The Roman Way - Part II

Second side: Cirencester to Silchester

4. Cirencester to Cricklade – 22July 2011, 10.3 miles, (16.6km)

The next few stages meant renewing our acquaintance with Swindon Bus Station. Can’t say we were that impressed but we gradually extended our knowledge by moving into the adjacent shopping mall and finding a Costa Coffee shop. This next leg saw us arrive on a train into Swindon and then take a bus out to Cirencester.

We stopped off at the site of the Roman Amphitheatre (SP0202 0142). Still an impressive site. 

Roman amphitheatre, Cirencester

Our route took us out to the west of Cirencester before circling around crossing the line of the dismantled railway between Cirencester to Kemble (at the time of writing there are some half-baked ideas to reopen this short stretch of line).

We reached the village of Siddington which displayed quite a bit of industrial archaeology with the line of another dismantled railway from Cirencester to Swindon (Mannington)* and the partially restored Thames and Severn Canal.

Disused Thames-Severn canal

 *(This was the Midland and South Western Junction Railway from Cheltenham to Andover and we discussed this in our post of the walk from Chedworth to North Cerney on 25 November 2016).

 We continued along the canal towpath into South Cerney and stopped for a lunchtime drink in The Royal Oak. Don’t remember much about the pub except that we sat outside. We pressed on following the canal towards its confluence with the Thames. This area used to be a site of major gravel extraction. The pits have now been designated as the Cotswold Water Park with lots of expensive holiday homes/retreats, water sports, fishing etc. The day had started off rather grey and drizzly but it was warming up and getting rather humid. P thought T was walking too fast! Three km from South Cerney we reached the Thames and the Thames path and followed that into Cricklade.

Thames upstream of Cricklade

 

This is a charming town, of Saxon origin, the first significant settlement on the river Thames (sorry sounds like a PR leaflet). We found a busy pub the Old Bear for a swift half before finding the bus back to Swindon.

 5. Cricklade to South Marston – 16 September 2011, 12.3 miles (19.8km)

Repeat of our travel itinerary to Swindon and bus to Cricklade. Another warm, late summers, day. Path headed away from the river, across the fields towards Seven Bridges on the busy A419 passing a waste transfer plant at Kingshill Farm on the way. Route followed the Great Rose Lane for about 4km. This seemed to mark the boundary of Wiltshire with the Swindon Unitary Authority. As in many boundary areas the chances of fly-tipping are high and this was no exception. The path turned southwards and we climbed up Castle Hill to the Iron Age hill fort. Great views to the north so we took the chance for a break and snack.

 

View from Castle Hill

On reaching the outskirts of Broad Blunsdon we detoured into the village and found the Heart in Hand pub. Didn’t stay too long, they were obviously coming to the end of a Friday lunchtime session and there was a smell of stale fried food and the chef (?) was in the bar betting on line with some of the regulars. We walked on following the path towards South Marston via Stanton Fitzwarren. The walking must have been fairly easy as we can’t remember much about it. The path slowly descended from Queenlaines Farm past a large solar panel installation. It was later discovered that this was partially funded by Honda (their motor works were nearby). The official route finished in South Marston but we carried on crossing (carefully) the main GWR line near South Marston farm and emerging onto the A420 where we could catch a bus near the Police HQ back into Swindon. This appears to have been the longest stage so far perhaps due to the detour of 2km in total in search of a refreshing drink!

