The Bogtrotter

Taking the towpath from Bath to Bradford upon Avon

The Bogtrotter — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:12:58 +0000

A beautiful and easy 9 mile walk along the Kennet and Avon canal from the centre of Bath to Bradford upon Avon.

Kennet and Avon Canal

Starting from Bath railway station, turn right out of the main entrance and go through the underpass beneath the station. This comes round to a footbridge that crosses the River Avon. Go across the bridge and turn left, following the road until it crosses the canal. Turn right onto the canal towpath and go up past a couple of locks. As the path levels out and you start to go past the backs of houses you catch glimses of the historic centre of Bath across the valley.

The rest of the route follows the tow-path, so it’s very easy to follow. Although it is all along the canal, the character of the walk evolves as you progress. Starting out you feel you are sneaking through the back streets of Bath, seeing a side of the City that many visitors miss. You go through a tunnel underneath an impressive house that straddles the canal, and after a short way emerge from the City to suddenly find yourself in the countryside.

Bridge over Kennet and Avon Canal

The view over the valley is quite striking as you slowly turn from walking NorthEast to South, following the contour of the valley edge as the river below loops round. The next notable features are the pub and church at Bathampton, ideal for an early stop. After another two miles through the countryside you suddenly appear at Dundas Aqueduct, which carries the canal across the River Avon to the other side of the valley. If you want a break – you can reach a great little cafe by taking the small path along the moorings that provide a side spur off the canal.

Carrying on along the canal, the next section is through woodland and again this gives a different character to the walk. After a couple of miles you come to a sharp right turn as the canal crosses Avoncliff Aqueduct, jumping back across the river valley below to the other side. Here you can see the railway station in the valley below, and just after the aqueduct is another canalside pub.

Canal Barge through swing bridge

The final stage of the walk is fairly stright as the canal moves towards Bradford. On your left you will see the old Tythe barn, which is worth a short detour to look around. Another few hundred metres takes you to a hump-backed bridge. TUrn left just before the bridge, and then follow the road down the hill into Bradford.

There is a regular train service between Bradford and Bath, so you can easily take the train back to the starting point. The railway also follows the Avon valley so you get another chance to see the views as you return.

Norfolk coast walk – Thornham to Hunstanton

The Bogtrotter — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:42:18 +0000

This is a six mile walk along the western end of the North Norfolk Coastal Path, from Thornham to Hunstanton.

Wide open beaches of North Norfolk

Park the car or take the bus to Hunstanton, then get the Coasthopper bus towards Wells and Cromer as far as The Orange Tree pub at Thornham. From the bus stop take the road towards the coast, walking past Thornham church on the right and a mix of traditional cottages. At a fork in the road, bear right and carry on until the road takes a sharp right turn. At this point, turn left and follow the footpath (signed with a National Trail acorn sign). After 50 yards turn right and cross a small footbridge, then continue on the path with grazing fields on your left and saltwater marshes to your right. Keep an eye out for herons who like to stand beside some of the shallow water channels looking for food.

At the end of the path turn right and follow the track for a short distance, before turning left and joining the footpath on top of the sea dyke. As you walk you now have an elevated view across the marshes, where myriad wading birds potter along searching for tasty morsels to eat. The path slowly winds its way along the dyke towards the sand dunes and Holme Bird Observatory.

Hunstanton Cliffs

From the onservatory, carry on through the small pine copse and follow the duck-board footpath into the sand dunes. To your right you get to see the full expanse of the wide beach, more often that not completely deserted. The path reaches a junction at the edge of Hunstanton Golf Club, where the Peddars Way joins the coastal path. (There are public toilets just across the golf course at the start of the Peddars Way.) Follow the footpath along the right hand edge of the golf course, continuing through the low dunes. Further along you will find a group of beach huts, hidden away from the wind in the dunes. The footpath goes behind the huts and continues alongside the golf club fairways until you reach a path crossroads.

