There aren’t many places that have been used as a royal hunting ground, a brickworks, a holiday camp and a speedway track. I’d hazard a guess that there’s only one, namely California Country Park, near Wokingham.
Category: South
Moths of Neptune Wood, Oxfordshire
How many species of moth can you name? More than 2400 different species have been recorded in the UK but I could only identify a few without resorting to an ID book. Or at least, that was the case before we visited a Bug Blitz event at Neptune Wood, part of the Earth Trust estate, near Little Wittenham.
Bug Blitz was a 10 hour biological survey, open to everyone, which aimed to record as many invertebrate species as possible. We visited to take part in a ‘Morning of moths’ session.
The moths were captured in traps set the previous night in Neptune Wood, an area of mixed woodland planted to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. The moths are attracted to the bright light of the trap, and are caught safely and humanely inside it. They are released again after studying.
We were there bright and early, in fact so early that the stands were still being set up when we arrived at 8am. Strangely enough there weren’t too many other visitors at that time on a Sunday morning!
Our reason for arriving so early was to view the catch before the day heated up as this would unsettle the moths. We’d timed it well as the moth experts were just taking out the trays from the first trap. It was rather strange to see cardboard egg trays being used but their rough surface evidently gives moths a good grip to latch on to.
The experts estimated there were around 150 different moths in the first trap. I would not have had a clue about most of these so it was fantastic having such knowledgable people on hand to identify and tell us about the moths. It was amazing to see so many different species which are usually only active at night.
Although a few of the moths flew away when the trays were taken out most stayed in situ. Thus allowed us to see them up close and study for as long as we wished.
Being an amateur it was the large and colourful moths that excited me, particularly the hawk moths. These are relatively common locally so most of the experts were more interested in checking out the smaller species.
Whilst I could have stayed for hours the kids had wandered off by this point. Fortunately they found a stand where they could make clay animals so we now have a large variety drying out on our parcel shelf. We decided to head for home shortly afterwards; probably a good decision otherwise there wouldn’t have been much clay left for the other visitors to use!
It was well worth the early morning start; we all learnt something new. If you ever get the opportunity to see the opening of a moth trap I can highly recommend it.
More info:
- Most people know Earth Trust as the home of Wittenham Clumps, a hill in a rather flat part of Oxfordshire. However it also incorporates several areas of woodland, farmland (open for lambing days) and an arboretum. The nature reserve and Wittenham Clumps are open every day and are free to visit. Find out more here.
- If you’d like to find out more about moths, check out this website. If you’re looking for a book we use the ‘Field Guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland’. It’s expensive but well worth the money (the illustrator was at the moth event; surprised my other half didn’t ask him to autograph his book).
Poppies galore at Faringdon folly, Oxfordshire
The call of a cream tea was proving hard to resist last weekend. Of course, it’s easier to justify the eating of fat and sugar if you’ve had a workout beforehand. I’m hoping our gentle stroll up Faringdon Folly was sufficient exercise for our subsequent indulgence.
Sitting atop Folly (Faringdon) Hill the tower has views across five counties. The hill itself had an interesting history way before the folly was built. It has housed several forts and castles, including one for local man King Alfred the Great. Cromwell’s men were stationed on the hill during the Civil War and bombarded Faringdon which was on the front line. Unsurprisingly, skeletons were found on site when the tower was being built; if only hills could talk!
Faringdon Folly
The folly, possibly the last one to be built in England, was commissioned by Lord Berners to tease his neighbours. In addition to being wealthy and eccentric he was an accomplished writer, composer and painter. Back in the 1920s and 1930s he was famous for his flamboyant parties at nearby Faringdon House. With house guests such as Aldous Huxley, Salvador Dali, HG Wells and the Mitford sisters can you even begin to imagine them?
Some of his wild ideas would certainly be frowned upon today. These include colouring his doves the different colours of the rainbow and having a horse as a tea companion!
The folly has limited opening hours so always check before making a special visit. We’d timed it right and were able to climb the 154 wooden steps which take you 100ft up the tower. There’s a small souvenir shop and information boards just before you reach the top; the last part is up a small ladder which might be a bit tricky for small children.
Once up top you can see for miles in all directions. The plaques help you identify places; we could easily spot Didcot Power station which is around 20 miles away.
The surrounding woodland mostly consists of Scots Pine although deciduous trees have been planted recently to increase biodiversity. It’s always open, even when the folly is closed. Keep an eye out for sculptures in amongst the trees, including 20 blackbirds (although I thought they were crows, whoops). This area is great for a picnic and makes it into my top 15 picnic sites in Oxfordshire post.
Early summer is an excellent time to visit the folly as the nearby fields are covered in bright red poppies. We visited on a gloomy day so they did a good job brightening up the photos.
Britchcombe Farm cream tea
*Update: the farm has been sold and the tea room and campsite have sadly closed down*
Once we’d finished at the folly we made our first pilgrimage of the year to the nearby Teapot Cafe at Britchcombe Farm. This also happens to be our local campsite; the one we head to when we fancy a quick night away from home. It’s next to the Ridgeway and White Horse Hill at Uffington so gets plenty of visits from walkers and campers.
