Planning our Route

Our original plan was to walk from East Ilsley to Thame and Thame to Pollicott to follow the routes of our Pollicott & Ashendon forbears. This route, however, had a few too many issues (not least that we couldn't find really strong evidence of what that route was and also that a significant chunk of it is on The Ridgeway/Icknield Way and we have already cycled that). So, along with our charity shift, we have trampled all over our plans and decided to follow a known Drover's Road from Faringdon to Oxford and then from Oxford to Brill.

Finding the route is still no easy matter. From Faringdon we have a rough idea of the route to Abingdon which the following images help to illustrate. We will be carefully re-tracing this route on our OS maps over the next few days. We believe this may have been known as Southampton Street or Gloucester Street and that it came across from Monmouth.

Our final push we know will be an approach to Brill from Little London (see our previous blog) but the bit in between Abingdon and Little London is still more than blurry.

There are a few enthusiasts around whom we hope to track down to pick their brains. Bruce Smith of Syresham if you read this please drop us a note. Bruce is on the WI speaker circuit so any friends with access to WI speaker lists please help us to find an email for him. We have also been given a local contact near Brill who we hope will be able to help us piece together our journey. Any other contacts or suggestions will be gratefully received.

Please watch out for more news of our route plan and of our fundraising efforts over the coming month. For anyone who would just like to make an online donation to Florence Nightingale Hospice, we now have a justgiving page set up: http://www.justgiving.com/pollicottbelles2

Our walk begins in less than 7 weeks!

It's a Ladies Perogative

After much soul searching, Alex and I (Sian) took a decision to change our chosen charity this year and we are now going to be walking to raise funds for a local charity - Florence Nightingale Hospice, Stoke Mandeville.

We were both lacking a inspiration for the charity we had originally chosen to support this year and, to add to that, we were not getting any motivation from them. This lack of oomph was affecting our psyche and we were struggling to get excited about this year's challenge and the fundraising to go with it. So, it's a late change but we have personal connection with the charity we have now chosen to complete our challenge for.  

Florence Nightingale Hospice has been there for our friends in Ashendon and in our hearts we very much want to support this wonderful charity.

We have set a date for our walk - Friday to Sunday 28-30th September and are planning a fun, fundraiser for just before we leave. Watch this space.

Please support us any way you can.

Talking About Our Adventures

When the Ashendon WI asked us last year if us 'Belles' would be willing to do a talk about our adventures at one of their monthly meetings we couldn't refuse, so in the new year when the flyer came throught the door for the Ashendon WI schedule for the year and there we were in print for March's meeting there was no getting out of it!!

Sian is definately the most confident of speakers in us 'Belles' as she does this regularly as part of running her business, but to Alex and myself it is a daunting task to stand up in front of a hall full of WI members.

March came up quicker than ever and soon we were days away with no real speech prepared, however a hasty meeting in my kitchen two afternoons before our 'date' we bashed through a rough schedule and some great photos soon got our memories jogged and with some new found confidence we felt prepared enough to face the ladies of Ashendon!

Despite a slight village hall lighting problem we set up our projector and laptop and as the ladies came pilling in through the door and took their seats my new found confidence was already starting to slip, but with Sian getting the talk off to a very slick start I found enough confidence to deliver our account of the South Downs Way experiences. We seemed to be recieved well and we even got to partake in a nice cup of tea and a piece of cake, well Alex and I did, unfortunately Sian missed out on that bit as she had to rush off to play in a netball match!

So we can now add public speaking to our list of talents, although I for one actually prefer cycling to speaking!!

A Towering Success

Well that’s what it said on the tin…the map actually but you get the joke? The map was supplied by Sian and our walk was titled ‘A Towering Success’ – and so it turned out to be.

With our Vicky out for the count with an ear infection and well under the weather, Joe scheduled to make a choir session in Bloxham, Sian and I opted to take full advantage of a beautiful spring day (in February!!) and try out the walk from Hook Norton.

Firstly it might be worth mentioning that around this time last year all of us came to grief on the icy roads – this year Sian and I are walking out across the open countryside in ‘T’ shirts – none of this yellow ‘high viz’ stuff this time.

The walk itself was truly amazing, I love walking and I know Sian does too and even in far more dubious weather a good walk can lift your mood for the day…but in such glorious sunshine and peaceful surroundings it can be a real lift.

Did I say “peaceful?” - just as Sian and I were settling down to a decent bit of Belles Banter the girl leaps into life as if a tiger had jumped out from the hedgerow. Somewhat startled I swung round to see what the problem was only to be surrounded by about 6 or 7 cyclists out for a Sunday ride. I ask you, who goes out cycling these days…last years news for us Belles. But they were fit young chaps so we’ll cut them some slack.

