Ramblings about our rambles

Time to catch up 

It was in early 2023 that your reporter (T) reviewed the previous year’s “Middle England” rambles and since than we have been rather quiet. P and T did four short walks in 2023 (which are briefly reported on below) but our good friend P died in August 2024 which meant that the only walk we did that year was to celebrate and share our memories of him.

We met up at the Miller of Mansfield (SU5990 8078) in Goring-on-Thames on 28 October 2024 for a pub lunch and gentle walk to Pangbourne station through the Goring Gap a distance of 3.9 miles (6.3km) on a cool cloudy day. We have agreed that we will try and meet up for a walk every 3 to 4 months and recognising the fact that many of us are now living away from the Oxfordshire “Middle England” nexus of our previous walks we agreed to try walks in other parts of the country, depending upon ease of access, business and family commitments. 

By the way our use of the phrase “Middle England” was purely geographical, i.e. that we were walking areas in the middle of England. Internet searching seems to bring up sites offering alpaca walks!

 

Walks in 2023 

As said above, T and P did four short walks in 2023. On 23 March 2023 they did a circular walk from the Sonning Common base to Rotherfield Greys stopping for a drink in The Malsters Arms (SU7261 8237). The main memory of this 4.9 mile (7.9km) walk was that it was wet, very muddy and we had our packed lunch in the bus shelter opposite the pub. Give the pub its due they provided covers (like plastic bags) for muddy boots though it does make one feel like a complete “plonker” having a drink with a plastic bags on your feet!

The next walk on 31 May was a big contrast. It was sunny and hot on the circular walk from the start of the Ridgeway near Streatley (SU5673 8125) via St Mary’s church in Aldworth (SU5540 7938) to see the “Aldworth Giants” (grave tombs in the church of the De La Beche family which are meant to be life size. If so, then these chaps were all about 7 foot (2.13m) tall! After that a welcome drink or two at the famous Bell Inn in Aldworth (SU5558 7965) which is a firm favourite of ours and has been visited many times before. The round trip was 5.42 miles (8.7km) but T felt he had walked much further as he had had walked from Goring Station which added at least another 2.5 miles to his total!

Our third walk was another hot day, 13 July and involved a circular route of 4.2 miles (6.8km) from the Sonning Common base through the beech woods of Peppard Common and Rotherfield Peppard. Can’t remember much other that we sat on a bench on Rotherfield common for packed lunches and were back at the SC base in time for a much needed cuppa.

Our last walk of 2023 on 23 September was from Goring-on-Thames to Pangbourne making use of the train stations to get to and from the start/finish of this linear walk through the Goring Gap and above the river Thames as it cuts through the chalk hills of the Berkshire Downs and Chilterns. A bit damp and there was a touch of autumn in the air. This was the last Howbery Hikers walk that P did which we recognised 13 months later when, T, A, N, E and D retraced the walk.

 

Howbery Hikers – 2025 

Here we are half way through 2025 and T has finally got his act together to record the next steps that we have taken. Sticking to our agreement to widen our horizons and armed with the excellent publication from Cicerone “Walking in London: Park, Heath and Waterside” T, D and A agreed to meet at Hampton Wick Station (TQ1745 6975) on 10 March and do a circular walk through Bushey Park skirting Hampton Court Palace and then along the Long Water and back to Hampton Wick.

Spring was certainly in the air and while the trees in the deer park had yet to sprout leaves the spring bulbs were out with a great display. We found the café at the Pheasantry (TQ1566 6977) and had a snack lunch to share news of family and friends. Actually despite being a sunny spring day there was quite a chill wind and by the time we arrived back in Hampton Wick we were in need of a sit-down and some refreshment. We found a pub (The Swan) to quench our thirsts before heading back the station.

We returned home via various complicated train routes through south-west London’s suburbs; T and D back to Reading via a long wait at Twickenham and A back home via Twickenham and Clapham Junction. Overall, a very pleasant 4.7 miles (7.6km) on easy paths which made a change from hacking our way through overgrown footpaths and squelching through mud!

Our next walk was planned to be near Reading but accessible by train if possible to accommodate travel from further afield. T suggested a linear walk from Bramley station (SU6552 5944) to Mortimer station (SU 6722 6411) which could take in the site of Silchester (Roman Town “Calleva Atrebatum”. We agreed to meet on Reading Station before taking the half-hourly train to Bramley. Unfortunately N had to withdraw so that just left T, D and A. Due to GWR delays out of Paddington A just missed our planned train so we decided to rejig the walk and start from Mortimer station and head to Silchester and only if we had enough time to head on to Bramley. 

In the ampitheatre

It was very hot and it had just gone midday so the welcome shade afforded by hedgerow trees was put to good use. Amazingly we made good time and got to the site of the Silchester Amphitheatre (SU 6447 6260) in 75mins. A stop for water and cool off in the shade. There were several people around including school-age children and we were asked if we knew anything about the amphitheatre which was surprising as all that we knew was clearly stated on the information boards! Silchester Roman Town is quietly impressive apparently in the middle of nowhere but perhaps benefits from that isolation by not being “developed”. 

 

At Calleva

 

After a short stop we carried on and walked along the top of the walls that used to enclose the whole town. Apart from the walls there is nothing to see as all the excavations over the years have been covered over. The walls are well defined and clear to see even if much of the good building stone has been robbed out over the centuries, the core of flints and sarsen stones is still up 5 m high in places. The area has been excavated over the years by Reading University and often features in the TV programme “Digging for Britain” (BBC). We, (T, N, P and S) were last here in February 2012 as this was the southern-most extent of the “Roman Way” walk.

 

Roman walls

South gate

We took a few pictures near the South Gate (SU6390 6206) but were keen to get out of the sun and heat as soon as possible. The route to Bramley involved a bit too much tarmac walking which was not a pleasant experience during this third heat wave of the year. Luckily there was a bit more shady woodland as we skirted a big electricity sub-station near Bramley. There was quite an area of land to the west of Bramley that had been fenced off. We suspected it was for a large solar farm, being close to the National Grid sub-station was probably an advantage. Further research revealed information on this website https://ensoenergy.co.uk/projects/bramley-solar-farm/. 

We also noted that we were on the route of the Camino Ingles to Santiago! It links Reading Abbey in Berkshire, with the coastal port of Southampton in Hampshire before presumably heading off to northern Spain by ferry. Apparently walking this section qualifies one for Camino certification with the appropriate stamp in the Camino passport.

Camino sign post

 

As it worked out it had been a good idea to do the walk this way round because by 15:20 we had found the open Bramley Inn and were able to get in some rehydration before heading back to Reading on the next train from Bramley station. As it was we did the walk of 6.1 miles (9.8km) in three hours including a half hour break at Silchester, not bad in that heat. Where next? Back to London and possibly a circular walk into Epping Forest starting and finishing at Chingford station some time in October.