If you want to spend some time on the beach – turn right here and drop down onto Old Hunstanton Beach. The main route continues straight on – climbing up and onto the Hunstanton cliffs. The path narrows to go past the cliff-top car park, then becomes a wide open grass area. Go past the old coastguard lookout and continue through the manicured flower beds, putting and bowling greens to return to the town centre of Hunstanton.

In search of the Avocet – Minsmere circular walk

The Bogtrotter — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 17:38:18 +0000

I’ve never been a big bird watcher but some birds just have a magical appeal. The Avocet is one of these, and Minsmere is the place to see them.

Avocet in Flight

Possibly the hardest part of this 5 and a half mile walk is finding your way to the start. The tiny village of Eastbridge is just a few miles north of Aldeburgh. Park at The Eel’s Foot pub, and then start the walk by heading a hundred yards south back along the road. From there turn left and take the public footpath towards the coast. After 20 yards take the right fork (signed F.P.) along a narrow path until you come out into a field. Follow the edge of the field until the far corner then carry straight on through the gap in the hedge. The track now follows a small water channel with signs suggesting that otters can be seen.

As you walk the expanse of Minsmere RSPB reserve opens out on your right. The track continues all the way to the sluice gate next to the dunes. On your right you will also see the ruins of an old chapel. From the sluice gate turn left and follow the path behind the dunes. Along this path are two bird hides where you can watch the action in the reserve. The first is open to the elements but the second is a two storey wooden hide perfect viewing across the wet mud flats.

After you’ve had your fill of watching the birds, rejoin the path behind the dunes. At the end of the reserve the path rises through a car park to the National Trust property and tea rooms (don’t take the path through the reserve signposted for the reserve centre).

From here you turn inland and take the path alongside the toilet block that leads to the heather moor. Pick the right time of year and this area is awash with violets and purples – a marked contrast to the beige of the sand dunes behind you. As you approach a small wood, drop off the main track and take the small path through the woods. This small woodland provides some shade and shelter – again in stark contrast to the rest of the walk.

Avocets at Minsmere

From the woods you exit to a small road. Go straight across and take the path which follows the fence across some grassland. Here you can often see a blur of rabbits ears bouncing off in all directions. THe path once again goes through a small wood, this time joining a tarmac road. Follow this to a T junction, where you turn left and continue for 600 yards back to the Eels Foot pub. Now you can rest and enjoy a well earned lunch in the beer garden.

Marlow river walk

The Bogtrotter — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:03:57 +0000

The perfect walk for a Sunday morning – a 3 and a 1/2 mile stroll along the River Thames following the Thames Path from Marlow to Bourne End.

Marlow Reflections

Starting from Marlow railway station, go straight ahead and down the hill towards the river. Just before you reach the river take a narrow alleyway on the left behind the Church (signposted as the Thames Path). This goes through to a back road that has a small mooring point on the river. If you stand on the jetty you get a great view of the suspension bridge that is the main river crossing in Marlow.

Carry on through another back alley and you will come out again next to the river, where you can go onto the small foot bridges and across onto the lock island. Again you get picturesque views across the river, both back towards Marlow and down by the lock and the lock-keepers cottage.

Return to the Thames Path and carry on out of the town. You emerge from the houses to a small field and then have to go under the main bypass road before you hit the real countryside. From here you are alongside the river and get to wave at the passing boats pottering up and down the waterway.

Boat Moored at Marlow

The path opens out into fields, and you continue to follow the river at the edge of the fields for the next mile and a half. Eventually the fields end but the path carries on along the river, firstly through a small park and then an alleyway as you approach the boats moored up at Bourne End Marina.

Carry on past the marina until you reach the railway bridge over the river. Just after the bridge take a narrow path left, away from the river. This opens out into a small cul-de-sac. At the end of the cul-de-sac turn left and you will arrive at Bourne End railway station. From here you can get the train back to the start point at Marlow.

