↓
 

Blasdale Home

The web home of Steve and Rosemary

  • Home
  • Picture albums
    • 2020s
      • 2020 Gallery
      • 2021 Gallery
    • 2010s
      • 2010 Gallery
      • 2011 Gallery
      • 2012 Gallery
      • 2013 Gallery
      • 2014 Gallery
      • 2015 Gallery
      • 2016 Gallery
      • 2017 Gallery
      • 2018 Gallery
      • 2019 Gallery
    • 2000s
      • 2000 Gallery
      • 2001 Gallery
      • 2002 Gallery
      • 2003 Gallery
      • 2004 Gallery
      • 2005 Gallery
      • 2006 Gallery
      • 2007 Gallery
      • 2008 Gallery
      • 2009 Gallery
    • 1990s
      • 1992 Gallery
      • 1993 Gallery
      • 1994 Gallery
      • 1995 Gallery
      • 1996 Gallery
      • 1997 Gallery
      • 1998 Gallery
      • 1999 Gallery
    • 1980s
    • 1970s
    • 1960s
  • Tag Cloud
  • Blog
  • Blasdale Genealogy
  • Cambridge
  • Grendon
  • Subscribe
Home→Categories Buckinghamshire→Kingswood 1 2 3 … 16 17 >>

Category Archives: Kingswood

Post navigation

← Older posts

Beating The Bounds

Blasdale Home Posted on May 26, 2023 by SteveMay 26, 2023

16th May 2023

Beating the Bounds is a tradition where members of a parish walk around their parish boundary. In the case of Grendon Underwood this is around 15 miles. The walk is performed once every 7 years, and has a number of strange customs. Crosses are chopped into the bark of prominent trees on the boundary, failing a tree, a cross is cut into the soil.. Children are supposed to have their bottoms smacked with a spade at these locations. This is to remind them of where the boundaries are. In our woke society this becomes men and women having their turns at being beaten. Thankfully the police were not around, with their new arrest powers what would they have made of us, carrying spades ands axes along and across the HS2 line.

I have done the walk once before, twenty one years ago, in 2002., Yes I have pictures and a write up on this blog, Beating the Grendon Underwood Bounds 2002.

As you can see there were a couple of detours which added to the distance. Nesting birds neccesitated us to walk around the perimeter of the BBOWT nature reserve and not along the Tetchwick Brook. Because of newly laid concrete by HS2 we had to take a detour around the incinerator to cross HS2.

The day was an ideal walking day. No rain, a breeze and not too hot. The ground was wet underfoot, the recent sunny weather had not yet dried the land out,

We started the walk at Gallow’s Bridge, walking around the perimeter of the reserve, being led by the BBOWT warden, Ilona. (As I said, the walk along the bounday of Tetchwick Brook not being allowed because of nesting birds.)

There were a further couple of short detours from the route before we reached Edgcott, these because of unsympathetic landowners.

We stopped at Prune Farm for tea and cakes and then headed onwards to the Energy from Waste incinerator and HS2. A large detour around the incinerator, because of newly laid concrete, back on track we headed to Finemere Hill House for our packed lunches. Lovely views, but spolit by the Incinerator and the workings of HS2.

After lunch we headed on down the hill and across HS2, almost on the correct path. In all these crossinsg we were helped by four HS2 employees to ensure we didn’t tie ourselves to the trees. After that, we were back in wild Buckinghamshire walking through Grendon and Doddershall woods, stopping to view the King Tree. We met up with the Waddesddon boundary walkers at Ham Home Wood. Another welcome stop was in store for us, beer and sandwiches at Canaletto. The sandwiches kept on coming!

Now the final couple of miles and we were back at Gallow’s Bridge. in all we walked 25.4km, taking 9 hours and 20 minutes. We started at around 51 meters, and rose to a maximum altitude of 135 meters.

Google Map of the Walk

Beeating the Bounds Route on Google Maps

Link to the Google Map.

OS Map of the Walk

This is useful view, you can see where we strayed from the parish boundary. There is one tracking error in the route. I some how turned off the tracker as we exited Doddershall woods, and failed to reenable it untilwe had walked a 100 meters along the road. The Google maps track is correct.