We’ve been coming here for years. Even if we’re not camping it feels like we’re on holiday so it’s a good reason to indulge in a cream tea. It’s a simple cafe with a straightforward menu, housed in a small barn in the farm garden. There are a few indoor tables but we always sit outside.
It’s changed a little since we were here last, with new signs, longer opening hours and a slightly larger selection of cakes. However we ate what we always do; warm scones, homemade jam and cream. Yum yum, exactly what weekends were made for!
More info:
- Faringdon Folly is open 11am-5pm on the first and third Sunday between April and October. Adult entrance is £2, children 11-16 are 50p and children under 11 are free.
Uptonogood mountain bike event 2014
Last year my son and I had a very wet ride at Uptonogood, our local mountain bike event. This year the event followed on from one of the hottest days of the year. The organisers bravely sent an email stating the weather gods were smiling on us.
You can guess what happened. Overnight we had the most spectacular thunderstorm I’ve seen in years accompanied by the type of torrential rain you only ever see in films. The previously dry ground turned into puddle fest.
The rain had stopped by early morning but I did wonder whether the day had been jinxed as our son’s bike had sprung a puncture overnight. A quick tyre swap and we were ready to battle the puddles.
Our arrival at Uptonogood coincided with the departure of the 25 mile route riders. I’d loved to have taken a before and after photo because the next time we saw them they were all caked in mud.
We’d signed up for the 12 mile family ride. After registering we stopped to listen to some rousing tunes from the local brass band before lining up for the mass start at 10.30am. It’s not a timed race so we lingered at the back to avoid getting caught up in the scrum of handlebars and wheels.
I was glad to see a lead vehicle holding up all the traffic on the main road for us to cross; it was rather enjoyable to ride down the middle of a usually busy road. Thereafter the family route was almost all off road, apart from a few short stretches on quiet lanes.
The first part of the course is an uphill stony track. There was a bit of a bottleneck with riders stopping for a breather and a few people wobbling into others. However, I was impressed by some of the youngest kids who pedalled all the way up.
Despite my worries the course wasn’t too wet. Some stretches were muddy, and there were large puddles to negotiate but I had expected worse. My son gained great pleasure from riding through the middle of them so he did end up with a wet and muddy back.
It took us a mile or two to thin out from everyone else. The course initially follows bridleways and a Sustrans route that we often ride along. After a while though it headed into new family cycling territory. This involved an uphill stretch at which point most family riders got off and walked. The fit 25 milers briefly joined us here and they all whizzed up the hill without a breather.
It wasn’t happy families the whole way round. Eldest daughter has an old heavy bike which meant she hard to work harder to keep up. This resulted in a bit of a strop, which was compounded when she somehow managed to fall off it too. I had to suppress an incredulous ‘how did you manage to fall off there’ comment, even though it was going through my head at the time!
My favourite part of the course was the stretch along the Ridgeway. It’s made from fast draining chalk so the ground was pretty dry and easy to cycle along. We passed several groups of teenagers who looked like they were undertaking their Duke of Edinburgh award, it always amazes me how heavy their rucksacks are. The views here were predominately rural apart from the landmarks of Didcot Power Station and the Diamond Light Source. We could see for miles!
Heading off the Ridgeway the rest of our route was fast and downhill. The clouds were becoming ever more ominous and a few heavy drops fell but we were only a mile from the finish at this point so it wasn’t too bad.
There was plenty of cheering from the onlookers as we cycled back into the village recreation ground. The kids got a certificate, badge and lollipop at the finish tent. Hats off to the organisers, from our perspective everything ran smoothly and I’m hoping all participants had a good ride.
So what was the best bit? I’m sorry but it wasn’t the ride. It was the cake afterwards! I sent the kids into the hall with £1 each and wondered why they took so long. Turns out they couldn’t make a decision between the sheer variety of baked goodies on offer. Fruit cake, brownies, flapjacks, cupcakes, lemon drizzle, how to choose from so many options?
We stayed a little longer as there was live music and a BBQ. I resisted the lure of a (third) visit to the cake stand but even now as I write this I’m wondering what cake I’d have gone for……
More info:
- Uptonogood is a mountain bike event that takes place in Upton, Oxfordshire each June. It’s a family friendly day out with 5 and 12 mile rides for the kids and 25 or 45 mile rides for the more serious adult cyclists. Keep an eye on their website for details of next years event.
Crocodiles of the World, near Brize Norton, Oxfordshire
Crocodiles of the World is the only crocodile zoo in the UK and is run by enthusiast Shaun Foggett. Originally opened in 2011 it recently moved to larger premises so it seemed the ideal time to pay a visit.
Continue reading Crocodiles of the World, near Brize Norton, Oxfordshire
Royal Navy Submarine Museum and Spinnaker Tower, Hampshire
Portsmouth and the surrounding area has some fantastic attractions for those interested in naval history. We recently had the opportunity to visit the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport and Spinnaker Tower. Read on to find out how we got on.
Continue reading Royal Navy Submarine Museum and Spinnaker Tower, Hampshire