U3A WALKING TOUR – MARLBOROUGH DOWNS

U3A WALKING TOUR – MARLBOROUGH DOWNS
FRIDAY-MONDAY, 29TH APRIL-2ND MAY 2011

What an auspicious day to start our 5th walking tour – THE ROYAL WEDDING DAY. Some had bemoaned the fact that they would miss all the best bits, but we arrived at our hotel on the outskirts of Swindon to find many of the group already ensconced in the bar, having arrived early to watch events unfold.

Our hotel was one of a French chain, Campanile, and proved very comfortable, despite the rooms being somewhat small and Spartan. We hunted high and low for a wardrobe and drawers for our clothes, but only discovered a bright green tube with four coat hangers high above our heads – a vertical challenge for the shorter members of our group!

Our afternoon’s walk was to Barbury Castle – not a castle as we know it, but one of many hill forts in this area, with commanding 360º views of the rolling countryside, looking very colourful in its Spring green with vivid splashes of yellow in the fields of rape. We enjoyed a bracing walk to the top and around the circular site in a stiff breeze, then retraced our steps and continued eastwards on part of the Ridgeway. We returned to our cars, accompanied by the song of many skylarks.

Meals proved to be mainly very good, with delicious home-made soup each evening and a choice of main course, with a dessert to follow. The waiting staff proved very helpful and we all enjoyed socialising for the evenings with Dave’s quizzes, one of which was particularly challenging for him to adjudicate, as there appeared to be so many answers.

Saturday was sunnier but still windy and we had a superb day’s walking. The morning was spent exploring part of the Kennet and Avon Canal from Crofton Pumping Station and the beautiful countryside surrounding it. Lasting impressions include the bright green of newly unfurled leaves on the trees and the prolific May blossom. I daresay many of the men especially found the beam engine at Crofton fascinating.

After lunch at the picnic site at Crofton we drove to our afternoon walk along a disused railway and back through farmland. Again, the May blossom was breathtaking among the bright green hedgerows. Today, I for one saw my first kite, a memorable sight. We had had a really great day’s walking, sightseeing and companionship.

Sunday the wind was even stronger, but served to keep the weather dry and mainly sunny – good for walking. Today, we visited Coate Water reservoir first, completely circling the lake and enjoying all the wildlife, especially the nesting Herons, Mallard and Canada Geese with their chicks, and Great Crested Grebes. The trees surrounding the lake were magnificent, especially the chestnuts, decked out like Christmas trees with ‘candles’ provided by the beautiful pink and cream flowers.

After our picnic lunch by the lake we visited Windmill Hill, a Neolithic hill fort, thought to be a seasonal site. We approached initially via a very overgrown path, which Dorothy valiantly led us along, destroying the nettles with her walking poles as she waded through. Then we enjoyed a pretty walk through meadows then uphill to the top, again giving us the reward of glorious views for our efforts, walking back along a track through huge fields, some populated with handsome black cattle. The wind harried us all the way back and we were glad to reach the shelter of the meadows once more and return to our cars.

Monday and our last day – where had the time gone? Again, the same mix of sun and wind. We headed for Silbury Hill, where we parked and set off to walk through the meadows to Avebury and the stone circles. No-one has been able to discover why Silbury Hill became such a huge mound, but it is known that it was added to over time, with stone coming from many different areas. The Romans also settled there during their time in Britain.

Avebury and its Henge of stones over 5,000 years old is fascinating and we all split up, walking among the stones, some of us contemplating how on earth such enormous rocks could have been carried to the site and erected, to stand for so many hundreds of years. What a truly great monument to the people who inhabited our green and pleasant land so long ago.

We all returned together to our cars for a final farewell. We have so many warm and happy memories to store up for those short winter days and long evenings when sun and warmth seem so far away.

Thank you, Dave, for doing yet another excellent job of guiding us during the day and keeping us amused in the evenings. We all enjoy these carefree holidays so much, thanks only to your time, effort and patience. Thanks, too, must go to Bridget, for so ably supporting Dave in all he does, and last but not least to John for organising
Sue

Swindon Holiday Part 2

Comments from Dave
[058] Our intrepid explorers force! ing
thier way uphill through a thicket.
[061] "That" windmill at 30 plus magnifications
[075] Saturday lunch break
[054] Well I thought it was a target for low flying sea gulls
[072] Won't let a Gal rest will He...!





[097] is interesting it's a Heron on it's nest feeding young
[114] Thought I had better put the Three musketeers in

Swindon Walking Holiday Part 1

Comments from Dave
[002] This is the first and last time I got them altogether
[005] Where Friday afternoons walk took us
[015] A five minute break out of the wind
[019] Walking the ramparts in the wind
[028] Think John wanted to remain anonymous
Or just tired after the walk perhaps



These are all taken on Day two
A visit to Crofton pumping station and environs. This I enjoyed and was probably our best one.
[053] Crofton pumping station
[039] Hanging over a Kennet & Avon canal bridge,but what are they watching?
{040] Some poor lady working all on her own ... gentlemen!
[049] After half an hours watching the barge is Finally through.
[066] The ladies trying hard to pose for the camera No prizes for guessing who that is with the shorts on

6th May walk

Couldn't ask for a better day. The ground was firm the sun not too hot and the foliage at its nicest. Twenty six I believe enjoyed the walk. We passed the Portuguese fireplace and made our way to the reptile centre where there was plenty to see being a warm day the cold creatures came out to bask in the sunshine. On our walk we came across a slow worm and Jack placed it out of harms way on the edge of the path.

Slow Worm
Despite looking like snakes, Slow Worms are actually limbless lizards. The skin of the varieties of slow worm is smooth with scales that do not overlap one another. Like all other lizards, slow worms autotomize, i.e. they have the ability to shed their tails in order to escape predators. The tail regrows, but seldom to its former length.