As with all Belles training days there was tea and cakes lined up at the end, this time in the The Joiners Arms. Sian had given up both cake and biscuits for ‘Lent’ so the delicious biscuit that arrived with our coffee was little more than temptation to Sian so I did the dutiful thing and ate it for her. What a friend! When the teacakes arrived I did suggest these may also fall outside of permitted foods but Sian was having none of it this time – I didn’t hear her reply as she was too busy eating. Apparently teacakes don’t count.

Joe eventually caught up with us and we set off back in the car towards Pollicott, via Lidl in Bicester. What a bizarre mix of merchandise…never before can I recall strolling the centre isle of a supermarket with jam and marmalade on one side and metric socket sets and motor cycle accessories on the other.

Eventually we arrived back at Pollicott to continue with our Sunday, more tea and cake for Annalises birthday.

Our first stressful training session over…not!

Love

Alex xxx

The Beeb inspires The Belles

Our research had a little boost from Countryfile this week - see we Belles start and others will follow!  Adam went to Wales to herd a flock of sheep along an ancient droving route, ending in the hamlet of Rhewl. The network of tracks and roads that criss-cross our countryside are still evident today - so, all we have to do is find our route. The programme did share a couple of tips on spotting Drover's routes:

• Often high banks ran alongside the route to keep out strays from neighbouring land
• Lush fields next to old inns indicate grazing used by drovers

Boosted by this a dig around the Internet has helped to identify a few facts relating to our route:

We plan to start out from East Ilsley which by 1240 had an already substantial corn-market and by the Middle Ages a major sheep fair, attracting drovers bringing their stock along the Ridgeway. (We know it well!).

A book The Drovers by Shirley Toulson provides more detail that seems to confirm that the first section of our walk will follow part of the Ridgeway in the direction of Wallingford.

Place names provide useful indications of the possible existence of drover's routes. For example Halfpenny relates to the fee drovers paid for grazing. Anything with Drovers in is a good clue (Drovers Arms and so on) and a place with London in its name is also a good indication that it was on a Drover's route and a significant place for the travelling community.

It's not on our route but it seems Little London (at Oakley just down the road from Brill) may have been established by Welsh cattle drovers. Cattle drovers established at least 70 communities in England and Wales, many of which still exist. They were on common land, separated from local communities and were temporary homes for long-distance drovers, driving their cattle to the great fairs and markets of London and other centres in England.

Then something exciting popped up when I googled Drover's Buckinghamshire. I found a map that shows Thame on a Drover's road that runs to Witney a bit far from East Ilsley but there may be a link across.

All in all a good start - we have a beginning and we know there is a route through Thame.

To finish, we share a totally unrelated fact uncovered by searching for 'Ridgeway' and 'Drovers' turned up this fact on google: "Ridgeway Rovers were formed in 1979 and is famous for being the first club David Beckham played for." Hmm I feel a quiz fundraiser event coming on!!

Needles and Haystacks - can you help us?

As Alex explained, in her shining first blog entry for 2012, this year we will walk. It should come as no surprise to hear that this will not be without challenge.  So first I will explain the background to our challenge choice. 

Many years ago a neighbour, Bob Ewers (sadly now dead), told me a story of his working life. Bob was Roger's grandfather. Roger is Vicky's partner and Bob was born and bred in Ashendon. He wasn't one for 'reminiscing the country life' because it was just normal life to him. So he surprised me one day when he told me how, as a young lad, he had first been employed to drive animals (sheep and cattle) to market - along the byways to market (in Thame). Starting out, he was given money to buy lemonade on arrival at the market pub, eventually (at an appropriate age) the amount increased so that he could buy a beer and the best bit was when he was promoted from foot to horseback. His story, though brief, was of lost times and lost places and it absolutely captured my heart. I often walk out of Pollicott toward Chearsley and wonder if I am following Bob's foot/hoof prints and I would truly love to know his route. 

Having decided our charity this year would be The Alzheimer's Society we Belles had lots of 'planning meetings' and 'what to do' conversations. Memory is a good Alzheimer's theme that led us to 'a walk down memory lane' and that led to the green lanes of the past and then eventually all linked up to Bob's story. But, as attractive as it sounds, Bob's route from Thame to Pollicott is not a big enough challenge for us girls to command big sponsorship for. Our ideas did get a bit over creative with the suggestion that "we could borrow a few sheep and cows!" and then another conversation clicked into place. 

