Berkshire/Oxfordshire: Godstow and Port Meadow

18 July 2016                   OS Landranger 164 Oxford

Half day

We parked in the car-park of The Trout at Godstow, as we planned to eat there on our return, it being open all day, which relieved any time pressure. 

We walked over the road bridge (wall-rue Asplenium ruta-muraria and pellitory-of-the-wall Parietaria judaica) to the path to the ruins of Godstow Nunnery or Abbey, built originally in the 1130s out of local limestone on what was then an island in the Thames.  Following dissolution in 1539, it became a private house and farm, but was ruined in the course of the Civil War, since when just these rather plain outline walls remain. 

Godstow Nunnery

On, and at the base of, the walls were pellitory-of-the-wall, fern grass Catapodium rigidum, common (mostly) and Oxford ragworts Senecio jacobaea and S. squalidus, white stonecrop Sedum album, long-headed poppy Papaver dubium, round-leaved cranesbill Geranium rotundifolium (sticky with dense long glandular hairs all over), thyme-leaved sandwort Arenaria serpyllifolia, black horehound Ballota nigra and good king henry Chenopodium bonus-henricus. 

Round-leaved cranesbill, thyme-leaved sandwort and fern-grass

Black horehound & Good King Henry

Pellitory-of-the-wall

The grassland is rough but not remarkable, having musk thistle Carduus nutans, burnet-saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga, lady's bedstraw Galium verum and hoary plantain Plantago media.  A dry ditch going west from the ruins, mostly occupied by a hedge, however, is the most renowned site for the rare alien birthwort Aristolochia clematitis, scrambling stems with heart-shaped leaves and strange narrow yellow trumpet flowers.  There was much of it for a short stretch, but does not seem to have spread far, given that it has been here for centuries, introduced it is said by the nuns for its medicinal properties, supposed to assist childbirth, but its toxicity perhaps indicates a more covert use for abortions. 

Birthwort

Between the ruins and the Thames to the east is a large white poplar Populus alba. 

White poplar

We walked south from here along the west bank of the Thames, surprised to see two posts in the river each surmounted by a resting common tern.  Swallows were swooping over the water.  After passing through a lock we were again in rough meadow, with yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor and infrequent pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis and woolly thistle Cirsium eriophorum. 

Woolly thistle

Musk thistle

Much more vegetated were the banks of the Thames with meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, gypsywort Lycopus europaeus, water figwort Scrophularis aquatica, purple loosestrife Lythrum salicaria, great willowherb Epilobium hirsutum, marsh woundwort Stachys palustris, hemlock water dropwort Oenanthe crocata, water forgetmenot Myosotis scorpioides, water mint Mentha aquatica, wood horsetail Equisetum sylvaticum and common club-rush Schoenoplectus palustris. 

Marsh woundwort

Meadowsweet and purple loosestrife

 We only saw a little Indian balsam Impatiens glandulifera, presumably indicating regular efforts at control.  Some of the trees at the bank were black poplar Populus nigra hybrids and one very large old specimen had conspicuous leaf galls caused by the fungus Taphrina populina, with yellowish bulges above and bright yellow hollows beneath. 

Hybrid black poplar and fan

Galls of Taphrina populina on hybrid black poplar

There was little aquatic vegetation because of frequent boat traffic, although there were large flocks of greylag geese with occasional domestic hybrids (regularly chased from the banks into the water by dogs, much to the birds' annoyance), the odd Canada goose, frequent mute swans and a heron flying by. 

Greylag and domestic geese

A pair of pied wagtails were calling in a riverside bush and goldfinches liked the rough meadow.  Dragonflies in evidence were the banded agrion Calopteryx splendens and common blue damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum. 

Common blue damselfly

Other regular aerial traffic were Globemaster troop-carrier planes from nearby Brize Norton.  The shells of swollen river mussel Unio tumidus were common in shallow water edges. 

