I mentioned St Frideswide’s Way in an earlier post, and today I walked the section between Oxford and Abingdon.

The route follows the Thames Path for part of the way, but also takes in churches at Iffley, Littlemore, Sandford and Radley. From Radley, it continues via Radley Lakes to Abingdon. The total distance is 11.3 miles. Guides to the route are available from Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford.

One of the nice surprises was finding that all the seven churches and one Christian Community I visited were open. This gave me the opportunity to collect pilgrims’ stamps along the way, including those at St Nicolas and St Helen’s in Abingdon.

I knew very little about St Frideswide before setting out. She was an Anglo-Saxon princess who lived around the late seventh and early eighth centuries and is regarded as the patron saint of Oxford.

According to legend, Frideswide decided to devote her life to God rather than marry. However, a prince named Algar was determined to make her his wife. She refused his advances and fled, eventually finding refuge in the Oxford area. The story goes that Algar pursued her into Oxford and was struck blind. Frideswide offered to heal him on the condition that he abandon his pursuit of her. He agreed, and his sight was restored.

Frideswide went on to establish a religious community on the site where Christ Church Cathedral now stands. Her shrine remains in the cathedral, although her relics disappeared during the Reformation, when the original shrine was destroyed.

However, for me, the highlight of the walk was visiting The College at Littlemore, where John Henry Newman lived from 1842 to 1846. It is now a small religious community.

The next section of St Frideswide’s Way, from Abingdon to Dorchester, is about 12.5 miles. That will have to wait for another day.

P.S. Please let me know if you encounter any problems with the blog. I have moved it to a more modern package that should be easier to maintain. There is still one further change to make – which is now possible.

This year’s Abingdon Boundary Walk had more than 80 people taking part. The day was dry and the temperature a little over freezing. Before setting off, the group gathered for a photograph, intended for use in the Town Council magazine. The Town Crier warned anyone on the run from the law that they might wish to avoid appearing in the picture.

The walk was led by Cllr Elio Astone, with historical insights from former Mayor, Cllr Gabby Barody. The Town Crier announced each stop and encouraging participants to shout ‘Abingdon-on-Thames!’ at the end of every proclamation.

Cllr Elio Astone described this year’s walk as a more light-hearted version of the event. He replaced the usual antique reading of the 1556 charter boundary with quizzes and anecdotes.

The walk headed first to Abingdon Lock, crossing the weir, and back. This was to view a genuine ‘A’ Abingdon boundary stone early on – the reason for doing the boundary walk anti-clockwise rather than the usual direction. It did mean one family who arrived late and tried to catch up by going clockwise met the walk half way round.

In Penlon Place, at the engravings representing Abingdon’s historic industries, Cllr Elio Astone invited the group to guess which trades were being depicted. The large scissors prompted a suggestion of ‘barbers’. The answer was leather working.

The walk also stopped at the junction of Radley Road and Oxford Road, where a boundary stone once stood. The closest surviving relative is a highway boundary marker.

A substantial looking boundary stone near the John Mason bus stop may have been placed there as a student prank – according to hearsay.

In Albert Park, by the statue of Prince Albert, Cllr Gabby Barody spoke about the ancient charity Christ’s Hospital of Abingdon, explaining how it continues to support families in need, look after the park and alms houses, and with the town council to look after the Albert Monument.

Another stop was made near the Ock Bridge on Drayton Road. Cllr Elio Astone suggested it is the oldest bridge in Abingdon, or at least contains some of the oldest surviving bridge structure.

The final stop was at St Helen’s Wharf, where Cllr Elio Astone rounded things off with a short quiz to test how well people had been listening. There were 59 people who made it all the way round. Three cheers followed for those leading the walk.