Walk to the south-east of MK, 10.9 miles

Sunday 21 March

Bit longer than planned, this one. But it was nice to get out with Hai again and explore an area I’ve not walked in before.

We walked from Hai’s place through Walnut Tree and past the big houses in Wavendon Gate to Wavendon village. Stopped to take this picture of the church, and then took the footpath opposite leading through the recreation ground and another field to come out on a lane. We stopped briefly here to look at some ponies and then eschewed a further field in favour of just walking down the lane to come out on the A5130 (or I should say the former A5130 - the Wikipedia entry says it was declassified a few years ago).

St Mary's, Wavendon

Ponies

Here we turned right towards Woburn Sands. As we approached Frosts garden centre, Hai suggested checking whether the café was open – it wasn’t, but I did take the opportunity to use their toilets. We carried on through Woburn Sands, over the level crossing (which was closed to traffic but we were allowed to walk over it with care) and along as far as the little road signposted to Aspley Heath (Church Road), which we took. The Royal Oak has gone all-out setting itself up for outdoor drinking, with heaters and cute little pods, so I really hope it makes some money once it’s allowed to open. We carried on up the road past the church.

Church Road is dead nice with a variety of housing, including some swish new-builds – I’ve just ‘been up’ the road again via Street View, but the capture date is 2016 so it doesn’t show the new builds. It does, however, show this Huf Haus under construction – it’s now complete, with a gate obscuring part of it but I recognized the distinctive roof (plus, there’s a sign outside with the company’s name on it).

Huf Haus under construction. Pic from Google Street View

We turned off onto a lane leading onto some heathland and walked along paths here for a while.

I wanted to head in the direction of Bow Brickhill in order to make it a circular walk, but neither of us could get our bearings, and there wasn’t much signage (should really learn how to use that compass). We ended up coming out onto a minor road a little east of Longslade Lane car park, and had to walk westwards along this for a while, eventually reaching Woburn golf course. Loads of people parked along the road here, with mountain bikes and suchlike. 

Where we came out onto the road (pic from Street View)

Woburn golf course

We took the little road leading straight ahead that eventually descends a steep hill. The village of Bow Brickhill seems entirely set out along this hill – some cute little houses but must be a devil of a road to drive up or down, especially as there were cars parked all along one side. I wasn’t envying the drivers.

Bow Brickhill

After this point the walk turned into a bit more of a slog, though we did stop at The Wheatsheaf on Station Road at Hai’s suggestion for a takeaway cup of tea, which we drank on one of the tables out the front. After this we crossed the V10 and walked through Caldecotte Lake Business Park and up the lake path for a bit before turning back up through Walnut Tree to Kents Hill.

Our route:

Walk to Stony Stratford and back, 6.4 miles

Some exercise on a pretty grey Saturday morning. I should really have driven to Stony and parked there, as if you walk from Wolverton a large chunk of the mileage is taken up with trekking along Stratford Road and back again. However, for whatever reason I didn't feel like driving this morning, so walked from my flat.

Walking west out of Wolverton along Stratford Road

I walked along Stratford Road as far as Watermill Lane and then turned down the lane towards Wolverton Mill. I think the mill building is residential now.

Wolverton Mill

A path - part of the Ouse Valley Way - crosses the road in front of the mill here. I turned left (by the yellow post in the picture) and continued along the path into Stony Stratford Nature Reserve. The path passes under the A5 and comes out on the road near the bridge over the Ouse.

Path about to go under the A5

I crossed the road and walked into Stony Stratford. Turned off the High Street down York Road and walked along Mill Lane and Silver Street, passing Market Square.

Streets around Market Square

Sat briefly by the war memorial on Horsefair Green. Walked a bit of the way down Calverton Road but then turned back towards Wolverton (not wanting to end up walking through Fullers Slade or Greenleys).

War memorial

Returned to Wolverton Park via the Old Wolverton Road industrial area. Not very scenic but at least different from the outward route.

Old Wolverton industry

Map of route:

Unboxing

Unboxing. It's a thing, apparently. Putting the term into YouTube reveals any number of videos of people taking new purchases out of boxes. There are child unboxers, and there’s been the inevitable debate about whether children should watch these videos.

Google claims that the questions on the right are the sorts of things people ask about unboxing. Slightly puzzled by the second one, as I would have thought the answer was "open the box and take out the contents", but perhaps there's a lot more to it than I realise.

Anyway. Here are a few photos of things I have unboxed during this delightful past year. I wasn’t going to film myself exclaiming over the contents.

Exhibit A: Kimchi from 'Kimchi With Everything'. I'd been finding it hard to get hold of the Chongga kimchi that's my favourite, so thought I should try another brand, and this one seemed to be well reviewed. It was OK. It came with a small advice card, apologising in advance for any leaks and advising that lids on fermented products can't be overly tightened as this "will eventually cause a small kimchi bomb from pressure build up". A messy thought.

Sticking with the Korean theme: Shin ramyun. And Clearwipe lens wipes. Both from Amazon.

And more of the same.

Online purchases from Boots: first time I'd ever shopped online with them. New hot water bottle and some facial products.

A Sonos speaker. Bit more of an extravagance, this one, but mainly paid for with Quidco cashback from signing up to a new BT broadband and TV deal last year.

And here I am warmly embracing it.

New Nike Pegasus trainers. My third pair of these, I think.

And finally. Not unboxing, more un-packeting. But who knew you could get click-and-collect M&S underwear?

Walk near Caldecotte Lake, 6.8 miles

Saturday 27 February

Met up with Hai for our first walk since before Christmas. This was a gorgeous day and really felt spring-like. We were both wearing sunglasses and I took my coat off about half way through.

