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Last part of the Red Line

By Bill Nicholls

After a failed attempt the previous week due to a flat battery on my camera I set out for Buscot again only this time with a full battery and a back up camera checked before the journey. I was impressed by the village the previous week so took a few photos before setting off on my trek SU2397 : Buscot Village by Bill Nicholls SU2397 : Buscot Village Shop by Bill Nicholls. It was then off towards the lock for some photos of the weir pool SU2298 : Looking towards the weir by Bill Nicholls before heading off to the Church of St John’s which was along a rather overgrown footpath SU2298 : Lych gate at Buscot Church by Bill Nicholls SU2298 : St Mary the Virgin Buscot by Bill Nicholls. I had hoped there would be a pillbox nearby as shown on my map but it was not to be. Still I was pleased to find a benchmark SU2298 : Benchmark on St Mary the Virgin by Bill Nicholls and the Church open so went inside for a few photos. One thing I noticed straight away was a Stained glass window SU2298 : Looks familiar by Bill Nicholls I has seen in another church only slightly different colours. The Buscot one was to celebrate the victory in the first war (there are no winners only losers) where as the other I’d seen was a memorial to the loss of a parish SU2298 : Path to the porch by Bill Nicholls. After taking my pictures in the church and churchyard it was off back to the river though I stopped off on the way back having noticed something on the other side of the stream in the Thames Water grounds, the unmistakeable shape of a pillbox, I’d found the one I was looking for SU2298 : Pillbox through the trees by Bill Nicholls.
On getting back to the lock SU2398 : Along Buscot Lock by Bill Nicholls I found the Thames Water Plant was for sale and planning had been submitted so as luck had it I spotted the lock keeper talking with a person who it turned out was the new owner, the place was to become a boat yard and he was happy for me to come back and view the pillbox at a later date. I just need to email him nearer the time when the weeds have died down. I stopped and watched a boat come into the lock and the person steering it making a pig’s ear of the attempt and wondered if they just had the boat on hire. I left them and went on my way.
From the lock it was off downstream to the first pillbox which looked in good condition SU2398 : Back of a type 22 by Bill Nicholls. I had noticed a person coming out of the place so at first feared the worse turned out they were looking at it like me. The Pillbox had a number SU2398 : Number 151 by Bill Nicholls which is rare they tend to be gone most of the time. From here it was off along the path to the next which soon turned up just back from the river SU2398 : Downstream side by Bill Nicholls. Again another number was to be found, though there was some erosion on the roof line. Once done it was time to double back along a shorter route cutting out the bends SU2398 : Photo of the bend by Bill Nicholls. Some more photos were taken at the lock of the boats and a few more of the Thames water plant SU2298 : The Main Plant House by Bill Nicholls over the river and along the bank one of the many bends in that area SU2298 : Panoramic bend by Bill Nicholls. Finally the pillbox I’d been looking for at Buscot which is quite well documented as it is full of holes SU2298 : A bit beaten up by Bill Nicholls. My personal view is that it was used to test out munitions prior to D Day as the holes seem to enlarge on the inside as if they had exploded on the way in SU2298 : More of the damage by Bill Nicholls. The inside was full of rubble. Once I had finished there I went back to the car to drive round to St John's Bridge SU2299 : Looking over St Johns Bridge by Bill Nicholls near Lechlade where, after finding another two benchmarks SU2299 : Cut Mark on St John's Bridge by Bill Nicholls, some photos of the lock and Old Father Thames SU2299 : He's got a shovel by Bill Nicholls it was off along the bank to take in the last pillbox SU2199 : Closer shot of the pillbox by Bill Nicholls. This I could see was going to lose its corner from erosion in the near future but as it was on the opposite side of the river I would be returning in a few months to check it out again.
It was time to go home but on the way I stopped off at Eaton Hasting to get some photos of the war memorial SU2596 : Cottages at Eaton Hastings by Bill Nicholls and the church SU2698 : St Michael Eaton Hastings by Bill Nicholls plus another benchmarkSU2698 : St Michaels Benchmark by Bill Nicholls. I had one more place to visit and that was my favourite pillbox at the Rose revived but time was running out so I postponed it for a later day only to find out late in the week it had finally slipped in the river SP4001 : Pillbox in the water by Bill Nicholls. A good day, in which the photos I took brought my tally to over 20,000 on Geograph. Now where to go next?
My Geotrip can be seen here LinkExternal link


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Wed, 15 Aug 2012 at 16:12
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