From nothing to not much. Or is it? Maybe, there are secrets here.
This is the story of a mysterious bridge in the middle of nowhere. What it tells us is never to take the landscape as it is, for just what it looks like. There is often a tale lurking behind, a tale which will tell us something about the significance of a place and the way people lived.
We are walking by the upper waters of the Thames. The river is around ten yards across, occasionally widening, sometimes narrowing on a bend. On either bank there are stunted willows, old cowpats, reeds and, here and there, a muddy gully. Geese and swans are round about and a few sheep but, it being January, most of the cows are still inside.
Turning a corner we see a high wooden bridge, a bridge from nothing to not much, or so it appears. Of course, it is a useful crossing for walkers. However there are no dwellings to be seen, not even a barn.
Yet Old Man's Bridge was once a much-used walkway between a number of towns and villages. The latest version, the one we see now, was first assembled more than a century and a half ago after people complained that the previous rickety structure was falling apart. Even further back in time, a bridge here linked an inn called the Trout, on the northern side, with another hostelry on the side where we are walking, this second one known as the Spotted Cow. Though popular, it was remote enough to be out of reach of the law and was known, we are told, as a haven for gambling and cock-fighting.
Carswell Marsh from Marriage Hill. Take the footpath on the East side, to the right here, which goes directly North to the Thames. Returning, you'll be passing the farms to the left.
Anyway, this was once a busy spot, which makes it a suitable central crossway for a figure-of-eight walk from Carswell Marsh (scroll down for the map), taking in two peaceful locks on the Thames, the small village of Radcot and the larger one of Clanfield.
Rushey Lock
It is a quarter of an hour of straight walking across fields from Carswell Marsh to the weir at Rushey and the lock behind. Don't cross the river. Instead turn left along the Thames Path and follow the meandering route by the Thames, taking in tranquil views of still and sometimes rippling water, bordered by reeds and willows.
Meandering river upstream of the lock
Not far on, maybe 20 minutes or so, gentle walking brings you to Old Man's Bridge and shortly after you arrive at Radcot Lock.
The Thames near Old Man's Bridge
These locks are quiet places. My Dad once had the job of holiday relief for the lock keepers downstream at Eynsham, Northmoor and Osney, I think. But that was in the 1950s. Now most of the locks are self-service and nothing much happens until a boat arrives.
Radcot Lock
Wander along to Radcot itself which has an older stone bridge and saw a battle fought around six hundred years ago. All I can say is that the armies must have been small and the battle must have been more of a skirmish. You can find out more in Ye Olde Swan, which is a cosy place to get some refreshment on a cold and blustery day.
After crossing the Thames at Radcot, we take the D'Arcy Dalton Way, which follows an arc, through a series of muddy fields, to Clanfield. It feels like a trudge and many of the way marks have been torn down, which is a pity. However there are several tremendous dog sluice-gates, to enable your trusty companion to skip through the stile, with no need for a hole in the fence, so keeping livestock safely in their allotted fields.
Ottie struggles with gate, takes dog sluice-gate
You feel a sense of relief opening the front door of the Clanfield Tavern, being welcomed in, handed a pint and a menu of bar snacks and a bowl of water for the dog. You have already covered more than six miles and you are barely half way.
There is a yomp along farm tracks from Clanfield, a quick rightward yank across riverside pasture and you are back at Old Man's Bridge, this time to cross it properly and, if you are lucky, to see the sun beginning to set behind. Then a pleasant ramble across fields and more tracks, passing the Spotted Cow Cottages (now we know where the name comes from) and a series of farms bearing pleasing names -- Thrupp, Pucketty and Ragnell -- before landing back at Carswell Marsh.
Old Man's Bridge again
The walk is in the shape of a near-perfect figure-of-eight with Old Man's Bridge in the middle. It has taken just over four hours, not including refreshment stops, and measures nearly eleven miles. If you just want to make a short journey to visit the Bridge, you can walk over from Radcot or even drive down the narrow road to Radcot Lock.
The figure-of-eight: Old Man's Bridge at the crossroads, with the start at the green arrow
Starting and finishing at this peaceful hamlet in Oxfordshire...
The cottages at Carswell Marsh
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