I drove to Hai's place in Kents Hill and we set out across through Walnut Tree and Walton Park to join the path running alongside Caldecotte Lake. We followed this around the northern edge of the lake and across to come out on Simpson Road, where we joined the canal towpath heading south.

Northern bit of Caldecotte Lake

The canal passes under the A5 and then down past industrial areas, then through Fenny Stratford where we sat for a couple of minutes by the lock while I did some map-consulting. Hai (who is twenty years younger than me) commented on the fact that I'm still carrying paper maps. Well, yes I am. I do like maps, although I'm not the greatest map reader; I'm OK with roads and footpaths but a bit shaky on things like contour lines and field boundaries.

Passing under the A5

Canal near Fenny Stratford

Fenny Lock

After the lock, we carried on down the towpath as far as the Millward Drive development (where I once viewed a flat) and turned left onto Watling Street. We walked a little way along, past Pink Punters and turning in by Dobbies. The road becomes a footpath with the River Ouzel on your left. This stretch has a bit of a wasteland air about it. The path goes under the railway (the Bletchley to Bedford line) and then under the A5 (again). 

Between the railway and the A5

Back at Caldecotte Lake

I had meant to get on to a footpath taking us across the railway and along to Bow Brickhill, but managed to miss this and we ended up back on the path around Caldecotte Lake. Loads of people out - families with pushchairs, runners, cyclists; we had to continually dodge cyclists, but it was quite nice to see people out enjoying the sun.

We carried on up the lakeshore path to where we'd joined it and then walked back to Hai's. Our route below in red.

Another walk near Woolhampton, 4.3 miles

Sunday 21 February

Met Ray at Midgham station again for another walk. Different route this time: up New Road Hill as far as Hall Court Farm, then onto a footpath leading east-west across Midgham Park. A clutch of squawking guinea fowl were milling about near the start of the path but hurried off away from us.

Heading up New Road Hill

Pleasant parkland. We passed a largish house which we assumed was Midgham House, though the owners have selfishly planted leylandii between the house and the footpath to mask it from snoopers, so I couldn’t get a picture. This seems to suggest that the original Midgham House was a larger house, demolished in the 1960s.

Crossing Midgham Park

Birds

St Matthew's, Midgham

The path comes out onto a minor road just by St Matthew’s Church. After a quick look at the church we walked down the road to come out on the A4 just by the Coach and Horses pub. We crossed the road and walked down the little road opposite (Brimpton Road) as far as the bridge over the K&A by Midgham Lock. Here we joined the towpath and walked back eastwards to Woolhampton. We had tea and biscuits again, this time sitting on one of the lock gates of Heale's Lock.

Canal east of Midgham Lock

Tea

At Oxlease Bridge we tried to turn off onto a footpath leading alongside the lakes, but had to turn back before we’d got very far as it was flooded. Not going to attempt that kind of thing until I've bought those wellingtons.

Towpath heading towards Woolhampton

Flooded path

River Kennet, pretty full

After rejoining the towpath we carried on back to Woolhampton, joining the road by The Rowbarge.

Canal near Woolhampton Lock

Our route below. MapMyWalk's satellite view seems to have gone AWOL for the moment.

Walk near Woolhampton, 4 miles

Sunday 31 January

A Socially Distanced Walk With One Other Person, as per government guidelines. The issue of what counts as your ‘local area’ seems to have become rather a vexed question, and I had been a bit put off, as I’m sure many people were, by reported incidents of police overreach, as per this one in Derbyshire which does seem to have subsequently resulted in a police apology.

Frankly I’m not sure what was subsequently decided on, if anything. Anyway, I was wary of driving the whole way over to Kintbury to meet up with Ray for a walk, so we decided to meet at Woolhampton as being roughly halfway between our two homes. We parked at a deserted Midgham station and headed north across the Bath Road and up Woolhampton Hill. We passed Elstree School and St Peter’s Church. My fascination with long-abandoned gates continues.

Old gates

St Peter's Church, Woolhampton

At the top of Woolhampton Hill is the former Douai School. The school closed in the late 1990s and the site was sold to Bewley Homes. The school building has been converted into housing and it's surrounded by new building in a similar style. 

The former Douai School

We followed a footpath passing to the right of the development and then round the back, and then crossing a field towards High Wood. Things got very boggy at the junction of paths here and we turned to follow the path to the left coming out back on the road near Upper Farm.

Path across fields

Bogginess

Ray was wearing a pair of Muck wellingtons for the walk, which looked just the thing. Resolved to order myself a pair though haven't got around to it yet.

We decided to stick to roads as far as possible for the remainder of the walk. We followed the road round and along Carbinswood Lane, and then turned down New Road Hill. We stopped at Midgham Green and sat on a bench to have a cup of tea and some biscuits, which was definitely not a picnic. After this we continued down the hill back to the station.

Short stop at Midgham Green

Midgham station is in Woolhampton, not Midgham, but was allegedly renamed because of confusion with Wolverhampton, though I'm not sure I believe that. Midgham village is a bit further west.

Mum and Dad lived in Woolhampton for a while when they first moved to Berkshire in the 1960s. When I spoke with them via Zoom after this walk, they shared a memory of pushing me in my pram up Woolhampton Hill to church at Douai Abbey (Dad was impolite enough to recall that it had been a bit of a struggle). This walk didn't get us much of a view of the Abbey - I think the last time I went there was with Mum to Midnight Mass probably sometime in the 1990s. I was christened there in 1968.

Our route in red below, showing start and end points by the railway in Woolhampton.