On our arrival back from the first Pollicott Belles Challenge - Cycling The Ridgeway - we were greeted in style by 'The Village' at a village 'do' in Pollicott. And it was here our challenge was destined to be. Geoff Curtis an Ashendon Farmer (who is also sadly no longer with us) was very excited to hear we had travelled The Ridgeway passing through East Ilsley where "the largest sheep fair in the country" is held. Geoff went on to chat about good times, and happy memories, of sheep market days in East Ilsley. It was one of the longest conversations I ever had with Geoff and it was, truly, inspirational. I guess also that, in past times, local farmers and their employees, will have walked to that market in East Ilsley. 

So, there you have it - our challenge is a Walk along Memory Lane from East Ilsley back to Pollicott, via Thame - it may be subject to some variance but in essence that is the plan.  

Fittingly, given our charity this year, the initial challenge is more mental than physical. I thought the easiest way to explain why is to share the 2 responses I have had so far to an e-mail sent to several local history and archive organisations. 

Here goes:

FROM ME: Dear (Local History/Archivist)

I am hoping you may be able to help me kick off some research into ‘droving’ routes in Bucks and Oxon. I would like to find out more about the routes used from villages to the local market towns to drive sheep/cattle and about the recorded routes between market towns and central markets. Do you have records of the routes generally used or know where I could find out more?

The purpose is to plan a charity walk from Upper Pollicott, Ashendon to Thame and from Thame to East Ilsley following the route a neighbour/grandfather used to take when driving sheep to market.

THE REPLIES: 

Dear Ms Miller, Thank you for your email enquiry regarding droving routes in Bucks. That sort of historical information is more likely held at the ... 

AND 

Thank you for your email and enquiry concerning routes used by drovers to drive livestock to market. Unfortunately the routes that drovers used are difficult to recreate, except when, as in your case, they have been passed down by word of mouth. You are very fortunate to have this information.

A few months ago we came across some papers of a drover who had gone bankrupt. Two of his account books had been kept amongst the Quarter Sessions papers. It was lucky for posterity that we had them, because in the books he wrote what he paid at each toll gate to pass through as well as the charges he had to pay to overnight his livestock. In this way we were able to plot his route which ran from near Aylesbury to London, via Amersham and Little Chalfont. I don't know of any other routes drovers used. You could try...

That's the total result of our research so far - oh and I have a book that lists drovers' routes from Brill to Oxford, Oxford to Wantage, and Wantage to Goring with a cut off to East Ilsley. So there is a way but it's just not quite in the right direction!

We will share what we learn over the coming months. However, this time round The Pollicott Belles would really appreciate it if anyone can help us to piece together a route that genuinely follows in the footsteps of our forbears. Please get in touch if you can. Many thanks. 

Sian  

2012 - The Belles Are Shining As Brightly As Ever

“And that's it, all over. Watch this space. 2012 is just around the corner”.

Well…I have news for you…2012 is well and truly here and the Belles are well and truly back.

Well almost...as Sian has already mentioned I had a bit of a mishap leading up to Christmas.

Hundreds of miles on a bike, sleeping in tents, freezing to death, and dodging Sian throwing her bike about….nothing! A quick walk out the village on a Saturday afternoon and BAM!!…two days in hospital with my arm being stuck back together. We usually go to The Gatehangers on a Saturday but opted this day to go for a walk…never been hit by a car in The Gatehangers so lesson learnt.

The bad news is that bike riding has been given a thumbs down by my new found friends at the hospital…too risky apparently should I fall off and take an impact on my wrist. So The Belles have had to do some serious thinking…we can’t have 2012 pass us by without some serious fund raising for another good cause.

“If we can’t ride then maybe we should walk” was the suggestion.

“Walk where?” was the question.

So the 2012 Pollicott Belles fund raising challenge was born…’A Trip Down Memory Lane’ is the theme. We’ll leave it at that for the moment as we have some really great stuff to tell you about as the ‘master plan’ unveils itself.

Without all of our friends and supporters The Pollicott Belles would be nothing more than three girls out on their bikes and this year we’re hoping you’ll bring us all together once again to raise money for The Alzheimer’s Society. We’re looking forward to this years challenge and you’ll be hearing much more about this in future blogs.

In the words of The Terminator “I’ll be back” (hey…I have as much metal in my arm as Arnie ever did) but before I go just a quick word on Sians concern about ‘taking the shine off The Pollicott Belles.

The South Downs Way was a monster challenge for all of us, we’re not professional cyclists and to be honest none of us would choose sleeping out in cold rain as a weekend break. We were all tired, hungry, cold, and thirsty…and The Belles are a team…we were all in the ‘same place’ that day and we would never have got as far as that ridge without Sian pushing us along. As I said in the title – The Belles Are Shining As Brightly As Ever and ready to go.

Love

Alex xxx