Jewels of colour jump out to us from meadow floor and river bed

WE walk in Elysian fields. Have the Gods sent us here for a brief while? The sky is cloudless and blue, the ground full of grasses, flowers, bees, and butterflies. What could ever surpass this? Down a steep slope and beyond a line of trees the River Thames flows, glittering and rippling under the summer sun, silent to us, far down below, eternal, welcoming and full of grace.

On the far bank close to the enchanting village of Hambleden the land rises dramatically, culminating in a tall forest in Ridge Wood crowned by giant sequoia or wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron giganteum).

It is a standout day, a welcome one, too, after the recent, near unbearable heat. It is a godsend to venture forth after such torment to stroll, skip and explore.

Having parked outside the Flower Pot Inn at Aston, on the Berkshire side of the river, we make our way along a public footpath that leads all the way towards Culham Court and on to Medmenham on the opposite bank.

I have to say that this is a beautiful part of the world. Is there any part of southern England with which to compare? I think not. Only my wife’s presence tells me that I’m not dreaming. We have not set foot here for many a month but what a reward it is.

As we make our way along a track alongside Holme Farm, I spot a small colony of green-flowered helleborine (Epipactis phyllanthes) to our right. We count seven of them, there are surely more. A national rarity and a very uncommon plant in this part of the world. I know it from the Warburg Reserve at Bix Bottom and Lambridge Wood near Henley and Clayhill Wood near Stoke Row. I’m surprised but delighted to find it here in Berkshire. I believe that it is an often overlooked, inconspicuous plant but then I have the “eye” for orchids. Flowering finished, they are fruiting. I believe that they self-pollinate. A good sign of the health of the land and a totally unexpected find. Whatever next?

Close by and over an old iron fence we admire the tall, yellow-flowered spikes of dark mullein (Verbascum nigrum) and the fragrant pink flowers of wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare). A small golden scaly male-fern (Dryopteris affinis) asserts itself in the daytime glow.

We pass through a wooden gate and the open grassland is spectacular and blooming with wildflowers. What we see is something quite extraordinary.

Quaking-grass (Briza media), with its distinctive white spikelets, locally common and largely limited to calcareous soils abounds. It is an attractive, dainty species. The flowers that mingle with the wide variety of other grasses is out of this world.

Hairy-stemmed field scabious (Knautia arvensis) with its bluish violet flowering heads makes a statement. Spear thistles (Cirsium vulgare) nod. A pyramidal orchid is spent, turning a deep shade of purple.

Wild carrot with its dense white umbels is an attraction for a wide variety of insects. Wild parsnip with its yellow umbels is a major draw, too.

Lady’s bedstraw, yellow and fragrant, creeps surreptitiously through the swaying grassland. Much maligned ragwort is visited by determined honeybees in great numbers. Greater knapweed with its purple disc florets stands proud.

Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense) and common knapweed (Centauria nigra) with their pink and purple flowers adorn our path.

Open-clustered yellow flowers of nipplewort (Lapsana communis) are widespread, as is sainfoin (Onobrychis vicifolia), a member of the pea family, with its pink red-veined flowers. Once cultivated, no one is sure whether it is a native, but it fits into the landscape.

Other, typical wild plants native to the area are also present. Perforate St John’s-wort (Hypericum perforatum) with its small yellow flowers is always a cheering plant, once again an insect magnet.

Yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) has passed its peak a little early. A semi-parasite of other plant’s roots it is most attractive when in flower. We gather some seeds to take home to see if anything happens.

A scary looking, red-eyed flesh fly, with a black-striped thorax (Sarcophaga carnaria), stares at me from a wild carrot. It gives me the creeps. Its name does it no favour.

Pink and white flowered field bindweed (Convulvulus arvensis), ox-eye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare), yellow hawkweeds (Heiracium agg) and blue meadow crane’s-bill (Geranium pratense) add to the colour below our feet. It is all quite a spectacle.

I have only one problem and that is that a large area has been mown. It seems somewhat silly as it was home to a rather large community of pyramidal orchids. I don’t see the sense at all.

We head back to the pub to take a hearty, generously proportioned lunch served by Johnny and Giles and, as ever, jolly good it is, too. Tony Read, the landlord of some 30 years, informs us that he and Pat Thatcher will be retiring in October — a great shame. I wonder what Brakspear’s plans are for the premises, with its unsurpassed collection of stuffed fish in their wonderfully constructed glass display cases, the somewhat menacing heads of wild boar and numerous other taxidermic curiosities? I imagine that the cheeky African grey parrot Paddy will move with them.

Tony and Pat own a house only yards away so we can keep in touch and visit them which is a great relief. Not all lost then.

Before departing for home, we take a walk down Ferry Lane towards the river. It is verdant, full of osiers (Salix viminalis) to our left. A little stream runs aside gin-clear. For a brief while, I stand and stare at the sand and gravels that shine like little jewels below pristine water.

As we approach our car Pat pops out to show us both footage of a great spotted woodpecker feeding one of its young taken on her mobile phone. A lovely sequence.

We promise to return as much as possible over the next few months. Rosemary and I had our first drink together here after our first excursion. For me, an everlasting memory.

vincent.ruane@hotmail.com