Some families have been discovering the joys of walking during the coronavirus lockdowns.
Now author Sylvia Vetta is recommending a walk that children will enjoy during the school summer holidays.
Ms Vetta, from Kennington, suggested that as foreign travel is still unlikely for most families, it will be the perfect time to get their children walking and exploring Oxfordshire towns and countryside.
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The writer whose first book was Oxfordshire Rambles, said when parents introduce young children to walking, it’s a good idea to begin with short walks which feature plenty to interest them. One perfect location is Dry Sandford Pit near Abingdon.
Ms Vetta said: “Dry Sandford Pit is owned and managed by BBOWT, the Wildlife Trust.
“It’s a rare example of fenland landscape in Oxfordshire. This walk is about a mile and it’s a magical place for children. It has fossil rich cliffs, ponds with moorhens, grassland, scrub and woodland with streams running through. It’s set in an old quarry and with luck you may even see a kingfisher.”
The area is situated two and half miles North West of Abingdon - OX13 6DN Grid ref: SP 474 012.
There is some parking at the site. As you drive down Honeybottom Lane from Wootton - you will pass Church Lane on your right.
Drive slowly so you don’t miss the entrance to the BBOWT site on the left, opposite what was once the village post office. If the car park is full, there is there is a hard surface car park father down the road near the Merry Miller pub. Once in the nature reserve, head for the gate and follow the path to the left.
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Ms Vetta added: “Soon you will come to a viewing point on your right where you are likely to see exquisite dragon flies and damsel flies.
“Return to the path which follows the line of the cliff face. It opens into the old quarry.
“Explain to your children and grandchildren that this is an ancient landscape from the era of the dinosaurs.
“Now the cliff is home to solitary bees and wasps. In this grassland area, you can picnic, play and fossil hunt. If you do, please take every bit of rubbish home with you. If you take dogs keep them on short leads.”
Follow the path which runs diagonally from the ‘Burrowing into the Past’ sign and through the gate. The path again runs near the cliffs but with a pond on your right. At the next gate ignore the path to your right continue straight ahead through a gate on your left and enter the woods. The path meanders.
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Where the land rises on your right, take the next right turn and follow the narrow path which soon opens up. Follow the Wildlife Walk signs over little bridges and raised paths. When you exit the woodland through a gate you enter a field of tall grasses. The path bends left and takes you back to the gate where you started.
If you want a longer walk, there is another BBOWT site close by. Parsonage Moor is accessed from a footpath called String Lane opposite the Merry Miller. The entrance to the nature reserve is about a quarter mile from the road on your right. Horses graze on the drier parts and there are raised paths.
Ramblers: You can also go to the BBOWT site for a five-mile walk that takes you to all three fenland reserves in the area.
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