Globemaster

Swollen river mussel

Near Binsey we passed chicory Cichorium intybus, lucerne Medicago sativa and fly honeysuckle Lonicera xylosteum. 

Chicory

Fly honeysuckle

At Medley Weir to get to Port Meadow we crossed two bridges, as the Thames is here split into two streams. 

Thames and Port Meadow from Medley Weir

Instead of going straight across Port Meadow, we walked south along the Castle Mill Stream which is free of boat traffic and by far the best place for water plants, which included amphibious bistort Persicaria amphibia, Canadian pondweed Elodea canadensis, yellow water-lily Nuphar lutea, great and creeping yellow-cress Rorippa amphibia and R. sylvestris, brooklime Veronica beccabunga, pink water-speedwell V. catenata, marsh cudweed Gnaphalium uliginosum, and reed sweet-grass Glyceria maxima. 

Amphibious bistort Creeping yellow-cress

Pink water-speedwell Great yellow-cress

Undisturbed by the flocks of geese, this was also a harbour for smaller birds like the mallard and moorhen.  At the southern end of Port Meadow we left the stream and walked across to the concrete path that takes one some way north on the east side.  Port Meadow was being grazed by sizable herds of both horses and cows, while a large part was still under water from the river flooding its banks earlier in the year. 

The shallow lake attracted a large flock of mature and juvenile black-headed gulls, accompanied by a pair of little egrets.  Overhead flew red kites.  In the event, our path along the east side was halted by deep water half way along and we had to return to the south side and proceed up the west side, not far from the Thames, which provided the only dry route to the north end.  While on the east side, however, we recorded water-plantain Alisma plantago-aquatica, tubular water-dropwort Oenanthe fistulosa, hard rush Juncus inflexus, slender spike-rush Eleocharis uniglumis (usually a coastal species), fool's watercress Apium nodiflorum and fan-leaved water-crowfoot Ranunculus circinatus.  We were surprised to see a single plant of flowering rush Butomus umbellatus in bud, a species we had not seen here on previous visits. 

Tubular water-dropwort

Flowering rush

At the marshy edge of the lake below the embankment along which the path ran we were also pleased to find several plants of creeping marshwort Apium repens, the rare highlight of this site, noticeable at first by the slightly differently-shaped leaflets from fool's watercress, but confirmed by many bracts at the base of the flower umbel, which was long-stalked, and the creeping stems rooting at each node.

Creeping marshwort

Tiny black rove-beetles with prominent eyes proved to be the common wetland species Stenus juno.  At the north end of Port Meadow we could exit through the car-park at Wolvercote and complete the round trip by walking a few hundred yards west to the Trout.

Berkshire: Goring, Pangbourne and Streatley

15 July 2016         OS maps 174 Newbury & Wantage, 175 Reading & Windsor

All day

We started from the car park in the centre of Goring, just off the High Street.  The passage to the High Street passes between a colourful garden of mixed flowers and vegetables and a verge by the village hall, where a seed mix for "wildlife" has been introduced behind fragrant vines of sweet pea camouflaging the wire fence.  Plants noticed in the verge and along the passage included pellitory-of-the-wall Parietaria judaica, wall barley Hordeum murinum, yellow corydalis Pseudofumaria lutea, cultivated flax Linum usatissimum, buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum, borage Borago officinalis, common fumitory Fumaria officinalis, and phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia. 

Cultivated flax

Buckwheat

We descended the High Street to the River Thames, where we joined the Thames Path south along the east bank, passing over a roaring side-stream channelled under Goring Mill.  In the main river the most noticeable plant was yellow water-lily Nuphar lutea, with large oval leaves. 

Yellow water-lily

Thames at Goring

On the shored banks grew vervain Verbena officinalis, a plant we would see frequently later on beside country lanes. 

Vervain by the Thames

The usual birds were present - greylag geese, coot, mallards, heron and mute swan. 

