Length: 13.6 km (8.5 miles) Circa 7 miles if short cuts taken - recommended today. Options to go longer
Toughness: 4 out of 10
Either
London Paddington: 10-50 hrs Great Western service to Worcester Shrub Hill Does NOT stop at Ealing B'Way
Arrive Reading: 11-16 hrs Change trains
Leave Reading: 11-26 hrs Great Western service to Didcot Parkway - as below
Arrive Pangbourne: 11-34 hrs
or
London Paddington: 10-27 hrs Great Western service to Didcot Parkway Ealing B'Way: 10-35 hrs Reading: arrive 11-16, leave 11-26 hrs (stay on same train)
Arrive Pangbourne: 11-34 hrs
or
London Paddington: 10-13 hrs TFL Rail service to Reading Ealing B'Way: 10-22 hrs
Arrive Reading: 11-13 hrs Change trains
Leave Reading: 11-26 hrs Great Western service to Didcot Parkway - as above
Arrive Pangbourne: 11-34 hrs
Return
Pangbourne to London Paddington: 15-22, 16-22, 17-22, 18-18, 19-18, 19-48 hrs and so on
Rail ticket
Those travelling on Great Western services out of Paddington should buy a day return to Pangbourne - from the edge of whatever travel card you have. Seniors with London Councils Freedom Passes may travel on TFL Rail services from Paddington as far as Reading for "free". From Reading you will need to purchase a day return from Reading to Pangbourne.
An opportunity for a mid-week lie in, and a late start, as the suggestion today is to do the circa 7 mile version of the walk in one go, stopping afterwards for a late lunch or early tea in Whitchurch or Pangbourne. For those booked to attend this evening's Christmas social in Kew Gardens, you should be back in London in good time to attend this function.
Leaving Pangbourne we cross a road toll bridge over the River Thames and walk up through Whitchurch, before taking a bridleway through Coombe Park then up above the River Thames, with fine views of the Thames Valley below. On then over the chalk grasslands of Hartslock Nature Reserve and on to Great Chalk Wood. We now (suggestion) take the shortcut to Coldharbour, and down through light woodland to Beech Farm, before returning to Whitchurch then Pangbourne, for a late lunch or early tea in either. Please see the Walk Direction for the lunch and tea options.
If today's leg-stretcher of a walk through pleasant countryside with fine views of the River Thames is not long enough, you could omit the suggested short cut and do the full walk, or - when back in Pangbourne - you could continue along the Thames tow path in an easterly direction to Tilehurst, or in a westerly direction to Goring. Both extensions are approx. 3.5 miles in length.
T=1.4
Walk Directions are here: L=1.4
1 comment:
Reference turnout, back to mid-week normality today. Instead of recent week's excellent and welcomed attendance of 20 plus, we numbered just n=7 for today's leg-stretcher. The weather forecast was almost correct for once: w=sunny-spells-with-a-light-chilly-wind, but the occasional showers never materialised, and we enjoyed very good conditions for our walk.
The leg above the Thames in the morning was lovely, with fine views of the Thames Valley. After the climb into Hartslock Nature Reserve we "lost" one of our group - who sped ahead as the rest of us enjoyed snacks whilst admiring the view from the Reserve's hilltop. I believe he had a ticket for this evening's social in Kew Gardens - as did one other in our group, who took the shortcut to Coldharbour.: we met her later, briefly in the Greyhound Inn just before she set out for the railway station for the 15-22 hrs service.
3 in our group kindly agreed to accompany me on the main walk, which I was book checking. That left our resident "Rear Gunner" who today gamely looked after the back of our column: I believe he was meeting his family late afternoon so he probably also took the short cut and should have been in time to catch the 15-22 hrs train from Pangbourne.
A few paths were muddy but in the main conditions under foot were good all day and we all enjoyed the walk, which we did in one go without a lunch stop.
Arriving back in Whitchurch just before 3 pm, the four of us spent a delightful hour in the warmth of the cosy Greyhound Inn, where we had snacks and drinks to accompany good conservation. The 16-22 hrs train was on time, and we opted not to switch to a fast train at Reading, but stayed on the semi-fast stopping service back to London.
This walk made for a good winter's leg-stretcher - another most pleasant SWC mid-week day out.
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