rudloescene.co.uk - Bathford outing

Welcome to the Rudloe and environs website.

Here you will find news, articles and photos of an area that straddles the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in north-west Wiltshire.

Contributions in the form of articles or photos are welcome. Even those with completely contrary views to mine!

Thanks to the website builder 1&1 and Rob Brown for the original idea.

Rudloescene now, in January 2014, has a sister, academic rather than anarchic, website about Box history here: http://www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk/

It contains thoroughly professional, well-researched articles about Box and its people.

Contact rudloescene through the 'Contact' page.

rudloescene

17th November 2023 brought some sunny weather and a trek to Bathford. The title picture shows some autumn colour in Beech Road. Photos of the excursion start (of course) at Rudloe and continue through Box Hill, Box, Ashley and Shockerwick.

The compulsory view of the By Brook Valley from the brow of Box Hill, Bannerdown predominates beyond

Shifting the view south to take in Bathampton Down and the distant Mendips

Young sycamore in the Box Hill verge with the By Brook Valley beyond

Another view of the valley with a colourful oak in the foreground and Bannerdown on the horizon

Heading off down Beech Road

A Beech Road landscape

Beeches in Beech Road

Maple (and other) leaves in the roadway at the eastern entrance to Box village

Heading into Box on the A4

Heading into Box on the A4 - Box Tunnel's western portal

Heading into Box on the A4 - looking back whence we came

Not even half-way but a stop for coffee at the Birdhouse cafe was called for. The lunch menu, shown in the first photo in the gallery below, was tempting. However, I could not resist asking if I could have cheese & beans on toast to which the innkeeper (!) responded "Are you from Rudloe?". Seriously, the staff here are very responsive so they will always try to meet any special requests.

Shockerwick and Bannerdown from Ashley

Ashley Road

Shockerwick and Bannerdown from Ashley Road

The footbridge over the railway at Shockerwick rebuilt from the vernacular to the vulgar for the electrification that never materialized

From the vernacular to the vulgar (brutalist perhaps). Open at this, up, side but enclosed on the other, down, side to prevent (I would assume) one from jumping in front of a train, as you do.