Swindon, Around and About - August 2011

I'm writing this much after the event so memories are a bit vague and largely gleaned from trawling my archive of photos. Pat and myself had been invited to stay with my brother Stuart in Swindon for a long weekend, which would give us an opportunity to explore the surrounding countryside.

Day 1 - On the Thursday morning we caught a train from Waterloo to Andover, and in miserable weather set off north over the downs to Great Bedwyn where we stopped for lunch and an opportunity to dry off a bit. We continued on through the delightfully traffic free Savernake Forest to Marlborough, and north again on a former railway cycle route. I needed to phone Stuart but found that my earlier soaking had rendered my phone inoperable - luckily Pat's was still working and we were able to arrange to meet Stuart for a beer in Wanborough. From here it was just a few miles more to Stuart's home in East Swindon.

Day 2 - Luckily the weather was much improved in the morning and we rode south from Swindon on minor roads and onto the rough track of the Ridgeway which took us to Avebury with its impressively large stone circle.

To avoid main roads required the use of more tracks and minor roads as we made our way to Bishops Cannings for a lunch stop and then along the Kennet and Avon Canal towpath to Devizes and the Caen Hill Locks.

Thatched Cottages on Route to Lunch.

Lay Wood Bridge.

Pat Makes a New Friend.

Caen Hill Locks.

Onward via Lacock to Castle Combe where we may have had further refreshment to prepare us for the hack back to Swindon.

Day 3 -It was an overcast morning as we headed east out of Swindon and passed the Uffington White Horse on our way to Oxford.

Starting back westwards we found an amenable refreshment stop at the Eight Bells in the hamlet of Eaton, which set us up for the ride back to Swindon.

Day 4 -We headed north to explore some of the Cotswolds and paused at Fairford Mill Pond with its abundant waterfowl.

Hannington Book Exchange.

Fairford Mill Pond.

This was a prelude for several scenic Cotswold villages including Bibury with the Arlington Row of 17C weavers' cottages.

Arlington Row.

We had a coffee break in Northleach before carrying on through Bourton-on-the-Water to the Slaughters.

Lower Slaughter.

Upper Slaughter.

Stuart drove out from Swindon to meet us for a pleasant lunch in a pub garden in Naunton before we headed back via Cirencester and since time was getting on we decided to stop for an early evening meal in Minety before getting back to Swindon.

Leaving Naunton.

Water Feature at Compton Abdale.

Cirencester.

Day 5 -We retraced our arrival route along the former railway cycle path to Marlborough.

Marlborough.

Back through Savernake Forest and along the Kennet and Avon Canal to visit the Crofton Beam Engines which formerly pumped water to feed the canal at its highest point.

We continued along the canal for a couple of miles before heading off for lunch at Ham and afterwards back over the downs and with time to spare circled east of Andover past the watercress beds at St Mary Bourne and round to the south at Wherwell and finally into Andover from the west for a train back to Waterloo.

Wherwell.