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.
Monks Wood came early in this 15-mile, 5-hour tour of the By Brook Valley on 21st May 2018
Cow parsley at Lower Rudloe at the start of our odyssey
Hay in the making at Folly Farm on 21st May 2018; Colerne looks on
Hawthorn and cow parsley in Lower Rudloe Lane on 21st May 2018
Looking towards No Notion in Lower Rudloe Lane; the distant dust is from a bin lorry that has just passed
Spring growth and cow parsley in Lower Rudloe Lane
Looking back down Lower Rudloe Lane from No Notion
The view across the By Brook Valley to Colerne from the Weavern byway
Heading down the Weavern byway towards Weavern and Collets Bottom; Monks Wood in the distance
The bank by the Weavern byway with hawthorn, speedwell and herb robert
Doesn't look too spectacular but this is stitchwort on the byway bank as we start the descent to Weavern
Woodland (the Larches) above Weavern from the byway
Woodruff at the woodland edge on the descent to Weavern; woodruff can also be found in Weavern Lane and on the Hazelbury-Box byway
The vista opens up as we descend to Weavern; this view towards Hartham shows the abundance of hawthorn in the English landscape
The long-abandoned Weavern Farm with Monks Wood beyond
Another view towards Hartham and Pickwick showing the profusion of hawthorn
Getting close to the water now; stag-headed oak at left
The abandoned Weavern Farm with some of Maidment's heifers (I guess) grazing
We've reached the By Brook at last; I reckon that the lateral branch of the willow must be one of the longest on the planet
Monks Wood; on 21st May we're a tad late for the best of the wild garlic flowering
There's still quite a bit of garlic flowering as we move through the wood
Usually the wild garlic will be well on the way to 'going over' by 21st May but maybe the March snows delayed the flowering
I guess the Woodland Trust engages in coppicing as this looks as if it could be current
Wild garlic and orchids (I think) of some kind on the woodland floor
A bit of brightness (too much for the camera) along the track
More brightness as we head deeper into the wood
A carpet of ramsons as far as the eye can see
The wild garlic extends away from both sides of the track
Ash to the left and garlic everywhere as we press on towards Slaughterford
A few fallen trees beyond the garlic carpet
A dedication plaque on a bench in a clearing which is quite difficult to reach (a stiff climb)
Large nest high in an oak tree
We've reached the Thickwood-Slaughterford byway - see 'Localities', 'Slaughterford' for further pictures from this walk
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