Could this be the perfect winter jaunt? We think so!
You know us, we love a walk, playground and pub all packaged up in one delightful loop. And we love sharing it with you even more!
The pub: Hidden in the hamlet of Hailey, deep in the South Oxfordshire Chilterns is a pub – The King William – which is about as country pub as you can get: roaring fire, stone floors and locals propping up the bar ready to share stories. But it’s the views that steal the show. Utterly stunning, and with benches that span the front of the pub and across the road there is enough room for everyone. This is the starting point for the circular walk of dreams.
The walk: The short circular around Hailey and the village of Ipsden is only 3.9k and it took us about an hour and a half at a moderate pace. We stomped through fields, village lanes, bridleways and tracks and enjoyed the wide ranging views. We followed this route on the All Trails website (free to sign up) and it is very easy to navigate. There are lots of points of interest along the way including a playground in Ipsden Village and War Memorial dedicated to the people of the village
The playground: We didn’t actually go into the playground which is in Ipsden Village opposite the Old Vicarage (it looks like a gate to a field) as I was worried about it getting dark but I did have a peek and it has lots of play equipment in a big field including swings, a roundabout, a slide, climbing wall, rope ladder and chain ladder. Check out the Ipsden Village website with pictures of the playground here.
We returned to the pub red-cheeked and treated ourselves to lemonades, bowls of chips and a kickabout on the grass, there is a goal and a football for all to use. Also, for those with four legged friends, this pub and walk is for you too. I think we may have seen more dogs than people!
For more pub and walk combos visit the Brakespear website.
