A Walk into Badbury

An invitation to a barbecue at The Bakers Arms, Badbury to celebrate a 25th wedding anniversary provided an ideal opportunity to walk there, especially since the day was glorious, and the event from 2-7pm.
Taking photographs along the way, Coate Water was the first place I photographed, it looked glorious in the afternoon sun..

 I like this one above because it's the first glimpse of the water from Broome Manor Lane, the ones below are taken from walking beside the lake towards the heronry

 I like the one below because you can just about see the water

 and in this one the clouds are reflected in the water

 From the top of the lake, we turned right towards the M4, the bridge over the motorway looked majestic in the sunshine:

 The land beside the bridge is a haven for wildlife, being left entirely to its own devices for years

 Once across the motorway, we took the track to Chiseldon, walked through the lower part of the village, and emerged beside this lovely thatched cottage and followed a sign to Butts Lane

and then across the main road, and along until we reached Badbury, past this garden, seen below, with brightly coloured flowers and at the back of the garden there's a raised section of ground which could have been a canal or a railway line. I have searched the history of Chiseldon and found the following:
'The railway line between Swindon and Andover was opened in 1881 and cut right through the centre of the village where there was a station. A halt for Chiseldon Camp  was opened in 1930. The railway was closed in 1961 and in 1967 the line through Chiseldon had been pulled up and the station was derelict.'

 Not much further along the road, The Baker's Arms came into view and we went into the 'Secret Garden' where we spent a pleasant afternoon before walking back home.