The Fords of Oxfordshire

[carcher2k]

A sort of spur of the moment thing, but I decided to get out and see if I could ride the 12 listed fords in Oxfordshire.

First up was Bainton, just above Bicester. A very small trickle across the road, outside a farmhouse.

 

[carcher2k]

No.2 was Epwell, just outside Banbury.

another small'un with a little footbridge.

 

[carcher2k]

3rd up was South Newington.

About quarter of a mile down a RUPP, a very slippy concrete crossing, covered in weed/algae stuff

 

[carcher2k]

4th was Poor Bridge.

Easy to miss, this one was just off the road down a muddy track. The exit ramp was closed for recsurfacing, which I didn't realise until I was already in the pond! Quite muddy due to the building work.

 

[carcher2k]

5th was the first of the two Middle Barton fords. Had to search for this one, as it wasn't on the road I thought, but down a side road. There was a sharp step down into the ford, and it had a very large stoney bottom, no wonder it had not for motors on the road

 

[carcher2k]

6th was the other Middle Barton ford.

again, had to search a little for it. A small concrete drop in and a gravely surface.

 

[carcher2k]

7th was Swinbrook.

Just off of the main road, a small splash across the road, with one deep patch just about where u put your foot down

 

[carcher2k]

8th was a regular for me, Shilton.

A larger ford with an adjacent pond. Concrete base that can get quite slippery at times

 

[carcher2k]

Number 9 is tucked away in Bampton.

It was a bugger to find. The entrance was a smoothish concrete slope in to a gravely bed. The exit hadn't been used for a long time and was overgrown and unaccessable, so it was ride in, turn around and back out the way in.

 

[carcher2k]

Number 10 was Duxford. I couldn't find this one. I suspected that the road had now been classified to a bridleway, and with the whole area being in a farmyard, I decided not to piss off the locals, so left it.

Number 11 was West Hendred. This was along a byway, but as it had been raining all day, the place was thick, sticky clay, and with my rather worn Anakees, it was a struggle to get there. Just before i did, the whole byway became very rutted, and dropped down quite steeply to the water. I decided not to go, as on my own i knew i'd never get the bike back up the slippery clay, i could hardly walk back up the hill!

So that just left Drayton St. Leonards. Found it fairly easily, but there was no way I was going to cross it. It started off shallow, but quickly got deeper, and the surface was covered in large stones, and had disaster written all over it.

 

[carcher2k]

So 9/12 accomplished.

Not bad, and it pissed down all day. Warming myself up with a nice cuppa

 

[Clive]

Good attempt - thanks for the invite

I've only tried 10,11,12 of the Oxfordshire ones, about a year ago - same result as you