Spring is here! And so to Oxfordshire

With plenty of sunshine and good temperatures predicted, it was time to get out and about. I hopped on a bus and headed into the Vale of Oxford to one of my favourite places. It didn't let me down.

The Wittenham Clumps are three chalk hills near Wallingford, about 8 miles south of Oxford. The hills are each topped by a clump of trees and one of them is an ancient hill fort with a pronounced ramp and ditch fortification. From the top, you look across the beautiful Vale of Oxford, with the Chilterns stretching across the horizon to the east, the Berkshire Downs to the west and Oxford to the north. Didcot Power Station also sits large in the foreground - not ugly, but adding some character to the scene.

It is beautiful walking country. The slopes were populated with buzzards, riding the thermals and gliding gracefully in circles just a few metres above my head. Occasionally they would swoop down onto the grassy banks aiming at whatever small mammals live on the ground. It was still a little hazy today - it was not possible to make out Oxford, but the picture-postcard village of Dorchester-on-Thames was well within view just a mile or so away, on the far bank of the River Thames.

The walk to Dorchester takes you across the Thames at Days Lock, beyond the water meadows and ancient dykes, and on towards the 12th century abbey (above). The village boasts more pubs and eateries than one might expect in such a small place and the Fleur-De-Lys happily furnished me with half a pint of Stowford Press cider (though they expected some money in return). Then it was on to Oxford - fighting my way through the tourist-packed streets - before returning to good old Reading.

A little slice of heaven and it is just 10 miles from here on a bus. If you're ever in the area, give it a go. Or better still - ask me to take you there. Lovely!