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.
24th April 2020 and a walk which took in Weavern, Monks Wood, Euridge, Widdenham and Lower Rudloe. The title pictures, taken towards the end of the walk, are of a ploughed and raked field and the By Brook at Widdenham.
Setting off down Leafy Lane and we encounter the horse chestnuts of the Rudloe Arms. Just an aside, but we walked to the Rudloe Arms on New Year's Day for a coffee, met some nice people, decided to stay for dinner. That 'coffee' set us back £155.
In Lower Rudloe Lane, we find a Norway maple at left along with a silver maple
And further down Lower Rudloe Lane we find another member of the maple (acer) family, a sycamore (acer pseudoplatanus), bursting into leaf
Lower Rudloe Lane in all its glory with the newly-planted (relatively) holly hedge at left
The southern edge of Hungerford Wood in the middleground with the canopy of Monk's Wood beyond
Heading off down the Weavern byway in the shade of a beech copse
Bluebells and stitchwort (white flowers) in the verge of the Weavern byway
Hungerford Wood at left, The Larches (wood) at right and the wild garlic here is almost in full flower on 24th April
The Larches (the name of this wood) but this is a 'mixed' woodland with deciduous, broadleaf trees as well as larches
A close-up of the trees, and their tall, straight form would indicate that many are, in fact, larches
The byway leaves the woodland shade and crosses open country; Monk's Wood beckons in the distance
The old, abandoned Weavern Farm now comes into view with Monk's Wood beyond
One of the 'fresh' heaps of earth by the byway at Weavern has sprung into life with knapweed (blue, at left), alkanet (blue, at right) and horsetail
The first of three images of the old, abandoned Weavern Farm
Looks like there's some big moles down here
The 'standard' view of Weavern Farm from MacMillan Way
The By Brook above Weavern Bridge - we noticed some large 'hoofprints' in the mud
The large 'prints' in the mud (this is not accessible by the cattle) were a bit of a mystery
Now into Monk's Wood; in this southerly part of the wood, the wild garlic is still a week or so away from full flowering
Further into Monk's Wood, we find the wild garlic almost in full flower; the coppiced trees are elms
Looking back from whence we came; wild garlic and elm coppice predominates
Out of the wood now looking east towards the Marlborough Downs; Slaughterford is in the valley below
Curious calves at Euridge
The lime avenue at Euridge; we wondered why the limes at right were a pale imitation of those at left
The difference (between the limes at left and right) can be better appreciated in this view
Freddie Ljungberg contemplates the ziggurat
The ziggurat at Euridge Manor built using the spoil from the excavation for the substantial, below-ground (level) cattle shed
John Robinson's domain (Euridge Manor) at left; Colerne (church) on horizon. Monsieur Robinson, founder of Jigsaw, moves in royal circles ... Kate worked for Jigsaw briefly; she and William have holidayed in senor Robinson's Mustique villa.
A zoomed view towards Colerne and its church (St John the Baptist). Euridge Manor, at left, was confiscated from Malmesbury Abbey by Henry VIII but was then granted to Sir Walter Raleigh by Elizabeth I. Now, see euridgeorangeryweddings.com
The garden of, and view from, Euridge Manor cottages, Bluebell and Pear Tree. Farleigh Down and Bathampton Down lie across the valley.
In this view across the valley, Bannerdown comes into view at right
Leaving Euridge for Widdenham
No leaves yet - must be ash - on the track to Widdenham
This lad seemed bored in a field by himself - he wandered across to see us
Looking across towards St John the Baptist at Colerne
The view towards Lower Rudloe and the new 'executive' houses of Bybrook View (also John Miller's bungalow)
The Widdenham ploughed and raked field of the title picture with Lower Rudloe beyond: Folly Cottage at left and Mr T's B&B etc at right
Looking beyond that raked field to Farleigh Down and Bathampton Down
The Widdenham barn with Folly Farm peeking over the trees at top-right
The steepest right-of-way in the area, from Widdenham to Lower Rudloe - three or four people may be seen descending
Freddie Ljungberg maintaining his fitness on the track between Euridge and Widdenham
Evening descends on Widdenham and environs (view from that steepest of paths)
Evening descends on Widdenham and environs (view from higher on that steepest of paths)
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