Clifton Hampden and Long Wittenham

Clifton Hampden

On Sunday morning Jan and I walked through exceptionally long grass, and along the Iron Age Dyke Hills to Dorchester. Lots of thatched houses, well-cultivated allotments, and an abbey church. Oh, and trees messily covered in pinned-on posters. The 8.00 service was in progress in a side chapel out of sight, with a congregation of at least five people according to the number of umbrellas in the porch. We crept in and had a bit of a look around. When we came out it had started to rain. We walked back along hay fields, the grass fizzing in the rain, the shoes getting even wetter.



After a leisurely fry-up breakfast - thanks, Maffi - we left Bones and Maffi working on NB Bones while we walked to Clifton Hampden and Long Wittenham. After inspecting the churches and pubs in both villages we reported back to the boats, suggesting the Plough at Long Wittenham for (a late) lunch. We set off up the weir stream towards the mooring at the foot of the Plough's long garden. The current was quite strong, and the mooring not designed for boats longer than 35 feet, but we tied up without too much difficulty. Bones/Maffi have written about lunch and evensong so I'll just say that afterwards we returned to the boats and had a cheesy/winey evening aboard.