Greylag geese

Where the banks became natural, there were the native (white-flowered) form of comfrey Symphytum officinale, purple loosestrife Lythrum salicaria, gypsywort Lycopus europaeus, wild angelica Angelica sylvestris, water figwort Scrophularia aquatica, valerian Valeriana officinalis, wood horsetail Equisetum sylvaticum, Indian balsam Impatiens glandulifera, tufted vetch Vicia cracca, yellow loosestrife Lysimachia vulgaris, marsh ragwort Senecio aquaticus, great willowherb Epilobium hirsutum, and hemp agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum.  The last had the leaf-mines of the fly Liriomyza eupatorii.  Much of the vegetation was smothered by large bindweed Calystegia sepium and cleavers Galium aparine scrambling over it, but despite searching assiduously through many large clumps of nettles Urtica dioica, we could not find any greater dodder Cuscuta europaea, which formerly grew along here.  Banded demoiselles Calopteryx splendens were flying among this vegetation. 

Marsh ragwort

Banded demoiselle female

Liriomyza eupatorii mine in hemp-agrimony leaf

Some large trees overhung the path to reach the light over the river, including ash Fraxinus excelsior, small-leaved lime Tilia cordata and white willow Salix alba. 

White willow over Thames Path

After the wooded path we came to more open grassland.  Opposite Lower Basildon the path went further away from the river, passing through a small reserve called Little Meadow, which was long grass with meadow cranesbill Geranium pratense, more comfrey (this time including purple-flowered plants as well as white), meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, musk mallow Malva moschata, and lady's bedstraw Galium verum.  Back at the riverbank we came across hemlock water-dropwort Oenanthe crocata.  A very ugly railway bridge passed over the river, high above our heads, where the only fern on the brickwork was wall-rue Asplenium ruta-muraria. 

The path continued somewhat back from the river (an angling group had bought up the rights of access), with black horehound Ballota nigra most notable in the hedgerows, although a few pyramidal orchids Anacamptis pyramidalis occurred as the river cut through the chalk hills and we were then in beechwood (Hartslock Wood).  We searched here for lesser hairy brome Bromopsis benekenii (now reduced to a subspecies of hairy brome Bromopsis ramosa), but to no avail, as we could not find the intermediate flower-heads between drooping panicles (hairy brome and giant fescue Festuca gigantea) and unbranched spikes (false-brome Brachypodium sylvaticum and wood barley Hordeum europaeum).  The wood, indeed, had few ancient woodland indicator species (wood barley, hartstongue fern Asplenium scolopendrium, wood melick Melica uniflora, yew Taxus baccata) and was disappointing.  Other species here were ploughman's spikenard Inula conyza (with the mines of the fly Chromatomyia syngenesiae), greater celandine Chelidonium majus, butcher's broom Ruscus aculeatus and the rooting-shank fungus Xerula radicata. 

Chromatomyia syngenesiae mines in ploughman's spikenard

Eventually the path climbed to the top of the hill, well away from the river, and crossed the plateau at the top past uninteresting fields.  We eventually dropped down into Whitchurch, via its main street, to the Thames once again, which we crossed into Pangbourne on the other side. 

Thames at Whitchurch (with obligatory swan)

The churchyard here had green alkanet Pentaglottis sempervirens.  Both Whitchurch and Pangbourne have pubs and cafés for lunch at this stage, but we decided to strike on through Pangbourne to Upper Basildon before stopping, as this would put the least interesting stretch along roads behind us.  As we climbed the hill out of Pangbourne there was a walkway beside the road, but this finished when houses ended, and from there on we had to endure frequent traffic close at hand.  Towards the top of the hill we passed through a stretch of chalk, so that road verge flowers included greater knapweed Centaurea scabiosa, crow garlic Allium vineale, and scented orchids Gymnadenia conopsea (just gone over).  We entered the long stretched-out village of Upper Basildon past a surprisingly new white-walled church of adventurous design (St Stephen's Parish Church, built in 1965). 

We walked on to the Red Lion pub, which we reached by 1.45pm, in time to have a long rest over beer and good food with friendly service. 

