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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Saturday 27 July 2019

Saturday Walk: Mortimer to Aldermaston or Midgham or Theale

9.9 miles / 15.9 km to Aldermaston
(12 miles to Midgham, 14 miles to Theale)

The morning route of this walk passes the remains of the Roman town of Calleva, while the afternoon heads through commons and woodlands to Aldermaston, where you can extend the walk along the canal.

Trains: Take the 10:00 from London Paddington, change at Reading (arr. 10:24, dep 10:34), arrival time at Mortimer is 10:44.
Return times from Aldermaston are: 15:28, 16:28, 17:25, 18:31, 19:31 etc with change at Reading (probably faster even if the train is direct).  Trains from Midgham depart 4 minutes earlier, from Theale 5 minutes later plus there is an extra direct train per hour.
A return to Mortimer should be fine, if not you just need a single to Reading on the way back.

Lunch: The Calleva Arms, Silchester Common, 01189 700305.

Tea: The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust Information Centre serves tea at Aldermaston Wharf, The Rowbarge is by Midgham station, and if you finish at Theale, head 400m beyond the station to the High Street for refreshments.

Click here for full walk details

T=1.33

2 comments:

Marcus said...

BestFootForward, Tue 23 Jul 19, 16:41
The canal tow path is closed on the Midgham extension until 6 September 2019. There is a barrier to prevent entry. A notice advises that the Canal and River Trust have to renew a culvert on the canal between Woolhampton and Frouds Lane. 3 footpaths are closed. The paths concerned are Woolhampton 10 & 12 (the canal tow path) and Aldermaston 12 (which leads from the canal to the A340). The road up from the tow path is very busy with fast moving traffic. We decided to walk back to Aldermaston, a very pleasant walk about a mile along the tow path. AT

Sandy said...

After a shambolic start with the Bakerloo line partly closed and the Paddington train arriving in Reading too late for the connection, just n=3 stalwarts eventually left Mortimer at 11.20 in w=light-drizzle-quickly-turning-to-overcast-and-sometimes-humid-conditions. Everyone else missed a great walk, full of interest, striking variations in the landscape, characterful pub for lunchtime refreshments, and a delightful tea stop at the canal trust centre. None of us fancied the extra 6km to Theale, not that we were the slightest bit tired you understand, just thinking of the likely complicated journeys home.