Beating the Bounds Gallery

Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
PXL_20230516_155142506
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Posted in Buckinghamshire, Grendon Underwood, Kingswood, Uncategorized | Tagged Buckinghamshire, Grendon Underwood | Leave a reply

The Fox Cubs

Blasdale Home Posted on May 26, 2023 by SteveMay 26, 2023

26th May 2023

This week’s fox cub video was a success. The battery did not fail, and I was able to capture footage of three cubs playing and exploring their immediate surroudnings. I moved the camera partway through the week to a lower vantage point, which allowed me to get better shots of the cubs.

There were originally two vixens and six cubs, but this week I saw only three cubs and no vixens. I believe one vixen has moved home. Towards the end of the week, only one cub remained by the den. I believe the other two cubs have begun to explore a larger area. Last year, they were often seen sleeping under the willow trees. There are also many other large holes on this side of the earth mound and the other sides of the mound.

I am eager to receive my new camera trap. The model I ordered is currently on back order, but I am hopeful that it will arrive soon. In the meantime, I will continue to monitor the fox cubs with my current camera.

I am also pleased to report that the rabbits have returned to the area. They were seen exploring the fox den several times this week. I believe the cubs are not a threat to the rabbits. Too small, or ignorant, to hunt?

Posted in Buckinghamshire, Kingswood, wildlife | Tagged Blackbird, Fox, Fox Cubs, greenfinch, Rabbit | Leave a reply

Two Fox Cubs show themselves

Blasdale Home Posted on April 26, 2023 by SteveApril 26, 2023

We have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of this year’s fox cubs, and on the 25th of April we were delighted to catch a glimpse of one cub. The little furball popped out of the den for a few seconds, curious about the world above ground. The next day, we saw two cubs emerge for several minutes, stumbling around on their tiny paws. The video shows how the vixen visits the den regularly to feed her babies. You can also see how the rabbits seem oblivious to the danger lurking nearby. This could prove fatal for them; the previous video shows a fox carrying a rabbit back to its family.

Fox cubs are born blind and deaf, with dark grey fur and floppy ears. They weigh only about 100g at birth. Their eyes open after two weeks and change colour from blue to amber after a month2. Their red fur starts to appear on their face and their muzzle turns white as they grow older. By six to eight weeks, they are weaned from their mother and start to explore outside the den. They are incredibly smart and have a keen sense of sight, hearing, and smell. They are also very adaptable and can survive in a wide range of habitats, from woodland to urban areas. Foxes are social animals and live in loose family groups, sometimes helping each other to raise the next generation.

Posted in Kingswood, wildlife | Tagged Fox, Fox Cubs | Leave a reply

Fox, Badger, Muntjac, Magpie and Rabbits living in harmony

Blasdale Home Posted on April 18, 2023 by SteveApril 18, 2023

A couple of videos of our foxes from Christmas until April. We believe these are the same two foxes starring throughout both videos. The Fox with the bushy tail is a dog fox, while the fox with the skinny tail is the vixen.

Hopefully the next video will be some fox cubs. Now the sun is out, I am assuming they will be venturing out from their den.

Foxes at Christmas
Foxes from January to April
Posted in Kingswood, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tagged Badger, Fox, Magpie, Muntjac, Rabbit | Leave a reply

Rabbit Spring Cleaning

Blasdale Home Posted on April 14, 2023 by SteveApril 14, 2023

We have several rabbit holes under and through the compost heap. Often, they get taken over by foxes and badgers. Here is a video of one rabbit digging some earth out of its burrow. Instead of digging and scattering the dirt into a mound behind itself, this rabbit also pushes the soil forwards using its front paws, spreading it out into a low flat low layer. Very neat. It worked alone over a couple of days. Starting just before sunset on January 28th, and then over a period of 40 minutes on the morning of the 29th. It was amazingly neat. Finally in the last minutes of digging, a Redwing bird comes and helps out.

Posted in Kingswood, wildlife | Tagged Rabbit, Rabbit Hole, Redwing | Leave a reply

Post navigation

← Older posts
©2023 - Blasdale Home Privacy Policy
↑