Had to pick up Helen from Thame and Haddenham Parkway Station, so I looked for a walk in the area. Cuddington and surrounding arera looked good. I parked up just off village green near shop and the Crown pub which another time would have been a good place to finish the walk with a beer and lunch.
I walked down in the direction of the church which is in Great setting amongst the many very old building that make up most of Cuddington. The village hall and big manor house are particularly impressive.I headed past the manor house and down into the river valley, noted lots of Red Kite and surprisingly a couple of Reed Bunting over a rape seed field.
After walking. Along the valley there is an opportunity to cross the river and then head back the other way and visit the even older and quainter looking Nether Whinchden or Lower Whinchden. Not sure if they are alternative names or two different places. There is a manor house church and lots of other very old and well spaced out houses. I imagine it is a very nice place to live.
The walk then continues towards Chearsley but stops just before, on another occasion when not under a time restraint it might make sense to look at the put there leaving a short hop back to Cuddington. As I wandered towarss Cuddington I was really down on the flood plain and had to jump and impromptu stream that was crossing a field and also had to negotiate a very muddy gate/track/path crossing.
After walking through a mill house which has a footpath through the garden, you leave via a door in the wall, then climb a small hill past a house with many weather vanes on it, I imagine the guy there makes them.
Back at the outskirts of Cuddington I came across a duck pond made out of a river that passes through the cottage garden, in there were two massive Mallards, my guess is that they were cross breeds with the white ducks that were also in the pond.