Length: 27.0 km (16.8 mi) [shorter walk possible, see
below]
Ascent/Descent: 380m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness: 6 out of 10
Take the 08.35 Exter St. David’s train from
Paddington (09.02 Reading, 09.18 Newbury , 09.27
Hungerford), arriving Pewsey at 09.39.
Return trains: 15.07 (65 mins), 17.06 (64 mins), 19.23
(62 mins) or 20.44 (56 mins).
Split Tickets and Network Railcard: the first two return trains stop in Reading, Newbury and Hungerford, the
third one in Reading and Newbury, and the last one just in Reading, so split your tickets accordingly, especially if travelling with a Network Railcard
(which is valid to Hungerford but not Pewsey).
Exhilarating excursion through the solitude of the
Vale of Pewsey, which separates the chalk upland of the North Wessex Downs to
the north from that of Salisbury Plain to the south, including an ascent up the
southerly hill chain of the Marlborough Downs, from where there are stunning
far views in all directions over this land of wave-like hills, with its scarps,
ridges and valleys. It is a mysterious landscape, full of pre-historic
earthworks and hillforts as well as barrows – burial mounds of kings and warriors.
After a scenic descent back into the Vale of Pewsey, your tea options
are in the hamlet of Honeystreet. Finally, an undemanding stretch along
the Kennet & Avon Canal leads back to Pewsey.
Two Shortcuts on the Downs are possible; they reduce the walk by 3.5 km (2.1 mi) or 3.4 km (2.1 mi)
respectively. See route map and pdf for details.
Lunch: Picnic
Tea: Honeystreet Mill Café in Honeystreet
(19.6 km/12.2 mi, open to 17.00 last time we went), or The Barge
Inn (20.0 km, open all day), also in Honeystreet, plus
one other en route and several others in Pewsey; check the walk
directions pdf.
For summary, walk directions, map, height
profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here.t=swc.127
1 comment:
The forecast was for 100% risk of precipitation in every single timeslot during the day. That's not what we got though. N=5 off the delayed by 10 minutes train started the walk with a few droplets falling from the grey skies for a few minutes then it was dry for almost 3 hours, when spray started to hit us from behind with the strong wind. Nobody paid much attention (i.e. waterproof trousers stayed in the backpacks). That was daft.
The spray turned into rain and when we skirted around Milk Hill and turned into the wind, it was too late: wet trousers all around. Silbury Hill had been visible and Avebury was guessable, now though a long dark cloud passed and for an hour or so it was very wet. Because of the wind on the ridge we had decided to not picnic and walk on to Honeystreet, where we entered the café just before 2. Wall mounted heaters, an oven, hot soup, warm tarts , pots of tea, cups of coffee or hot chocolate, we had it all.
One had a need to be back in London early and wanted the 15.05 train, ready to order a taxi for pickup at the café, but he was advised to switch to the Avebury walk's ending off the ridge at Walker's Hill and cut off 3 km or so instead. He did that and made the train.
Us remaining 4 left the café some time after 3, encountered a heron on the towpath just a few metres away and then had half an hour in the Waterfront and easily made the 17.06.
Side note: my first walk where the majority of walkers wore Vivo boots. None of them kept dry feet.
W=dry-then-wet-then-dry-always-windy
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