Walk 10: Dorchester and Wittenham Clumps

Date: Sunday 3rd July
Route: Dorchester-upon-Thames circular
Distance: 4.75 miles

Rather than suffer another long walk in excessive heat (see walk 9 below!), we decided to do two shorter walks this weekend - a spontaneous wander from Oxford Circus yesterday and some well-trodden paths in rural Oxfordshire today.

Yesterday's walk didn't really have a theme or a defined route, it was more a case of "we haven't been down here for a while, let's see where we end up". We finally ended up at Notting Hill Gate, after some laid-back meandering down Argyle Street, Carnaby Street, through Golden Square, past Piccadilly, along Jermyn Street, across Pall Mall and through Green Park, tourist-dodging near Buckingham Palace and up to Victoria, along to Sloane Square and King's Road (lunch at the Chelsea Potter), then through to South Kensington station, up Exhibition Road past the museums, past the Albert Hall, on into High Street Kensington and up Kensington Church Street to Notting Hill Gate.One of those nice London days where it's more about the wandering than the destination.

Today's walk was a conscious decision to go somewhere we hadn't been before and to leave the crowds behind. The walk is number 504 in the AA's 1001 Walks in Britain and starts and ends in Dorchester-upon-Thames, on the road between Wallingford and Oxford, taking in parts of the Thames Path and the hillsides of the Wittenham Clumps.

The village boasts a Norman Abbey, with attached Museum, charting the inhabitation of the area from the Iron Age hill fort through Roman times, the Normans, the Saxons and all the way through to the present day. The walk starts off by passing some very pretty cottages, through allotments (where there is a sign detailing the work done by the Oxford University School of Archaeology) and along to Day's Lock and the footbridge over the Thames to Little Wittenham.

The only steep climb of the day is up Round Hill, to the thoughtfully provided benches and fantastic views, then the path goes off to Castle Hill, the site of the Iron Age fort, then down the hill into Little Wittenham Wood and Nature Reserve. It then loops back to cross the river again, then follows the Thames through a couple of fields before returning to the village. Just try not to look to the right as you're climbing Round Hill, unless you are a big fan of views of Didcot Power Station.

It's a very easy walk along clearly defined paths and obviously the fact that you can say you've been "clumping around" is an added bonus. Finally, you can round off the day with a visit to the beer garden of the Fleur de Lys pub, which is always a good way to complete a walk on a sunny day.