Category: Local Walks

Please come and join me for a 17.5 km circular walk in rural Oxfordshire starting in Islip, a village north-west of Oxford that was the birthplace of Edward the Confessor. The route will take us to Otmoor, a large area of marshland that was drained and enclosed into fields in the early nineteenth century. In 1997 a large part of it was taken over by the RSPB and was gradually restored to its original condition. It is now managed as a wetland nature reserve that provides a home for thousands of waterfowl, as well as many other bird species. Lewis Carroll is believed to have based the chessboard setting of Through the Looking-Glass on the view from a hilltop of the grid layout of Otmoor fields. Optional stop for a drink at Abingdon Arms, a vibrant community-owned pub in Beckley that inspired Lewis Carrol. Date: Saturday 9 March 2019 Walk organiser: Stanislav, staskikotx’attt’gmail.com, 07402841546 (I’m joining the group at Oxford Parkway) Lunch: packed lunch Please take to the walk: good walking boots (field tracks can be very muddy), water, packed lunch, warm clothes, optional binoculars and telescopes. To get the most of the walk, consider taking a paper bird-guide or installing a bird encyclopedia (say, “Birds of Britain” by Citydroid) on your smartphone. You have to take the train which sets out from Oxford at 10:09, passes Oxford Parkway at 10:15 and arrives at Islip at 10:18. Meeting point 1: Oxford Central Station, 9:55 Meeting point 2: Oxford Parkway Station, 10:00 Return time: around 4 pm Cost: Return train tickets: From Oxford Parkway: £2.70 if you travel alone; £1.80 with a group or a railcard; From Oxford Central: £3.20 if you travel alone; £2.10 with a group or a railcard;