Length:
26.1 km (16.2 mi) [shortcuts
possible, see below]
Ascent/Descent:
444 m
Net
Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness:
8 out of 10
Take
the 10.57 Plymouth train from Paddington (11.33 Reading), arriving Pewsey at 12.02
Only
just missed the 10.57? Take the 11.00 Bristol Temple
Meads train to Reading (arr. 12.26) and change there…
Return
trains:
17.12 (80 mins), 19.29 (82
mins) or 21.22 (90 mins)
Buy a Pewsey return (the full price is
£37.20, but it's cheaper if you buy separate
return tickets London-Reading and Reading-Pewsey)!! And as Pewsey is just outside the Network Southeast Area: if you are using a Network Railcard,
buy a discounted London-Reading return and an off-peak Reading-Pewsey
return, which saves you £10.30 vs the full price!! Split tickets can not be bought at the machines in the station, only online or at the ticket counter.
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, tea options exist in the hamlet
of Honeystreet. Finally, an undemanding stretch along the Kennet & Avon
Canal leads back to Pewsey.
Note 1: this is not SWC 255 Pewsey Circular (via Avebury), there
are no standing stones on this walk.
Note 2: there is no lunch pub en route with this late
start, so prepare for picnic on the Downs, then tea in Honeystreet and/or
Pewsey.
Two Shortcuts are
possible:
they reduce the walk by 3.5 km (2.1 mi) or 3.4 km (2.1 mi) and the rating to
6/10; or to 5/10 when walking both Shortcuts (19.2 km/305m
height gain).
For the walk directions click here. For
a map, a height profile, gpx/kml files, and some photos click here.
The en route cafe is The
Honeystreet Cafe (18.8 km/11.7 mi), 4 mins away is The Barge Inn (19.2
km/12.0 mi), it markets itself as ‘Crop Circle Central’ and attracts plenty of
folk that are interested in all things otherworldly (plus some weary walkers).
The pub has re-opened on April 21 after a Mgmt change and a subsequent lengthy
refurb.
For the tea and dinner options in Pewsey check page 2 of the walk directions pdf.
For the tea and dinner options in Pewsey check page 2 of the walk directions pdf.
T=swc.127
7 comments:
Could not ONE of the bank holiday walks been under 13 miles, for those who want a more relaxing day out?
To quote the text of the posting: "Two Shortcuts are possible: they reduce the walk by 3.5 km (2.1 mi) or 3.4 km (2.1 mi) and the rating to 6/10; or to 5/10 when walking both Shortcuts (19.2 km/305m height gain)." How is that not below 13 miles? Puzzled...
AND with a very late start! How is that NOT a relaxing day out? Even more puzzled...
There are lots of people who want the security of walkng within a group and are not confident about tackling a short cut on their own. Last week one of the attendees for the Ullapool trip had just bought a compass but needed to be shown how to use it! This army range walk is a complete nightmare if you don't have a compass and map to back up the walk directions as there is no signage to guide you. And yes lots of people prefer shorter organised walks at a relaxed pace that they can tackle with friends or with physical stamina issues!
very brave of you to promote a walk with no bluebells and no lunch pub on a may bank holiday monday. could we not at least have some anemones to feed the soul. ta very much
Well... of course I can't guarantee that there won't be the odd blue-ish bell or wood-ish anemone, as there are some small stretches of woodland en route, but they certainly aren't the main draw of this outing.
'tis a walk for the - often very vocal - army of long sleepers/extended breakfasters (this late train only runs on Sundays/Bank Holidays, and I don't have slots on Sundays), for the picnicers, the far viewers and the walkers. Just a good walk, in stunning, remote countryside, with plenty of refreshment options late on. That's all there is to it. But no less than that.
N=9 w= selection of all four seasons including high winds and torrential rain on the ridge. A cracking day despite some afore-mentioned awful weather. loads of bluebells. Strenuous but not lethal hilly bits and some nice views. All washed down with pre-walk alcohol, picnic lunch, good cake, beer and picnic on train home
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