Wittenham Clumps

Having grown up in the mountains I must say that living in the flat Thames Valley is not always that exciting. But last year, Jacqui, one of my friends, tired of my continuous moaning about the lack of mountains, pointed out that this place is not that dull as one might think. There are some very good walks around and quite a few hills. To prove her point we went to Little Wittenham, a small village very close to Oxford. And right next to the village, a hill appears almost out of nowhere that certainly gives the impression that it was “planted” there. They call it Wittenham Clumps. It’s mostly covered with grass looking so green and fresh in the spring that the first time I went there, I felt very tempted to start grazing. The top of the hill is covered with trees giving the place a very majestic appearance. And as you make your way towards the top on one of the many footpaths, all of a sudden you realise why this place is so special: it’s very quiet, you’re above everything else and the view is fantastic. Scattered villages can be seen everywhere along the river, church spires, shining distant and mysterious buildings but also some urban landscape that doesn’t seem quite right.

We really liked the place and we went back with other friends a few times, most recently last weekend. The walk that we usually take (as suggested by Jacqui, of course) is quite simple: we park the car (or the bike), on the south part of the hill, go up the hill and then go down to Little Wittenham (visit the church), cross the river, and then head towards Dorchester through some beautiful wheat fields. There are a few pubs in Dorchester where you can have a drink and grab something to eat to get you ready for the walk back. But before leaving it’s worth visiting the Dorchester Abbey.
It’s also interesting to go there at different times of the year. The scenery changes quite a bit, and even if this change is not as dramatic as it is in countries with a lot of snowfall, it is exciting to see how the nature puts on different outfits for different seasons.

Early summer:

Late summer:

Late winter:

Finally a word of advice:

Don’t try racing your immature friends up the hill. You’ll be sorry.

In the summer there is a bull around who doesn’t have much interest in you, but the locals take the precaution to put warning signs everywhere: “Beware of the bull!”

Sometimes if the wind is right, people come up there to fly their small model planes. It can be interesting to watch.

See some more pictures on my Picasa albums:
Early Summer
Late Summer
Late Winter