill carvings. It was not visible from the Ridgeway, but we did see it on our bus ride back to the B & B.

We passed the Berwick Bassett Dewpond, with its lovely flowers and dragonflies. In the area are a series of dewponds which form “a necklace across the downs”. These ponds attract wild flower, insects, and are habitat havens for wildlife. This one is enclosed to prevent cattle from destroying it.

We were running low on water and looking forward to getting to Barbury Castle. After we passed the area for the Barbary Castle Horse trials with all the jumping gates, we could see impressions in the earth and a flat top hill–Barbary Castle, an iron age hill fort. All that is left of the 11 acre fort are two deep defensive ditches and rampart. The Ridgway runs through Barbury Castle. The panorama from the top, made the steep climb worth the effort.

It was a gentle descent to the valley of Og and to the town of Ogbourne St. George. As we walked to the bus stop, the bus arrived. We could not have asked for better timing.

In all, we walked about 15 miles. Tomorrow we will do the same, but with packs.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 Avebury, UK

We hopped on the train in Portsmouth to Swindon, and the took the number 49 bus to Avebury. As we rode northeast along the coast we saw small hamlets along the bays, the harbors filled with boats and yachts. The cerulean blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds competed with the dark blue sea and white sail boats. Inland, we passed refineries, factories and post-war style brick houses. In the larger cities were modern glass towers.

As we head north, the airy clouds merge into large, deep, dark, threatening ones, casting shadows over the pastures and corn fields. They hang low and block out the warm sunshine.

The bus dropped us off in front of the Red Lion Inn in Avebury and we went in search of our B & B (Aveburylife) about 3/4 miles from the center. On the way we purchased a map of the Ridgeway Path in the quaint store (pictured left).

After dropping off our packs, we visited the standing stones. (Upper photo). This world-famous stone circle is one of the most important megalithic monuments in Europe.There are two inner stone circles surrounded by a larger one, which is the largest stone circle in Europe,

The Neolithic henge monument was constructed about 2600 B.C. Its purpose is unknown, although archaeologists believe that it was most likely used for some form of ritual or ceremony. In the early Medieval ages as the town developed, the locals buried the “pagan” stones. In the 1930s archaeologists excavated the site and returned the stones to their standing positions, indicating the missing stones a with a stone marker.

The standing stones are not the only prehistoric wonders in the area. In addition to Stonehenge, there are chalked markings, a dredge, and a man-made megalithic structure at Silbury Hill. Built in 5,000 B.C. this structure is he largest in Europe.

In the early evening, Dennis and I walked through fields to get to the large chalk mound. It is large, grass-covered, and marked by the animals that graze on it. It never amazes me why someone would put so much effort into building monuments such as these. What is it in the human nature that drives people to toil with basic tools to build these wonders?

The National Trust owns Avebury which has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument,as well as a World Heritage Site. There is a museum on site.

Monday, June 9, 2014 Cherbourg, FR

There was no breakfast at the hotel this morning, on Monday’s they do not open until 9 am and we had to catch the 8:43 bus. We were not informed about this when we paid in advance, but we were able to get reimbursed. After leaving 12 frantic messages at the bike shop yesterday, we were glad when the proprietor met us there around 8:00 AM to exchange the helmets and bike for our deposit.

We waited an hour at the bus stop, but the bus never showed up. Thinking we missed it, we went to the Post Office to mail a package home, but that was closed. Back at the hotel we found out that it was Pentecost Day and that everything was closed.

To take a cab to Cherbourg FR (port city in Normandy, above) where we were to take the 5 PM ferry would cost 120€ (about $170) so we decided to hitch. As Dennis was writing a sign a British couple arrived and they offered to take us to Carentan FR, but Dennis would have to sit in the back of a box truck with no light or windows and with a stuffed fox, deer head, and cow skins, along with other items they were purchasing to take back to England. We jumped at their offer. They even offered to mail our box for us—such angels!

