The weather and Christmas shopping combined to reduce our numbers to seven plus Lida’s Jack Russell today. It was cold and overcast but it didn’t actually rain. We set off through the Black Path and Skittle Alley to Station Road and Millers Lane. Avoiding the ford we skirted round the copse and rejoined the path alongside the stream to wards the motorway. There was a continuous thunder of traffic passing over the bridge as we took the walkway next to the river underneath. The path took us on past the long viaduct and out to Station Road by the old upper station entrance and on under one line ond over the next before we crossed the canal and took the towpath to Souldern Wharf. There was no traffic on the canal and the water was unusually clear. The wharf farmyard was a muddy as usual; inevitable for a farm with a dairy herd. The long haul up Wharf Lane was quite tiring but once into the village we took the cross field route with views across to Aynho Park House and the church. We continued up Portway and on to the pavilion to complete six and a half miles in two hours. A very enjoyable walk.
