Training walk – 4 September 2019

Whittles Farm and Collins End – Monday 4 September 2019

Many apologies for the delay in reporting on this short “training walk”  that P & T completed while  A and N were otherwise occupied. P & T picked another ramble from the “Rambling for Pleasure around Reading” booklet. The walk offered the opportunity to catch up on news and to self-assess our fitness for longer more hilly routes in the Cotswolds, yet to come.

The chaps met at T's home and caught an X40 bus out to Cane End (Grid Reference SU6794 7944). It was warm and humid so we were pleased to be walking through woodland for most of the time. The bus stop was opposite where the Fox Inn used to be. After several years of being a Thai and then Indian restaurant the site has been bulldozed and is being developed for six executive homes on a site bounded by busy roads on three sides!

Nuney Wood

We headed away from the main A4074 through a kissing gate and across fields to the south of Cane End House. We are always amazed that it only takes five minutes to be away from a busy main road and deep into countryside and woodlands - this route was no exception. We soon entered Nuney Wood and followed a path through large beech trees to the hamlet of Nuney Green, SU6723 7911.

This is certainly “off the beaten track” one of the bungalows we passed was constructed of corrugated steel. Was this a summer pad or an all-year residence?

Cottage - Nuney Green

The path headed south towards Whittles farm (written in Italics on the map indicating some sort of historical pedigree). We crossed the Goring Heath lane and up past Whittles farm (SU6711 7832) which didn't look very historical.

Heading towards Mapledurham

At the top of the slope we had a great view across Mapledurham House (justifiably in italics), Tilehurst and out towards the North Hampshire Downs. The panorama at the end of this post doesn't do justice to the view. The path then dropped down the slope to join a bridleway near Bottom Farm.We had walked this path before on 25 April 2016, SU6711 7772.

We followed the path northwestwards into Bottom Wood pausing briefly to watch a couple of woodsmen clearing trees (mainly ash touched with Ash Die-Back). The path then headed upslope to come out at the hamlet of Collins End (SU 6611 7850). Some rather nice but isolated cottages. T knew of some people who lived in this area and had heard that while it may be only a few miles from Reading power cuts are common and being snowed in is a common occurence most winters so one just needs a 4X drive vehicle (or two!) 

Bottom Wood

The hill climbing was over and we headed along a path to the official beginning of the route (as published). This was the Old Post Office at Honeywood House (SU 6577 7917). We carried on along Deadman's Lane (great names around here) and then turned off to skirt past Haw Farm (SU6607 7929) through a field of docile cattle and into Holme Copse Wood. It was lunchtime so we found a convenient tree trunk and slope to have our “sarnies”. It was all fairly quiet, one or two dog walkers who had parked up on the nearby B4526 to give their pooches some exercise.

Large trees in Holme Copse

We carried on through the woods diverting from the published route to avoid walking on the A4074 and eventually returned to Nuney Green and then followed the path back to Cane End. That was the plan but distracted by sloe berries and the debate of whether these were sloes or damsons we missed the turning and had to detour back around a hexagonal shaped field to Cane End. We emerged opposite the building site (the builders were taking their lunch breaks in varoius cars and vans randomly parked on the verge). A short wait of about five minutes or so for a bus back into Caversham. 

Panorama towards Hampshire Downs

A pleasant walk taking advantage of the Chiltern woods to keep cool on a otherwise warm late summer's day. Rather a short distance 4.86 miles (7.8 km) but  both of us were tired and hadn't wanted to do much more. We agreed to do more and extend the distances before heading towards the Cotswolds again.