You can download a map covering this walk from the Thames Path web site.

Steaming through the Gardon valley by train

The Bogtrotter — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:14:12 +0000

Preserved railway lines are something I always think of as typically English. Who else would spend so much time and effort lovingly restoring an outmoded, dirty, slow form of transport?

So imagine my pleasant surprise at finding a steam train line running throuth the heart of the Cevennes mountains. The Train a Vapeur des Cevennes runs from Anduze to St Jean Du Gard is 13 km, taking a route first opened in 1909 by SNCF after 12 years of planning and construction.

Steaming along in the Cevennes

The line was closed in 1971, but taken over by volunteers in the mid-1980s and re-opened as a tourist line.

Many of the services are steam-operated but some (particularly the later or off-peak services) are diesel-powered, so check before you arrive if steam is your thing. Several of the carriages are open-sided, giving you the best views over the amazing landscape. But be warned – it can get dirty as the steam and smoke from the engine get funnelled down the train as you go through the tunnels and under the bridges.

View from the Train

The train pulls out of Anduze straight into an 833m tunnel, where the sounds and smells are intensified by the lack of light. As you leave the tunnel you cross onto the viaduct over the river at La Porte des Cevennes. The tracks then creep along the valley side until you reach the magnificent gardens of La Bambouseraie, for the trains only scheduled stop.

A collection of viaducts and river crossings follow, with stunning views out across the valleys and woodlands below. As you approach St Jean du Gard, the valley becomes more defined and the train settles in the valley bottom for the final push up to the station. Once there the village is the ideal location for a spot of lunch or a quiet drink, a classic French rural village where you can lose yourself for a couple of hours.

St Jean Du Gard Station

If you are making a day of it you can stop for a couple of hours at La Bambouseraie on the way back, before taking the last train of the day for the final return to Anduze.

You can find out more about the Train a Vapeur des Cevennes on their web site, including timetables and prices.

Amble through the Lakes – walk from Grasmere to Ambleside

The Bogtrotter — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:23:51 +0000

When you think of walking in the Lake District you immediately think of heading for the fells and mountain-tops, but there are also plenty of low level walks that provide equally enjoyable walking. This is an gentle but varied five mile walk between two of Lakeland’s most visited sites – Grasmere village and Ambleside. The walk is fairly easy going, with little ascent and just one tricky section.

Starting from Grasmere Church (resting place of poet William Wordsworth) take the small road opposite, past the car park and garden centre. You follow this road past a hotel and out of the village, getting your first views of Grasmere lake on your left. You then approach close to the lake, passing a small boathouse and cafe. The road then climbs up and slightly away from the lake, giving fine views across to Grasmere with the village lying underneath the bulk of Great Rigg.

Having past a couple of housing (including one with a gothic looking dark garden) you will see a kissing gate on your left next to a bend in the road. Go through the gate and descend down the steps to the lake edge. You can then follow the southern edge of Grasmere lake right around to the small weir at the end – avoiding the temptation to take one of the paths up to higher ground. Here you will see a footbright crossing the river, which many people take to return to Grasmere. However, our route carries straight on along the riverbank. Here the path meanders through a native woodland which rises up on both sides of the valley, the confined feeling in contrast to the openness of the early part of the walk near the lake.

View over towards Rydal Water

The path then reaches a T junction, with another footbridge on the left across the river. Again we ignore the bridge and turn right, back through the woods and climbing until we reach a style over a stone wall. You can see Loughrigg Fell rising in from of you and if you turn aroung you will see Rydal Water open before you. Turn left and join the track that descends slowly down to the Water, eventually following the waters edge. There is a short tricky section across some rocks beside the water’s edge, before the path splits. Take the higher route away from the water through the woods, which becomes a wider track and eventually tarmaced as you reach some houses. If you are thirsty you can divert to the pub in Rydal, or if you are lucky you will see the ice cream van at the car park.

