Bluebells and Bottlenecks 2016

Photo: Liz Adams

All leaders make a concerted effort to arrive well before the official start time to ensure a quick check through of details of the walk and boots on and ready to go, but even the best laid plans can unravel, especially this year, with the roadworks around Oxford.

However, no-one expected that there would be difficulties in getting to the Bluebell walk in Nettlebed this year as most of us would avoid the bottlenecks on the ring road. Cabling work along the A4074 near Shillingford roundabout caused chaos, huge queues in each direction, with lights on the roundabout in a four way sequence, letting few cars through on each change.

This resulted in the walk starting half an hour late but those who made the effort to remain patient in the queue were rewarded with a lovely walk, beautiful vistas of bluebells making the floors of the beech woods a carpet of colour and wonderful scent in the air.

Stopping for lunch Stopping for lunch Photo: Liz Adams

Two weeks later there was no sign of the road works and everyone arrived on time for the walk around Sonning and Shiplake.

Liz Adams