Length: 24.2 km (15.0 mi) [or 5.5 km shorter with
the pm shortcut]
Ascent/Descent: 320m
Net Walking Time: ca. 5 ½ hours
Toughness: 5 out of 10
Sunset: 16.08
Light for walking: until 16.40, with the last
stretch being along the canal side path…
Take the 09.37 Paignton train from Paddington
(10.02 Reading), change at Newbury onto the Bedwyn service (10.16/10.22),
arrives Kintbury 10.29.
Return trains: 15.10,
15.29, 16.01, 17.06, 18.15, 19.06…
Woods and pastures, with largely gentle gradients, then
climb up to Inkpen Hill (290m). Head east along the ridge to the slightly
higher Walbury Hill (297m), the highest in south east England. Descend towards
Inkpen Common passing the Crown and Garter pub on the way. On via Hampstead
Marshall, passing Hamstead Park and its picturesque church to The Kennet and
Avon Canal, which it follows back to Kintbury.
Shortcuts: As above as far as Inkpen Common, then cuts out the
loop via Hamstead Park and the Canal.
Lunch: The Crown & Garter in Inkpen
Common (14.1 km, food to 14.30). [The White Hart in Hamstead
Marshall seems to be ‘hibernating’.]
For walk directions, map, height
profile, some photos, a video and gpx/kml files click here. T=2.9.a
1 comment:
7 off the train, incl. 1 first-timer, with soon enough an n=8 th person shouting across from the car park to make sure we waited for her (her first SWC group walk in years). There was plenty of standing water in fields and on paths and quite a bit of mud as well, but nothing that hindered progress much. On and slowly up we went towards the looming ridge line, with only the last bit a steep ascent. The views across the nicely undulating landscape were of course magnificent, on this w=dry-and-sunny day, following plenty of hard rain over the last weeks. The weather had brought out loads of locals as well, donning their wellies, some in rather large groups. Good to see.
We got to the Crown & Garter around 13.40 hours, and 6 of us had a meal, with the picnickers re-joining for a pudding and a tea or coffee. After 85 minutes or so, we finally departed. What a fine pub!
2 then took the shortcut, 6 the norm route. Sun set as we passed Hamstead Park, producing fine pink/orangey clouds (what clouds there were) in our back, and also a nicely pink-tinged sky ahead. We reached the Kennet and Avon-Canal's towpath around 16.40 hours, by which time it should have been very dark indeed. But it wasn't. With our very own Stargazer gone awol, I had unbeknowingly converted into a moonlight walk poster: La Luna was nearly full and beaming down from behind, so we were in fact following our own moon light shadow for the final 4 km! No headtorches needed.
An owl could be heard away to the right in the river meadows, geese were flying overhead, other geese were knattering away in the meadows to the right, a few houseboats were passed (some with signs of life inside) and almost too soon we reached Kintbury's Dundas Arms. We had 45 minutes to the 18.15 train, so paid/had to pay a concluding pub visit. Glorious day, route and company.
The only not-so-perfect bit: the three-legged return journey to Paddington.
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