On the corner of the road outside the pub was a bank of creeping comfrey Symphytum grandiflorum, Druce's cranesbill Geranium x oxonianum and an unusual "double" flore pleno form of greater celandine we had never seen before. 

Double-flowered form of greater celandine

As we walked north, lane-sides also had tutsan Hypericum androsaemum and rose of Sharon H. calycinum, while we also came across a white-flowered herb robert Geranium robertianum, which lacked any of the red pigments usually so evident on this species and had very hairy fruits.  It would have corresponded to subspecies celticum (South Wales coast!) except that the anthers were yellow and not red or purple (orange in the usual form), so this was presumably an "albino" variety entirely lacking anthocyanins.  

White form of herb robert

We picked up the bridleway beside Saddlehill and Park Woods to continue north away from traffic, but as usual it was often uncomfortable walking where the ground had been broken up and puddled by horses, while the flora was very uninteresting, with a little small balsam Impatiens parviflora and ramsons Allium ursinum.  After a mile we reached another lane and had to backtrack south a little to pick up a further bridleway continuing north through Harley Hill Wood, which proved even damper and more difficult.  The only relief was when we left woodland and were approaching Hillfields Farm, where a track-side bank was rich in pyramidal orchids, including quite a few white forms.  Other chalk grassland plants here were rest-harrow Ononis repens, and harebell Campanula rotundifolia.  Near the farm a footpath went off SW to avoid having to run into the A329, but this was very unkempt and overgrown and even less hospitable than the bridleway!  It eventually emerged from woodland into a field which had more chalk grassland flora - fairy flax Linum catharticum, yellowwort Blackstonia perfoliatum, common centaury Centaurium erythraea (with plenty of white as well as pink flowers), wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides, wild basil Clinopodium vulgare, eyebright Euphrasia nemoralis, and rock-rose Helianthemum nummularium.  Many marbled white butterflies flew up as we crossed recently cut hay, although they were reluctant to fly with a persistent drizzle and grey skies.  It was actually with some relief that we came out into a country lane and we could avoid ploughing through more tall wet vegetation.  This lane took us north again to Grove Farm.  In the hedgebank at one point, past lots of vervain and some dark mullein Verbascum nigrum, we came across a single small clump of wild catsmint Nepeta cataria, which is getting increasingly scarce these days and which we never find at sites where it was previously recorded but have to rely on happy chance encounters such as this. 

Wild catmint

From Grove Farm we took a winding lane west to the line of Grim's Ditch above Streatley.  On the way we logged hedgerow cranesbill Geranium pyrenaicum and pale toadflax Linaria repens; along all the roads we had also seen spiked and grey sedges Carex spicata and C. divulsa.  A bridleway went east alongside the Ditch and eventually along it and descended to the A329 just outside Streatley.  There was a pavement alongside, so we took the road into the village, which lies directly across the Thames from Goring, as Pangbourne does from Whitchurch.  Turning east towards the river we saw the church, which looked interesting and ornate, and went down a side passage to take a closer look.  It was built in the C13th, the tower in the 15th, and the odd turret staircase added to the tower in the mid-C16th. 

At the base of a wall we saw escaped garden lobelia Lobelia erinus. 

Garden lobelia

As we crossed the bridge over the Thames we looked down to see marsh woundwort Stachys palustris to add to our list of riverside plants for the day, but we were less impressed by the group of plants on a corner of the bank at the Goring side: a large colony of Indian balsam and Gunnera tinctoria. 

Thames at Streatley

Indian balsam and Gunnera

As we ascended Goring High Street there was a fine view of the parish church of St Thomas of Canterbury. 

At the hotel called The Miller of Mansfield we drank a restful coffee while waiting for an evening meal that was very special and made up for some of the downsides of the day.  This hotel is an C18th coaching inn named after the rhyming play The King and the Miller of Mansfield by Robert Dodsley, first performed in London in 1736.