15.9 km 9.9 miles Difficulty 3/10
A walk visiting Silchester with its ancient church, Roman city walls and amphitheatre.
Trains: Get the 10:03 Newbury train from Paddington changing at Reading onto the 10:37 Basingstoke train arriving Mortimer 10:50. Get a return to Mortimer. (In practice this is usually accepted on the return journey, but you might be required to buy a single from Aldermaston to Reading).
A Freedom Pass is valid as far as Reading on the Elizabeth Line (Bond St 9:13, Paddington 9:17, Ealing Broadway 9:26). Arrive Reading 10:12 and, get the same Basingstoke train. You would need tickets onward from, and back to Reading.
Return from Aldermaston at xx:26, changing again at Reading.
Lunch The Calleva Arms, Silchester (tel. 0118 970 0305) booking advised.
Tea: if you make Aldermaston early enough, there's the Canal Trust café. It closes at 4.
Otherwise, there's the Butt Inn .
Directions: here t=1.33
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Six walkers, in search of a walk of moderate length, assembled at the designated station. The weather was glorious - crisp air, blue skies, a breeze (sometimes strong), and not a drop of water in the air. Spirits were high and we set a good pace.
We stopped briefly to admire the ancient Roman amphitheatre - or whatever was left of it - and the Roman city walls around Silchester (or Calleva Atrebatum back then). We crossed the gate, debating whether we were barbarians at the gate or already respectable citizens. Opinions were divided.
We marched on until we reached the lunch stop, where two opted sensibly for sandwiches and four went to the pub.
This proved to be a tactical miscalculation.
We found ourselves behind a large group of art lovers enjoying their very delayed Christmas lunch (no reasons were given for the delay). Hoping for speedy service, we ordered toasties, only to discover that the pub owned only one toastie machine. This altered the timetable even more
When lunch eventually arrived, it was consumed quickly. One pint order turned into three due to miscommunication, but only one was sent back.
Hazed by beer (not all, mind you, and definitely not your rapporteur) we marched on. While conditions above ground remained glorious, the terrain underfoot was stuck in winter mood. The ground was soaked and muddy from accumulated winter rains. We improvised in several places, searching for marginally less awful options One walker, sensibly wearing rubber boots, had unfair advantage
Fortunately, the two sandwich eaters, walking well ahead, warned the four lunch eaters of a flooded path and an impassable bridge. That’s a proper walker spirit. .
We rerouted through Padworth College grounds, bravely following the public right of way despite signs warning of police dogs in training. We trusted that the dogs would be trained enough to recognise four respectable citizens walking on the public path. Luckily, the dogs had the weekend off.
We crossed the overflowing river via a proper bridge and then proceeded along the canal path towards Aldermaston station, where we waited for the 17:26 train, one hour behind the sandwich eaters
Along the way we observed red kites circling overhead, deer moving gracefully through the flooded meadows and common, and several rabbits darting across the paths.
Overall, a very fine day out, though with slightly more adventure than advertised
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