Carry on past the car park until you reach the quaint stone pelter bridge, with the main road opposite. Instead of crossing the bridge, turn right just before and follow the road that crosses the open grassland before passing some houses on the right. Opposite the houses you will see some stepping stones across the river, although when I was there these were all underwater. Continue along the road, which winds its way along the edge of the valley floor. After about one mile you will see a footbridge on your left, which you cross over to enter Rothay Park on the outskirts of Ambleside. Cross through the park an you will then pass a school and enter the town proper.

There are plenty of places to eat and drink in Ambleside, before getting the regular bus back to Grasmere. The route is all on OS map OL7 The English Lakes: Sout-eastern area.

La Bambouseraie – a bamboo jungle in the heart of France

The Bogtrotter — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 08:42:09 +0000

Bamboo always makes you think of the far east – of China and Panda Bears. But tucked away in the foothills of the Cevennes in Southern France is a 15 hectare bamboo forest that provides an oriental oasis from the Mediterranean heat.

Bamboo Forest

The Bambousarie park is a horticultural delight. As you would expect, much of the park is covered with waves of bamboo. But it is not a continuous monoculture, there are numerous varieties of bamboo from the blue-tinted Giant Bamboos rising over 20 metres into the sky to carpets of knee-high bushes, with a range of colours, shapes and sizes in-between.

There is even a small Laosian village set up to demonstrate how people use bamboo to create houses and other buildings, with small traditional garden plots dotted between.

Looking Up

As well as bamboo there is an impressive tree collection. Notably a column of Gread Redwoods (Sequoia) planted in 1861 that now climb 40 metres into the air, towering above the tallest bamboos. There are some of the largest Magnolias in Europe, great Oaks, and a 140 year old Ginko tree that stands over the Dragon Valley.

The Dragon Valley is a relatively new addition to the park – a Feng Shui inspired garden created by Eric Borja in 2000 (the year of the Dragon). With its colourful Acer trees, rolling landscape and Red Phoenix pagoda you really do feel you have been transported to the other side of the world.

Dragon Valley

Tucked away and easy to overlook are the smaller garden spaces that are equally inspiring. The water garden with it’s lotus flowers, the bonsai collection set over a pond, and the Victorian greenhouses which now house temporary exhibitions all bring another dimension to the park.

The Bambouseraie is easily accessible by car, but you can combine it with a trip on a steam train by taking the Train a Vapeur des Cevennes from Anduze or St Jean Du Gard and stopping at the Bambouseraie’s own station. Get more details on the park by visiting the Bambousaraie web site.

And if you get inspired by what you have seen you can buy your own plants at the nursery, and start creating your own oasis back at home.

Modern Day Jousting – with a watery twist

The Bogtrotter — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:32:49 +0000

If you thought jousting was a thing of the past – think again. Jousting conjures up images of medieval knights in heavy armour taking to their horses to battle it out for supremicy.

Joutes

But in the fishing ports of Languedoc in southern France they have a less violent but equally entertaining version that takes place on in the harbours. Joutes on the water is a speciality of Sete, but is also found in other ports such as Le Grau du Roi. During the summer these contests are a regular event, attracting tourists and locals alike.

Boat ready for the contest

The contest involves two teams of rowers on long gondala-like boats, which have a raised platform at the back on which the jouster stands. The two boats row together and then the jousters clash, with at least one of them normally ending up in the water. This is repeated numerous times with the jousters swaping places until all the team have taken part.

Time to attack

The teams certainly take the contests seriously and whilst the crowds shout on enthusiastic words of encouragement there is no doubt that the combatants are keen to try to avoid a dip in the water. If you do find yourself in the area, make sure to take in one of these events. They’re certainly great to watch, although I’m not sure I’d want to be on the receiving end of the pole!

Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay coastal walk

The Bogtrotter — Sat, 09 May 2009 09:52:56 +0000

Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay is one of the most renowned coastal walks in England. As long as the wind is not in your face, it is an enjoyable seven mile walk taking in some spectacular cliffs and scenery.

