Starting early was good as it was even hotter today. Back to this lowland section of the offical path, but then the route goes up and over several hills on the flank of the escarpment. I came across a huge area of woodland being felled, and for the first time hard to find the path. At the top of the hill was an ‘earthwork’ marked on the OS, and with every characteristic section of an old hollow way, but well north of the supposed Grim’s Ditch route. Soon after that is the little hamlet of Swyncombe. You can’t see the apparently grand house but the ornamenal park is much in evidence. A really ancient looking parish church (but probably heavily restored) is dedicated to St Botolph, patron saint of travellers – a clue to an ancient route? A bit further on is a stud for polo ponies as we pass through the Ewelme estate. The village of Ewelme to the west looks spectacular but I didn’t have time to divert. One for a future look.
We hit the main road near a NT property, Nuffield Place, the former home of the founder of Morris cars, and a former pub, now the Maker Space: this is a really creative centre where they make and give courses on crafts: it has a really great cafe with an extensive menu and a lovely garden. Well worth a stop off for lunch, or just a coffee and a cake from the extensive choices. They made me feel very welcome, interested in my walk.
From here, after traversing a golf course, the route shoots off west for over 3 miles along one of the best Grim’s Ditch sections. It’s a straight line that cuts through the geography, obviously not a defensive structure as the first section runs along the flank of a hill to the left; then the second, a flank to the right; then the final mile isn’t a ditch at all but a dyke, or causeway. It must have been been a route from the high stone road on the Chilterns scarp to the east, down to the river crossing at Wallingford, for travellers to take the river south to Goring or north to Oxford, and obviously important given the effort to create and maintain it.
Wallingford is a prosperous market town and may be a better bet for an overnight than Watlington. I had a nice lunch at the Old Post Office then a regular 136 bus to nearby Cholsey for a GWR train back to London.
