Length: 15.9 km (9.9 miles) 3/10
This walk seems to be a bit neglected but undeservedly so, as it includes remains of a Roman town, a 12th century church, a pub by a village green, beautiful pine forest and a nice canal-side tearoom finish.
Travel: 1107 from Reading to Mortimer arriving 1120. The 1028 from Paddington gives 15 minutes for the change at Reading, or if you want to get the Elizabeth line you'll have to leave Paddington at 0948 (Ealing Broadway 0956). Return trains from Aldermaston are hourly at about 17 past.
Buy a day return to Mortimer. In practice this is usually accepted on the return journey, but you might be required to buy a single from Aldermaston (or Theale) to Reading. Freedom Pass holders will know you can use your pass to Reading on the Elizabeth line - then you will just need singles to Mortimer and from Aldermaston.
Lunch: The suggested lunch stop is the Calleva Arms (tel. 0118 970 0305) on Silchester Common, some 6.5 km into the walk. Food is served 12noon–2.30pm, Monday to Friday, 12noon-8pm on Saturday, and 12noon to 4pm on Sunday. Staff appreciate having advance warning of groups.
Tea: The suggested tea place is the tea room at the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust Information Centre (tel. 0118 971 2868) at Aldermaston Wharf; it is usually open until 6pm. It serves a good selection of cakes and snacks.
Longer walk options: Sorry there is no shortcut on this walk! You can extend it by carrying on along the canal to Woolhampton Bridge, near Midgham station (2 miles) or Theale (nearly 4 miles). The walk page mentions possible pub stops at both these stations.
For walk directions, map and GPX click here
T=1.33
2 comments:
N=10 on a day that w=started-cloudy-turned-sunny
A brisk pace was set. I stopped to tie my shoe and fshoom! gone. Don’t worry though, readers, they caught me up later near Calleva amphitheatre.
3 went in the Calleva Arms, 2 ate, 1 drank. Food ample. The others picnicked and went ahead.
Later some of us took the ‘reinstated’ footpath round the quarry, which I don’t think is as reinstated as it used to be. It sort of works but you wouldn’t want to take a doddery old gentleman along there. Not with all the badger holes and hanging brambles. Talking of which, the walk was festooned with luscious flavoursome blackberries, into which my purple fingered friends made impressive inroads. I tried a few. Mmmm!
The ahead people visited the wharf tearoom. I and the purple fingered ones did not have time. Everyone reconvened on the platform for the 16:17
Geography notes - although most of the walk was in Berkshire, Calleva and Silchester are in Hampshire. I'm grateful that nobody picked me up on this error.
Just before Calleva we saw signs saying we were on the Camino Ingles. It turns out we were on the newly signposted St James' Way which goes from Reading to Southampton via Basingstoke and Winchester. See https://britishpilgrimage.org/portfolio/st-james-way/ for an explanation.
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