 6. South Marston to Aldbourne – 7 October 2011, 9.92 miles (16km)

Swindon bus station again but this time a different bus back to the Police HQ near South Marston. From what we remember the weather was a bit mixed with an autumn chill and the possibility of some rain later. This promised to be an interesting day as we were to progress from the Swindon hinterland up onto the Downs (Berkshire or Wiltshire?), these hills had seemed such a long way away when we looked south from above Ramsden on 13 May. Our path took us across rather dull fields with the drone of the A419 in the background. After about 3.5km we entered the large village of Wanborough and started to climb Callas Hill. The path then headed across the scarp slope towards Hinton Parva with excellent views across the clay lands to the north. After a few twists and turns through the village we were directed up through an area called “The Coombes” (SU2287 8309). This is National Trust land and has some excellent examples of Strip Lynchets (middle Ages cultivation terraces). All three of us agreed that this was one of the most attractive and interesting areas we had come across. The path climbed up through the coombe and crossed over the Ridgeway. We had been here last on 22 May 2009 when we were travelling west to east on the Ridgeway walk. Not too sure where we had our lunch that day. It was a long walk on a good track through open down land. The guide book promised us a view of Ashdown House (not sure we saw it). We were to see this very attractive NT property on a later walk on 29 July 2014 (Seven Shires Way).It was turning cold and spitting with rain as we crossed over the M4. We followed the B road (actually Ermin Way) towards Baydon up the hill and were struck by a roadside memorial to a car crash victim (young wife of a policeman) who had been tragically killed at that site. The route was then all downhill from there for over two miles. We made good progress towards Aldbourne with the intention of getting a bus back from there to Swindon. As we approached this large down land village the sun came out and all seemed OK in the World. The Blue Boar was open so we decided to pop in to celebrate completing a long walk. “What would you like?” We scanned the pumps on the bar. The barman pointed to the wall behind us. There, racked up, were another 20 or so other beer barrels. “We’ve got a beer festival on”. Yes everything was well in the World. We had several drinks and contemplated staying longer but sense prevailed and we made our way to the bus stop hoping for not too much of a delay. We made it back to Swindon on time and checked into the Gents at the bus station before heading to the train station and home. A long day, good walk and great end to the day.

Aldbourne countryside

  7. Aldbourne to East Garston – 28 October 2011, 9.45 miles (15.2km)

A few weeks later and here we are back in Swindon and back on the bus to Aldbourne. Definitely cooler and more autumnal, leaves on the trees were changing colour. Quite a steep climb out of the village towards the east.

Pigs Hill

Great care was needed to follow the path through woods and around field margins and we emerged to the sound of the M4 just to the north. We followed the track which marked the boundary between Wiltshire and West Berkshire to the site of the Membury Hill fort (SU3017 7542).

 

Membury view from the airfield

We were skirting around the site of RAF Membury, a World War II airfield. T was convinced that this was featured in the 1951 Hammond Innes thriller “Air Bridge” about the Berlin Airlift. Membury Services on the M4 is built on part of the old airfield. After more twists and turns through farmland and farms, always within hearing of the M4 we came to the B4001 and passed under the said Motorway. On the ridge, the line of the Ermin way followed the B4000 however we soon turned off to head northwards on a good farm track towards the village of Eastbury. We probably had our packed lunches before we lost too much height. Eastbury is in the Lambourn valley, horse racing country. Whether there is any water in the river depends upon the time of year and rainfall. There didn’t seem to be much flow in the Lambourn that day. The path to the next village, East Garston followed the line of the dismantled Lambourn Valley railway that used to connect Lambourn to Newbury. We reached East Garston in good order and waited for a bus near the Queens Arms (we didn’t go in). The bus turned up on time and took about 45 minutes to get into Newbury. A short walk through the town and we caught a train back to Reading connecting to Didcot and Oxford. As it turned out that was our last walk of 2011.

 8. East Garston to Newbury – 6 January 2012, 11.8 miles (19km)

 A new year and we were ready to get back to the Roman Way. A good bus connection to East Garston was not on so we meet up on Reading station and took a train to Hungerford. The plan was then to get a taxi to East Garston. This worked out OK though we had difficulty in finding a taxi in Hungerford until we popped into a Newsagents and got a taxi telephone number. We set off from East Garston and saw that the river was now flowing well. In fact it had been quite wet and T for one was pleased that he had been given gaitors for Christmas that helped prevent too much mud on his trousers. The path followed the line of the old railway. It was good walking and we were soon passing through Great Shefford towards the hamlet of Weston where we turned off the railway and crossed the river by the Mill.

 

Welford Park

The route then went uphill across Welford Park, rather attractive well managed park land. The early series of Great British Bake Off were recorded here (we believe). The sound of the M4 was now clear and our path took us across the speeding traffic.

 

Welford trees and mistletoe

The farm track muddy in places headed towards Boxford but we diverted to Southfields and the Bell pub where we were able to warm up and have a lunchtime drink. Can’t remember much about the pub or the beer. We continued across the dismantled railway and the river at Boxford and then followed the left bank of the river through damp meadows towards Bagnor. As it was wet, and cold we had our sandwiches, etc standing up somewhere along that path.

