Taking a Tuesday off from work we again looked to combine flying and walking, originally we had attempted to fly to Llanbedr, where there is a nature reserve between the airfield and the coast, unfortunately we could not arrange PPR at Llanbedr in time and so looked for an airfield that was in a nice location with footpaths nearby.
Having had a look around we found Oaksey Park airfield in the Cotswolds and planned both the flight and a walk in the local area.
An early departure for us saw a pleasant relaxed flight down to the west of Birmingham’s Zone and avoiding Kemble airfield, located just to the North of Oaksey Park we joined downwind for runway 04.
After arriving we booked in, paid our landing fees and changed into our walking shoes.
The walk away from the airfield follows the farm lane through an avenue of trees and well cut lawn.
About 150 meters past the gates to Park Farm take the footpath on the right, across a field, turning slightly left in the next field to cross this at an angle, into the next field turn right and head along the fence continuing once the fence turns sharply right. Cross the next field and then turn left to follow the field boundary towards the village church.
Once past the church turn left and follow the road, just before the Post Office a lane comes off to the right and there is a small public garden/play area at this junction. Head up this lane all the way to the end and continue straight ahead along the path along a couple of field edges.
As you enter the field with the wood at the end head slightly right heading for the far right corner of the wood, on reaching the corner turn right and follow the field edge passing through the far hedge. Turn right here and follow the right side of the next fields, until you arrive at the road, which you can follow into Oaksey village where you turn right and head back to the Post Office, turning left into ‘The Green’ which heads back to the airfield.
This was a pleasant walk taking in a lovely Cotswold Village, and surprisingly a deer park. A number of the fields did have cattle in them, which fortunately for us did stay away from our path.
Oaksey Park is a wonderfully kept grass airfield with a fair amount of activity, runway 04 was smooth and well kept, with a £10 landing fee for a C172, and was welcoming both on the phone for PPR and following our arrival. Somewhere I would visit again.
For the return flight, we departed Oaksey Park's runway 04, with a slight turn to the right for noise abatement and then headed north towards Daventry to pass to the east of Birmingham's Zone.
