Deddington 'Loops'
22nd August 2002
Early
in 2002 while I was doing some shopping in Banbury,
North Oxfordshire, I visited the Tourist
Information Office and obtained copies of the
various walks published by the local council,
Cherwell District. Shortly after Mick, Larry and I
used one of the routes, which was a 10 mile
circular walk of Banbury. It wasn’t particularly
wonderful. Some of the outskirts of towns can be a
bit grim although the countryside parts were
pleasant. However, we enjoyed it and were impressed
by the clarity of the information given on both the
walk details and the actual walk signage.
Early in
August (2002) it was decided that we, the
"Boys", should get out and have another walk.
Where we went was almost immaterial as long as
it was no more than a couple of hours
travelling to get there and a suitable
hostelry was available for mid day
refreshments. Searching through various
information I came across one of the previous
mentioned Cherwell District Council walk
leaflets which detailed two walks, both of
which started from Deddington, which is
located 6 miles south of Banbury at the
junction of the A64260 and B4031. All the
"Boys" agreed that this would be suitable for
a summer excursion so by 9.15 on a beautiful
sunny morning Mick, Peter, Larry and I were to
be found putting our boots on outside the
Unicorn Pub in the centre of Deddington ready
for our morning walk, a 6 ½ mile circuit (the
Clifton Loop) which took us to the east of the
town.
I understand
that in medieval times Deddington was a
thriving market town but today it seemed very
sleepy, almost a forgotten backwater. We liked
the look of it very much with its public
houses situated around the market square and
no parking restrictions or charges. This later
fact really went down well with Mick who hates
paying for parking.
By 9.30 we were away and having walked south out of the town we were soon on farm tracks and footpaths enjoying the scenery and sunshine. After about half an hour, near a packhorse bridge, which crossed South Brook, we started north for our first stop of the day, the small village of Clifton. We had hoped to find a seat here to rest our legs for a while and enjoy elevenses. The only seat we saw was in the bus shelter, but there was room for four – just - and it was cool inside, so various non alcoholic beverages and snacks were consumed to ensure we didn’t suffer hunger pains before lunch. It was then that we realised that we had made better time than expected and would be back in Deddington well before noon and probably before the pubs opened. All of us felt it would be embarrassing to wait for a pub to open so it was decided that we would take a minor detour of about a mile to the Oxford Canal.
Having walked
cross field tracks to the canal, we went a
short distance north along the towpath before
going back into Clifton via the B4031. We all
enjoyed this detour. Walking along the canal
was very pleasant, however, Larry was slightly
nervous when one of the fields we passed
through to get there had a sign that said
"Beware of the Bull". We didn’t see one. Was
this an attempt by the landowner to keep
people off his land? I don’t know but Larry
got a bit hotter and I’m sure it wasn’t just
because the sun was now getting up to full
power.
From Clifton
we went north past Hazel Hedge and on towards
Paper Mill Cottages which were a few yards
north of our route and was the base for a
local paper manufacturing operation in the
late 18th to mid 19th century. This was the
only point during the day when we were let
down by the signs but a quick review of the
walk details soon got us on the right course.
Now the temperature was really warm and for
the next mile or so it was uphill all the way.
Needless to say it was pleasing to reach the
top of the ascent – a good excuse for a
refreshment stop, and for Mick to take his
shirt off, before the walk south back to
Deddington.
Soon after 12.15 p.m. we were in the Unicorn Pub and enjoyed a very pleasant lunch. We took advantage of a special offer, of 4 pint jugs of Hook Norton Bitter for the price 3. At less than £1.50 a pint we thought this was excellent value and certainly Mick and Larry are intending to make another visit there. We also enjoyed the food and considered the 2 course meals we had for less than a "fiver" good value and after a long and heated discussion (not) decided to have another jug of Hook Norton. Having enjoyed our refreshments in the sun and feeling relaxed we were therefore a little reluctant to leave the pub’s garden to do the 5 ½ miles of the Hepton Loop that traversed the countryside to the west of Deddington. But we are hardy souls so continue we did.
Normally we
all carry rucksacks for food, drink,
waterproofs etc. However, we were well fed, it
seemed unlikely to rain so for the afternoon’s
ramble we travelled light. Drinks and cameras
only. Fortunately I had brought a waist bag
with me, which was ideal for my water and
waterproof - I was pessimistic about the
continuation of the fine weather. Soon this
seemed to get heavy. Larry and Mick obviously
considered I needed more exercise and slipped
their water bottles into my bag. Lazy s*ds.
However, I realised that the additional weight
was unlikely to slow me down that much and,
even if it did, because of the heat Mick and
Larry would invariably wait for me when they
needed their water.
We probably
enjoyed this loop more than the morning's
exertions. We initially went west out of the
village and after about a ¼ of a mile went
north to Daeda’s Wood, which we walked through
before taking an uphill lane (Milton Road)
north west. Just before the brow of the hill
we turned left to Coombe Hill Farm. Here we
saw the damage that must have recently
occurred when a barn went up in flames. Must
have been quite an inferno and would have been
seen for miles.
From here we
followed the track downhill where,The track
between Coombe Hill Farm and the old mill on
the River Swere. by an old mill, we met up
with the River Swere. An idyllic setting,
which was being enjoyed by fishermen. From
here it was across a couple of fields and
south along Snake Hill Lane to the B4031. Here
we turned left (east) and after about ¼ mile
turned right towards Tomwell Farm. Half a mile
down the track we turned left and followed a
path that took us across fields before
reaching Deddington once more. We all enjoyed
the walk, especially me as I almost always
find myself doing the navigation. Today was no
exception but the walk leaflet and signage
really made it very easy. Larry intends to do
one of the "loops" again with a group of
ladies he takes for Sunday strolls. And I
think both Mick and Peter will be considering
walking parts of North Oxfordshire again.
By 9.30 we were away and having walked south out of the town we were soon on farm tracks and footpaths enjoying the scenery and sunshine. After about half an hour, near a packhorse bridge, which crossed South Brook, we started north for our first stop of the day, the small village of Clifton. We had hoped to find a seat here to rest our legs for a while and enjoy elevenses. The only seat we saw was in the bus shelter, but there was room for four – just - and it was cool inside, so various non alcoholic beverages and snacks were consumed to ensure we didn’t suffer hunger pains before lunch. It was then that we realised that we had made better time than expected and would be back in Deddington well before noon and probably before the pubs opened. All of us felt it would be embarrassing to wait for a pub to open so it was decided that we would take a minor detour of about a mile to the Oxford Canal.
Soon after 12.15 p.m. we were in the Unicorn Pub and enjoyed a very pleasant lunch. We took advantage of a special offer, of 4 pint jugs of Hook Norton Bitter for the price 3. At less than £1.50 a pint we thought this was excellent value and certainly Mick and Larry are intending to make another visit there. We also enjoyed the food and considered the 2 course meals we had for less than a "fiver" good value and after a long and heated discussion (not) decided to have another jug of Hook Norton. Having enjoyed our refreshments in the sun and feeling relaxed we were therefore a little reluctant to leave the pub’s garden to do the 5 ½ miles of the Hepton Loop that traversed the countryside to the west of Deddington. But we are hardy souls so continue we did.