Photos from walk on Thursday 31st October from Goring

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The Grotto in the mist

 

Read more about the Grotto from when we walked this way in September 2023.

 

Gatehampton Bridge

 

One of two Brunel brick bridges to carry the railway line across the meandering River Thames in the Goring Gap – the other being the Moulsford Viaduct. Pillboxes sit on opposite banks of the River Thames – in the event of enemy invasion, the railway bridge would have been destroyed. These pillboxes were part of the ‘General Headquarters (GHQ) red line’ designed to delay German invasion heading up from the south coast. This area is also where archaeologists have found evidence to suggest people during the Upper Palaeolithic period hunted animals at this river crossing point which acted as a natural pinchpoint. [source]

 

One of the higher bridges on the mid and upper Thames, Gatehampton is a grade II listed structure and is little altered from its original design. Carrying trains on the GWR line, the Brunel designed bridge dates back in part to 1838, with a later addition due to expansion of the railway in the 1890s The bridge is formed of two viaducts.

 

 

 

It was misty climbing the hill at Hartslock Reserve.

 

The view had to be imagined

 

Near the end there was a hint of sunshine.

 

 

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In Great Chalk Wood, maple leaves (I think)

 

and beech leaves

 

Mossy fence post

 

White dead-nettle flower Lamium album.

 

Right at the start in Goring there was this: Maple Leaf Gall mite (Aceria macrochela)

 

“On the upper side of field maple leaves are found up to 2 mm long, round, pale green, fine hairy galls. They usually occur in groups of 10–20. They are located on veinlets. 2–4 of them are almost always located at the juncture of the leaf stem and blade. Acer campestre (Field maple) is a preferable host of this species, which can sporadically occur on other maple species as well.”

 

Barbed wire, spiders web and water droplets

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