Regional Route 44 (South-east region)

Yesterday I rode Regional Route 44 from Didcot to Wantage in south Oxfordshire. The weather was cloudy but dry, with some snow still lying about in sheltered areas, from the fall of two weeks ago. The route is extremely well signed over its whole length, with the exception of the last kilometre or so through Wantage, where it is non-existent (fortunately, however, it is shown on the OS map – Landranger 174). From Didcot to Upton the route, which follows the trackbed of an old railway line, is tarmacked and there are eight wooden sculptures, mostly in the form of seats of different shapes, sizes and themes on the way. At Upton the route follows ordinary roads and, leaving the village, I passed by a house that was clearly a railway station once upon a time - in a road now named Beeching Close! The trail became traffic-free for a while, crossed the busy A34 and ran alongside the UKAEA research establishment at Harwell. Then a mixture of traffic-free paths and minor roads, past fields and through woods, until I reached the pretty village of East Lockinge. This is racehorse training country and at West Lockinge there is a bronze statue of the three-time winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Best Mate. Eventually, I arrived at Wantage, birthplace of King Alfred the Great, whose 19th century statue stands in the market square at the center of the town. An interesting ride of 19 km, with only a few hills.