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.
Taking advantage of the first warm, sunny day in weeks, we headed off to Weavern, Monks Wood, Euridge and Widdenham on Bank Holiday Sunday, 30th May 2021. The title picture shows Euphorbia and an oak in Monks Wood.
Looks like the fibre-optic cable guys will be digging up Leafy Lane soon. Orange is electricity, white must be water, numbers give depths.
The Village on the Hill from the brow of Box Hill
Lower Rudloe Lane; Lower Rudloe Farm is to the left with the new homes of Bybrook View straight ahead; the cottages at No Notion lie beyond
Farming in the By Brook Valley with Thickwood at left and Euridge at centre below the woods of Lucknam Park
A close-up of Euridge Manor with Thickwood and Lucknam Park woodland beyond
The tradder can still be seen here; Euridge Manor is to the right and above
Speedwell on the Weavern byway
A broadleaf canopy in Hungerford Wood
Hawthorn blossom twixt Weavern and Collett's Bottom woodland is about three weeks late this year due to the low April and May temperatures
This indicates the scale of the trees cut down in the retaining wall of Weavern fish (or 'stew') pond. The removal of the trees will be quite a task in the ongoing recovery of the pond. In my humble opinion, they should have been left in place.
Nice stonework in the retaining wall of Weavern fish (stew) pond
Stepped stonework at the 'far' end of the fish pond retaining wall
Futile (it seems) attempts to cut and burn (see next photo) these substantial trees in the retaining wall. As I indicated earlier, I believe that the trees should have been left in place.
Futile attempt to burn the roots of one of the trees embedded in the retaining wall
Wider view of the shambles created by the unnecessary (in my opinion) attempted removal of the trees in the retaining wall
A hornet scouring the mud in the old fish pond
The pool below Weavern Bridge. Not visible in this view, but four grey wagtails were flitting about around the fallen branch.
Dog's mercury (not the ubiquitous wild garlic) provides the ground cover here in Monks Wood
An ash 'plantation' within Monks Wood
In this clearing, in the vicinity of the enormous pine, there's a bench dedicated to a lady who loved Monks Wood
Here's another bench in the wood dedicated to Andy Allcock who "found solace, happiness and his artistic muse in woodland"
Euridge Manor is a fine building but difficult to do justice to in a photograph so here's one of its barns (and an ash)
With the escarpment of Bathampton Down in the distance, the rambler steps forth into the valley
Haymaking at Widdenham
Rudloe woodland and a 'hawthorn meadow' from Widdenham
Widdenham Farm and holiday cottages (at left) with Blackie in his meadow
The By Brook at Widdenham
Greater celandine on the route back up to Rudloe from Widdenham. There's a gurt patch of greater celandine in the verge at the traffic lights in Box.
In the time that we have been out on our walk, some berk has cut the ivy and other plants on the dry stone wall at Rudloe Manor. Nesting season!
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