Oxford walks

In our Oxford Zoom meetup yesterday we were talking about maybe arranging another sgwrs+walk or two in the near future (with appropriate pellter cymdeithasol/social distancing :slightly_smiling_face: ) - maybe in Port Meadow and/or, as @Betterlatethan suggested, near Radley.
If you think you might be interested, do post a message (letting us know, if you can, which days of the week might work for you) - also if you have any alternative suggestions :slightly_smiling_face:
Hwyl a chadwā€™n saff
John

PS For @amanda-greenough and anyone else who hasnā€™t joined us on one of these before, the idea is to have an opportunity to practise Welsh - or simply just listen! - a relaxed way as we go (gaps in conversation feel quite natural when walking, whereas they can sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable across a table in a cafe/pub etc). The sgwrs/chatā€™s in Welsh and English and partners and children welcome whether learning Welsh or not :slightly_smiling_face:

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As I said yesterday, I would prefer not to travel by bus or train to Oxford at the weekend at present, though I would consider going offpeak on a weekday when buses/trains might be less crowded. Maybe two walks, one in Oxford and one in Radley?

The Ramblers are currently restricting walks to 6 people, properly distanced, so maybe we should do the same? Iā€™m not sure whether the current guidelines say 6 individuals or 6 family groups.

Anyway, I would be happy to guide a walk starting from Radley Station if anyone fancies that.
I am currently free on Mondays for the whole of August.
Tuesdays after about 10am on 11th and 18th, but not 4th or 25th.
Wednesdays instead of or after Zoom.
Thursdays 6th and 13th but not 20th or 27th.
Not Fridays.
Any Saturday, given time to cancel existing arrangements.
Any Sunday after 2pm.
I do go walking on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with Carol from the village (English only), but she cancels if anything else turns up, and so can I. Alternatively I could invite her to come too, but she will want to chat in English.

Paths locally can be a bit rough and muddy after rain, but I will avoid the real horrors requiring secateurs and nettle-proof trousers.

If there is interest, then I will suggest possible routes. Weather permitting of course. I no longer go out in the pouring rain. We must have been crazy.

Hwyl,
Sue

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Sounds like a nice idea. Weekends would be good for Liam and I.

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Iā€™m interested in going for socially distance walk! How about trying a weekend walk in Radley and a week day walk in Oxford? Diolch Bethan

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How far do people want to walk? And do we need to be pushchair-friendly? (@ruth-connor)
I suspect that Oxford might give more scope for pushchairs. 5 miles is my usual length. After that the hips start playing up. Shorter walks are possible.

I finally worked out how to get saysomethingin.com on my safe senders list so that notifications about forum posts no longer go in the junk mail. Result!
Sue

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We have an off road push chair so we can be very flexible. The biggest challenge at this time of year is just paths being overgrown so we are often wider than them! However Liam is starting to walk a lot more on his own now so depending how far we go I can leave it behind.

I would prefer a shorter walk as 5 miles was my limit before lockdown and as I didnā€™t leave the house for 8-10 weeks I now find I get tired much more quickly although I am trying to gradually increase how far I can go! Bethan

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Hereā€™s a possible route, just under 3.5 miles, starting at the station and taking in Lower Radley and the Thames Path. Much is on minor roads and tracks.

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Looks like a good option @Betterlatethan :slightly_smiling_face: Would it need to be single file along the towpath section?

For the Oxford option, as well as Port Meadow, Wytham Wood is now fully open and both have car parks (Port Meadow: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20003/parks_and_open_spaces/823/port_meadow and Wytham Wood: https://www.wytham.ox.ac.uk/). Via public transport the southern end of Port Meadow is not to far from the train station and there are buses to Wolvercote for the northern end but, of course, having to take public transport is not ideal at the moment, and for Wytham thereā€™s no public transport.

Another option (car only, unfortunately :disappointed: ) might be Bernwood Forest, a few miles NE of Oxford and not far fro Beckley (https://www.forestryengland.uk/bernwood-forest) with plenty of wide tracks in the forest itself. :slightly_smiling_face:

Oops - I only just thought to check this thread. Have now changed it to watching. Since I work different shifts every week my availability is erratic, but Iā€™m free on the 2nd (possibly), + the 11th, 12th, 21st, 22nd, 29th and 30th. Most days that Iā€™m working an early I would be free for a 3pm walk in Oxford or a 3:30pm walk in Radley.

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Yes, the towpath is narrow and would be single file with occasional excursions into the vegetation if we meet anyone. Some of the tracks are wide enough for two abreast. The road to Lower Radley is wide enough of course, but there is a bit of traffic so care would be needed. I canā€™t think of anywhere nearby where two abreast is possible for the whole walk. From that point of view, Port Meadow would be better. Parking is not the easiest in Radley. There are a few spaces on the road near the station, but they may be filled by commuters again now on weekdays. Anyway, the offer is there if people fancy it.

Itā€™s hard to be sure about public transport. My friend in Melbourne reports 532 new cases in Melbourne yesterday and compulsory wearing of masks when anyone leaves the house. We donā€™t want to find ourselves in that situation.

Even more undecided than usual -
Sue

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Thanks, Sue - letā€™s see what people think, something we can talk about at the next Zoom meetup :slightly_smiling_face:

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Pouring rain would of course make things safer by reducing the number of other people who might have felt like venturing out ā€¦ :rofl:

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@RichardBuck I think you said you might be up for a weekend walk only. Are there any weekends when you wouldnā€™t be able to make it?

OK - availability for August: any weekend EXCEPT 8th, 9th, & Sat 15th (Brunoā€™s birthday)

Weekdays: Iā€™ll be working from home and potentially trying to fit it around childcare, so may well not be my normal hours. If the children happen to be in holiday club (maybe last week of August) or Jenni has holiday booked (11-14 August) I could potentially manage any weekday ā€“ if itā€™s a weekend she (and they) might join us, but I donā€™t want it to be just me and the plantos or else Iā€™ll spend the whole time speaking English.

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Just to be awkward Iā€™m no longer around on the 11th!

I could get to Bernwood Forest by bike (I wasnā€™t aware of its existence before) but maybe Port Meadow would be the best bet for an Oxford walk in terms of space and transport.

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Helo pawb - following @RichardBuck 's suggestion yesterday Iā€™ve set up this Doodle poll for you to indicate which dates would work for you for an August walk+sgwrs.
https://doodle.com/poll/5rxfk73dwdqqa2xd#table
For each date click once for ā€˜Yesā€™, a second time for ā€˜Possiblyā€™ or just leave blank for no. Thereā€™s a space at the bottom for comments or, of course, just post a message here with any additional considerations
Hwyl a chadwā€™n iach,
John

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Thanks, @johnwilliams_6
I have filled it in.
Sundays after 2pm Radley only.
Saturdays need notice. Not keen on getting bus to Oxford at weekend.
Might do Port Meadow from station on weekday, but not further afield to start.
Sue

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I have filled in Doodle poll. I would prefer Radley walk initially as it is easier for me and I am slightly anxious about meeting in central Oxford as I havenā€™t been there since March! Bethan

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I have just remembered that there is a car park in Radley near the church and the primary school. Sorry - I tend to be unaware of car parks. It is a bit further to walk, but not a huge amount.
Sue
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