I’m sharing another of the local walks we discovered during lockdown today. Back in May, we decided to spend some time exploring footpaths on our doorstep – Launton was our goal on this occasion. There was also the added urgency to the walk as part of the route was going to be closed the week later as work progresses on the East-West Rail link.
Launton is a village on the outskirts of Bicester, and one we drive through regularly as a cut-through to the Aylesbury road. It’s somewhere we’ve talked about walking to loads of times over the years and it’s just never happened. When I heard that part of the route we would take would shortly be closed indefinitely I knew that we had to take the opportunity to walk it whilst we could.
We walked along part of one of the blue line walks across town before walking through the pathway besides Homebase on the Launton road, which took us to the rail line and the area which is now closed off.
I presume some sort of bridge will be built over the line so that the footpath can be reinstated at some point once the line has been relaid.
I actually got to snap a quick shot of one of the many butterflies we saw on this walk. They’ve been so hard to capture over the last few months, never settling for long and with a ten-year-old who doesn’t know the meaning of walking quietly!
We did have to cross over Charbridge Lane to reach the outskirts of Launton and the road does get busy with lorries, so you had to be extra careful trying to cross. But once over the road, you go through a hedge to find the footpath which takes you into the village.
We all love pathways which feel like walking through a tunnel of trees.
The footpath leads round to the side of the village church.
We then crossed the road and found the pathway that leads around the edge of the primary school and sports and social club through to another field and another view of the railtrack.
With all the rain we’ve had recently it’s hard to remember just how parched the fields looked back in May. They really were bone dry back then. But they did make it really easy to follow the correct footpaths too!
We also made a note of different paths we could see in the distance which would give me an idea for another walk we’d get to try out the following week.
As we crossed the fields we were looping back towards our end of town. Strange to find water and for it to feel so far away from our doorstep when in reality it was so close.
There was a lovely wooded area which actually sits right next to a new industrial estate – you’d never know from this shot. The area was full of wildlife and it was so tranquil. Such a wonderful place to find so close to home.
This pathway actually leads out onto Skimmingdish Lane, one of the main roads skirting around Bicester. It would also lead us back onto the blue line walk, and back to home.
Exploring footpaths on our doorstep and the Launton loop walk, another example of how lucky we are to have somewhere to walk straight from our front door.
Have you been discovering walks from your doorstep during lockdown?