Diolch yn fawr, JP. Dw’in cytuno efo Pippa - very nice photos and an enjoyable narrative, hefyd - you’ve captured our ramblings (in both senses!) very nicely.
And after the ‘Dim Parcio’ sign in Charlbury, a postcript:
Some may have heard about Saturday’s EDL Oxford march. Well, when Jenny and I got off the train at Oxford the station concourse was full of police drafted in from Wales, ‘Heddlu’ in bold letters on jackets and vans - y Cymry a Cymraesu in control of y Saisonl Owain Glyndwr would have allowed himself a smile bach, dw’in siwr!
Diolch yn fawr iawn am y lluniae a testun John, a i JW ar gyfer y map/llyfr a navigation a i bawb am eich gwmnu chi. Braf iawn.
@johnwilliams_6 John P and I saw the police on the platform from the train, but didn’t realise there was also a Welsh contingent - yet another coincidence in a day of surprises.
Wish now I had looked more closely at that map on the wall behind me in the cafe, and wondering if it was a map of Middle Earth…just today having been looking at one reproduced in a newspaper illustrating an article about fantasy fiction, and was struck yet again by the obvious influence of Welsh on some of Tolkien’s place names.
Café perffaith i ti John (a i ni) - “Rambler’s café”, and the lady John mentioned said her name was Jones and she wished us “hwyl” as we left.
The more i think about it, the more that cafe may have been a stoke of luck which will be good to revisit in the future and chat more with the staff.
It would have been nice opportunity if some police (welsh) had got on the train, that would have been some end to the day.
Oh: and if i ever meet Iolo williams i certainly need to ask for a cut of his book sales, this welsh wildlife may turn out to be a fine relaxed way of extending vocabulary.
For those who didn’t make it for the Charlbury ramble on Saturday and who may be wondering about the regular 1st Tuesday of the month meetup scheduled for tomorrow, it’ll still be going ahead starting at the usual time and place, 5:30pm, downstairs at the Jericho Cafe, 112 Walton St.
Hwyl,
John
This is the route i was suggesting for the next ramble i siarad, 5 1/2 miles with a pub half way.
Start near the station, basically up the Thames path and down the canal path.
Of course all other suggestions are fine.
May 9 or 10 looks fine for me.
Thanks, JP - looks a good choice to me and 9 or 10 May would be fine for me as well. If we felt like it we could perhaps also include a small diversion at Binsey to visit the Treacle Well - I seem to remember Jenny mentioned that on last Saturday’s ramble. Hwyl, John
If we were interested in eating at either the Perch (Binsey) or the Trout (Godstow), then it seems booking might be an idea.
Another possibility is the Anchor Inn, just off the canal, on the corner of Hayfield Road and Polstead Road. I’ve eaten there and it’s nice, fairly homely and not too expensive, although booking probably also advisable.
I’m afraid I will not be able to make (see footnote) it to what should presumably be our next normal monthly meeting (Tuesday 5th May), but I should be able to make (and am edrych ymlaen at) our ramble around Oxford on Saturday the 9th.
footnote: It’s the bank holiday’s fault. Something that would normally happen on the Monday had to be moved to the Tuesday and yn anffodus, I cannot miss it.
Hi Mike - Yes the bank holiday (although of course very welcome!) does tend to mess things up. I’m planning to go along to the Tue 5th May meetup, though, so hopefully I won’t be the only one!
By the way, re the Oxford ramble, we were originally looking at either 9th or 10th May - have we settled on Sat 9th now?
So sorry not to have been able to make the Charlbury ramble, especially as it is nice and near me, but hope to make the summertime one. As for 9/10 May that’s no good for me either, but after that have 3 weekends absolutely free… any chance of any of them?
Yes, I can probably make 30/31 May, hefyd. Any ideas where we might go? From Oxford, there’s Jenny’s suggestion of the path along the River Cherwell to Islip (a bit muddy when wet, perhaps), or going up to Wytham Wood and back along the Thames towpath. Further afield, going up to the Ridgeway from Goring & Streatley station was another suggestion - or maybe we could start from a station further out from Charlbury which would be nearer to Caroline?
A quick reminder that the Oxford meetup’s this Tuesday, 5th May, as usual at 5:30pm at the Jericho Cafe in Walton Street. I’m planning to be there, although I know some of us won’t be able to make it.
Also, I’ve realised we haven’t yet made a definite decision about whether next weekend’s Oxford ramble will be on Saturday or Sunday, so let’s make it Saturday meeting at Oxford Station - JP is lives furthest away from Oxford so it’d be better if he chooses the time we meet there. Over to you, JP?