We arrived in Bagnor near the Watermill theatre (SU4513 6940). A lovely small theatre. Bagnor is where the Winterbourne stream joins the Lambourn. In the early 1970s the Thames Conservancy (as it was then) promoted and implemented a groundwater scheme in this area by drilling wells to supplement river flow with ground water. We crossed over the new A34 Newbury By-pass and gently climbed up to pass Donnington Castle (SU4612 6917). Rather a nice castle that suffered a major siege during the English Civil War (1644). The sun was setting so we trudged on to cross the river at Donnington and then a long walk along the A4 into Newbury as the light faded. Through the town centre to the station where we caught a train back to Reading. Impressive walk especially as it was winter. 

 9. Newbury to Aldermarston Wharf – 27 January 2012, 9.34 miles (15km)

Guess we met at Reading Station again and took the train to Newbury. S joined us. The station names plates proudly announce that this is the home of Vodaphone. Rather a cold day and it took us some time to get going and find the path following the course of the Kennet and Avon canal for most of the day. Not the most exciting of scenic views as we walked past the back of industrial units in Newbury, under the railway near Bull’s Lock and continued with the vista of more industrial units this time in Thatcham. After passing Thatcham station the course of the Roman way that we were following, so say, crossed the line of the canal but there was nothing obvious.

Kennet and Avon canal, Thatcham

We eventually came to more attractive woodland along the canal towards Woolhampton (the railway station is called “Midgham” though). It had been quiet wet in the previous days and the going was pretty muddy in places. We stopped at The Rowbarge Inn for a drink. It was approaching lunchtime and the place was busy with Friday lunch guests. Just a single drink and we stayed in the part of the bar that had stone or tiled floor so as not to walk muddy boots on the pub carpet. We set off again, refreshed and slightly warmer and plodded along the canal towpath. Must have had our packed lunches on the way. After more mud and wet paths we eventually arrived at Aldermarston Wharf found the station and caught a train back to Reading. Not the most exciting of days for scenery but we made good progress.

10. Aldermarston Wharf to Padworth Common via Silchester - 24 February 2012, 10.5 miles (16.9km)

Nearly a month had gone by before we returned to Aldermarston Wharf. This may have been due to work commitments. As the guide book said our path headed south away from the Kennet valley towards Padworth College. Passed by the attractive church at Padworth. The path wasn’t the easiest to follow and careful attention to the guide book and the OS map was required. At one point we came across the mounds of the underground fuel depots that had been built for the US Air Force when they used Greenham Common, roughly 10 miles away. According to the guide book that was written in 2009 they still contained fuel. Our route then took a detour around Burnt Common and then we headed south across Benyon’s Inclosure. Can certainly remember stopping for a mid-morning snack hereabouts. The scenery was heathland mixed with Forestry Commission pine plantations. We were now in Hampshire. Another kilometre and we were in the village of Silchester. The Calleva Arms was open so we detoured slightly for our usual lunchtime drink. (T & his partner Cy returned to the pub a couple of years ago for a pleasant lunch). After the drink and loo stop we walked back across Silchester Common to pick up the path to the site of the Roman Town, “Calleva Atrebatum”. 

 

Walls of Calleva Atrebatum

The walls of the town are most impressive and well worth a visit, SU 6394 6246. The archaeological finds can be seen in Reading museum. One of the notable pieces is the wingless gold eagle that Rosemary Sutcliff wove into her novel “The Eagle of the Ninth”. We walked around the walls in an anticlockwise direction, taking photos as we went. At the southern end of the walls we reached the most southerly point of any of our Middle England walks, 51° 21’ 14” N.

Silchester Amphiteatre

We reached the site of the amphitheatre, SU6447 6262, where we had what remained of our packed lunches. There was then a debate, do we head off route to catch the train at Bramley or carry on to start the third side of the triangle and catch a bus to Reading near Burghfield Common.

We opted for the latter. We followed the appropriately named Wall Lane and then took an old sunken path down Stone Hill to Mortimer West End farm. We crossed over Welshman’s Road and headed due north on a permissive path through sandy soils, pine trees and forestry land (owned by the Englefield Estate). We emerged onto the road between Burghfield Common and Aldermarston in fact this is the county boundary between Hampshire and West Berkshire.

We then headed off route for roughly 2km to catch the bus. We had about 30 minutes and just made it. The first of our party of four made it to the bus stop just in time to stop the bus and for the others to catch up (run!).