APR25: White Marks and Wildflowers - Watlington Hill

Waitlist: This event could become fully booked, but if you'd like to attend, please add yourself to the waitlist. Places often become available closer to the date, and you are likely to get one. 

Join us for this 11 mile walk from the charming market town of Watlington, nestled at the bottom of the Chiltern Hills. 

Watlington is a beautiful town with independent shops and a Saturday market. It's worth getting there early to wander up and down the High Street, with its old timber framed houses and grab a coffee.

We will start from the main car park and walk towards the first climb at Watlington Hill, which is now managed by the National Trust to preserve the natural habitat of wildflowers, mosses, and the wildlife they support such as butterflies and birds. It also has the strange White Mark, designed by a local squire who thought the view of the church from his home would look better if it had a spire on it - so he carved one into the hillside!

Once we reach the top of the hill we will pass through the festively named Christmas Common and descend down towards the estate of Wormsley Park, home of the annual Garsington Opera festival. 

We will then go north and cross over the M40 to reach Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve - this is where the famous cutting in the landscape was made to accommodate the building of the motorway in 1974. The views from the edge of Beacon Hill are stunning on a clear day.

After stopping for lunch it's a descent down to the Ridgeway path which we will follow back into Watlington, where the Spire and Spokes pub will be waiting for a final drink. 

Dogs 

Well-behaved dogs are welcome to come along but be mindful not everyone likes dogs as much as you might. As Watlington Hill and Aston Rowant Nature Reserve are managed by the National Trust they do ask dogs to be under strict control in these areas to protect the local wildlife. 

New Members

Please feel free to join this as your first OutdoorLads event. If you have any questions then feel free to message me, or go to the "My First Event" section under "About Us".

Waitlist

If this event is fully booked and you want to attend, just add yourself to the waitlist, because places inevitably become available closer to the date. 

Image / photo credits:  All images taken by the event leader with permission for ODL use.

Want to Get Out More?

To be informed of all our North West Home Counties* events please click on this Telegram link https://t.me/+EoB--tkEV3s4ZWJk

* Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire

IMPORTANT! - Participation Statement

You MUST complete a Participation Statement, in addition to booking your event space before attending an OutdoorLads event. You only need to complete this Participation Statement once, not for each event you attend.