When you hear the town of Whitby mentioned you immediately think of fish. Not only is it one of the biggest fishing harbours in the UK, it also is the spiritual home to fish and chips. Wander down into the town on any evening and your nose will be assaulted by the smell of fish and chips drifting out of the numerous cafes that line the streets. You know you shouldn’t, but how can you resist?

Whitby Abbey

The walk starts from Whitby centre. Walk through the old part of town on the east side of the river, and head for the 199 steps up to Whitby Abbey. After you climb the steps, pass through St Mary’s churchyard to reach the majestic ruins of the abbey, sat high up on the top of the cliffs. Follow the wall around the abbey until you reach the signed path (marked Cleveland Way) which crosses a field to get to the cliff edge. From here the route follows the sea edge all the way. After about one mile you reach a caravan park. Just follow the road through it for 200 yards before picking up the path again and returning to the cliff tops.

Sea Cliffs towards Whitby

The views out to sea and along the coast are great. It’s no surprise therefore that this is part of the Cleveland Way long distance trail, and also the final stage of Alfred Wainwright’s famous Coast-to-Coast walk. Many of the cliffs are packed with seagulls and other birds nesting, and their calls are a steady background soundtrack as you progress along the route.

The next landmark on the route is Whitby Fog Signal, two great loudspeakers sat on top of what looks like a converted concrete bunker. Alongside the fog signal is a rather stunted lighthouse, that makes use of it’s position high on the cliffs to negate the need to tower up as we expect our lighthouses to behave. The path goes round the back of the lighthouse and continues along the clifftops.

The route then progresses across a small valley that cut across, giving you a short steep drop down some steps to cross a stream then up the other side. You then pass a curious uphill waterfall, where the decending water is caught by the wind and ends up being blown back up the hill. A second similar valley a bit further along was covered in Spring flowers when we went though, taking advantage of the shelter and the sun on it’s South-facing edge.

As the route progresses you gradually turn from facing east as you leave Whitby until you round the headland above Robin Hood’s bay. The path turns around the headland until you are facing SouthWest as you approach the outskirts of the village. A couple of kissing-gates later you start to pass the guest houses as you descend towards the village centre.

Gorse bushes add to the views

The old part of Robin Hood’s Bay at the bottom of the hill is a picture-postcard coastal village, with the usual supply of small tourist shops and cafes to replenish you. There are regular buses back to Whitby, with even a roughly hourly service on Sundays. Whilst it’s not easy to get lost, you should really get the OS map OL27 (North Yorks Moors Eastern Area) or download a map from Anquet Maps.

Visit a vineyard and taste the terroir

The Bogtrotter — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:29:27 +0000

Visiting a vineyard can be seen as little more than an excuse to drink a few glasses of wine. But lets be honest – who needs an excuse? The real reason for visiting a vineyard is to try to find out more about the wines and what makes every wine so distinctive.

Vineyard near St Christol

Good old Oz Clarke (now theres a job I want – paid to drink wine all day and talk about it) always talks about the terroir – the relationship between the wine and the land on which it is grown. It is this mix of soil and micro-climate which makes each wine unique.

Whether it’s a famous chateau or a small vineyard most will happily open their doors to visitors to let you “discover” their wines. When I’m in France I love disappearing into the back of beyond and stumbling across a small vineyard to drop into. One of my favourites is the Chateau des Hospitaliers jsut outside St Christol in the Herault region. The Martin-Pierrat family that owns it are always welcoming, the wines are excellent and the free tasting lasts as long as you wish. Needless to say I have now discovered the Chateau several times! If you do visit yourself then don’t miss their “green wall” – the plants growing on a specially constructed frame up the walls of the inner courtyard.

If you like wine then you should consider it your moral duty to get out and visit a vineyard. So go on – you don’t need an excuse.