Hillingdon

 With clean boots and high spirits at the start of our first day's walking.

  National Grade: Moderate  Distance:12.5 mile / 20.1km  Leader: Barbara Macdonald   Date: April 2nd 2023

 Twelve walkers from Hillingdon Ramblers gathered at Marlborough Premiere Inn on Sunday morning to start a two day walking mini-break led by Barbara Macdonald. We had walked from here last year so felt a bit at home. A few had travelled up the previous evening but more had driven up in the morning. We travelled up to a car park about 3 miles south of Marlborough and set off in cloudy but dry conditions following an escarpment giving extensive views. We later followed a section of the Kennet and Avon Canal which is so much more tranquil than the Grand Union Canal that we are more used to back home. We called at a farm shop to pick up a lunch treat or two which we had at our picnic lunch stop in Milton Lilbourne. One very impressive member of the organic farm was  an "Oxford Sandy and Black" pig and he did his best to smile at the camera! As the afternoon went on the sun finally came out and brought out the beauty of the villages with their churches and pretty painted thatched cottages. We spotted a well known actor who didn’t appear to want to be noticed but it gave us much to talk about! Our route took us back over the canal at Wootton Rivers where we watched a well appointed wide beam canal boat pass through a lock. The Royal Oak pub in the village provided a welcome refreshment stop before we made the gentle ascent back to the cars.

We all ate our evening meal in the hotel that evening.