The Boxhill Walk wood is an area of old woodland through which the River Stert passes, and is looked after by Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council.
It has a couple of curious bridges. One that is now overgrown.
Another is made from concrete pipes and functions as the main walkway from Boxhill Walk (the road) to Boxhill Road (another road).
The area is left to itself. Fallen trees are sometimes left to decay.
A tarmac path is the main way through from the town centre to the concrete pipe bridge, and is about 1/4 mile long. Anybody with more time can leave the main path and find a muddier path close to the River Stert.
It is nice to be able to walk in the countryside. Unfortunately in Abingdon the green belt is being destroyed. Housing estates are being built in the green belt between Abingdon and Drayton and planning permission is being sought to build the first tranche of 950 houses in North Abingdon. There is also plans for a park and ride at Lodge Hill. Oxford City plans to expand into the green belt around Abingdon. The Liberal Democrats have launched a petition to call upon The Vale not to grant planning permission for the 950 houses as the diamond interchange is not now going to be built. All the traffic from the 950 houses that travel from Newbury and Didcot will enter Abingdon via the Marcham interchange and the Tesco Roundabout. It is difficult coming into Abingdon by that road in peak times now. I fully support the Lib Dems petition. If you would like to sign you can by visiting oxonlibdems.uk/lodgehill
Or… just stop moaning and accept change?
The second picture of the overgrown brick bridge reminds me of how the river Ock used to look before it was ‘improved’ 30ish years ago. Saw my first Kingfisher there… a flash of blue speeding up a narrow twisting mini canyon, wonderful.
Lovely pictures showing the value of leaving some wild areas to just be themselves and to become a thriving habitat for all kinds of creatures.
I agree with Unknown Element. Not every new blog needs to be turned into a complaint.
I think the little stone bridge is one of the few remnants of the Fitzharry’s Manor estate. As an original inhabitant of Kingston Close, I used to play in and around the Stert stream & engage in “battles” with the Boxhill children. A great place to grow up.
Time to reminisce folks, sorry, back in the 50/60’s the playing field adjacent to the woods and fronting Boxhill rd was an old gravel pit, the locals built a cycle speedway track there and the club was called the white harts, I remember many an evening spent there pedalling like hell hell around the home made, but proper track, the white harts competed in the league and travelled to other local clubs, in those days Boxhill Woids was very different place, massive elms and just a small unkept foot path, then council announced they were going to create a “proper” path through our wood, everyday they pegged out the route and levels and every night we pulled all their pegs out ! Naught but much fun! Now I still cycle through, but at a much more sensible pace, for the last two years I’ve even spotted a pair or little Egrets wading the river, nothing lasts forever eh?
Janet, thanks for the reminders. All power to your elbow. It’s important we are reminded that things aren’t as pink and fluffy as people would rather we believed.
Nice photos. Where’s this woods?
Janet
I think you will find that the land between Abingdon and Drayton is not Green Belt. You are right about the land North of Abingdon though – the pressure for the Lodge Hill slip roads to be built before the new houses is not just coming from the Lib Dems – as far as I know everyone who has been monitoring this proposal and lobbying the authorities over the last 2 years agrees and is pressing for it. Let’s hope we can all work together without it becoming party political.
Abingdon is better on foot than by car a lot of the time as you miss these little green treasures if you don’t walk.
I’ve never walked through the land at the north where the houses will be although I know some people walk to Sunnigwell that way. The land to the south between Audlett Drive and the river is wild, beautiful and far away from road noise which I prefer.