In Carentan, we took the train (running on holiday schedule) to Cherbourg. Last year this town was buzzing with activity…this time, the streets were deserted (picture left). We found an open café and sat there munching on a Croque Monsieur and talking to patrons. We spoke with Air Force captains who flew over Normandy yesterday dropping the parachutists. One, Capt. Jake Fuchs, flew the third C-130 troop transport plane in the group. He was enjoying this event very much. The other Captain is the doctor that was in the drop zone on the ground. He was on hand to deal with any medical emergencies or injuries, but he was pleased to report it was an uneventful day, thank goodness. They were both thrilled that the day went so well.

From town, we walked about a mile to the port. On the way there while watching a man outrun bicyclists, I jammed my foot into a post and re-injured my foot. I hope my blackened toe will not prevent me from hiking.

We are now on British time, now only 5 hours difference from the US.

Sunday, June 8, 2014 Utah Beach

The little Peugeot. struggled up the hills as we made our way to Utah Beach. At one point the sparrows were flying faster than we were moving. Our top speed going down hill was 35 mph. But the little engine took us about 55 miles round trip, in about 2 hours. It looked so tiny compared to the “big boys” though we were never the envy of the other riders.

We were lucky to see a herd of about 40 horses running through the fields, enjoying the cool weather and early morning. We also saw 900 parachutists jump with the old-style chutes using a static line. They came, wave after wave, in groups of 5 to 20 jumpers.

For miles around the jump site, people lined the streets and it was difficult to get around, even with the small scooter. In Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, depicted in the television series Band of Brothers, was the first village to be liberated during the D-Day disembarkment at Utah Beach. There, the re-enactors erected a bivouac. There were a variety of army vehicles and people clad in the old-style uniforms. We even saw a parade of locals dressed in 40s garb and pushing baby buggies and riding old bikes. Lots of polka-dotted dresses. All the stores and cafés were full. We managed to buy a drink in the grocery store, and then sit on the commons to watch the people.

From there we proceeded to Utah Beach. The beach is lovely and at low tides revealed the long approach.

Unlike 70 years ago, there is aquaculture on the beaches. We could see the large tables, but could not tell what was being farmed.

There are a few monuments and statues and a museum. As we walked around the beach, there was a flyover and Dennis managed to capture one of the planes. Later during the day, he also captured the C47 in full battle paint for D-Day. It wore these colors so it wouldn’t be attacked by the allies.

We returned to Sainte-Mère-Église to identify a few buildings that were mentioned in a book we bought that captures eye-witness statements about that night. Though written in French, I hope to translate it for Dennis and help him better understand what his father experienced.

Again today we saw a biking club–all wearing the same red, blue, white shirts. A police motorcycle preceded the 1000 or more riders. This was not a race, but folks out for a pleasure ride.

We arrived back in La Haye-du-Puits in the late afternoon and everything in town is quite…all the stores and restaurants, except for a kebab/pizzeria are closed. Luckily I overheard heard someone mention it in the hotel, and we grabbed fair food in Sainte-Mère-Église,

June 7, 2014 Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte

Searching for dad

We put-puttered north for about 6 miles (10 km) to Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte to see if we could determine the location of the above photos. Dennis’s dad is the upper right man in the top photo and the one standing third from the left and near the blur of the flash in the lower picture.

After visiting the château (below) we went to the museum. It was a literary one, not one about the town, and was of no help. They did suggest we visit the florist who had interest in WWII and a display in her shop’s window. She suggested we talk with Mde. Paulette Marie (right), who was fifteen at the time of liberation and who might be able to pinpoint where the pictures were taken.

She most graciously accepted us in her home and talked with us for about an hour. She took out a collection of pre-WWII postcards of the town to see if we could identify the location from these. We could not. She suggested that the photos could have been taken in a courtyard.

After leaving her, we stopped at an old café. Though the owner was young, he recognized the upper photo from a promo leaflet; he did not know where it was taken. We left the town no wiser than before we arrived.