An alternative to the Boundary Walk was the Christian Aid walk from which Jane sent pictures. The sponsored walk started from the Peachcroft Christian Centre, and was well attended. Walkers could either get sponsors before the event or simply turn up and make a donation.
The walk took a route through Sunningwell, and Boars Hill, with refreshments at Bayworth Baptist chapel, and then back to North Abingdon.
On New Years Day 2019 people met on Abingdon Market Place to walk the Boundaries of Abingdon, granted by Queen Mary as part of the 1556 Abingdon Charter of Incorporation.
The walk included talks by Councillor Helen Pighills at various stopping places. She would read the description of the boundary from the charter, try to make sense of it in terms of 2019 landmarks, and then give some interesting historical background.
The Town Crier accompanied the walk and gave a cry at each stopping place.
The day was mild and the ground dry and so many more people made it all the way round (compared to the very wet walk last year).
At lunchtime Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers were performing
and dancing outside The Punchbowl and round the town centre.
Here is the Town Crier wishing people a Happy New Year during the Boundary Walk…
.
It was my wife’s birthday and after a meal near Oxford we went on a birthday walk beside the River Thames in Abingdon. St Helen’s Wharf was busy with birds after a boat stopped to feed them.
We walked over the bridge and along the causeway towards Culham.
Then we walked back along by the River Thames. There were huge mounds of wild Michaelmas Daisies beside the River, and out on the River oarsmen from Abingdon School were rowing by Abingdon Marina.
As we got near town my wife took this picture of The Old Anchor Inn.
I took one of the tall almshouse chimneys, looking like spaghetti in the River.
She took one of Abingdon Bridge.
The meal was at the Trout Inn. My wife is reading La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One by Philip Pullman, where the Trout Inn features extensively. She says there are also mentions of Abingdon – there could be a future blog post about The Book of Dust – Abingdon.
Back to school this week for many. Clarkes shoe shop in Abingdon was busy the weekend before last. The barbers were busy last weekend and I ended up queuing in both.
Unlike previous weeks, there were not many families in the Abbey Meadow play area this evening. A couple were eating a large packet of crisps gazing out over the weir. A man was looking down the river from the Abingdon Lock fence.
We walked on, and as we looked back the man, and the crisp eaters were still there gazing at the River Thames. I took this view of the County Hall Museum seen through the lights on Nags Head Island.
Then this one of the sky with the clouds in long furrows. We bought the Abingdon Herald from the Co-op on the way home and looked first at the two page feature of the Wallingford Bunkfest last weekend.
What a remarkable event that is – taking over the town centre for three days.