After Friday night's storm, Saturday 15th February was a relatively nice day. Still a bit windy but with some sunshine and only the occasional shower. On the way to the walk I had to dodge a few fallen bits of tree and some large puddles in the road, and there were more obstacles to come on the walk.
Eight of us (six regulars and two who have just started walking with us) assembled outside the Post Office in Crowthorne and compared accounts of the previous night's weather before starting the walk. Our leader, Sue, told us that her electricity had cut out during the storm and not yet been restored.
We set off south, following a path that ran parallel to the railway line until it intersected the Three Castles Path (a long distance path from Windsor Castle to Winchester) which we joined and followed going west over a the railway line towards Ambarrow Farm.
Here the Three Castles Path heads south past Horseshoe Lake follows the course of the River Blackwater to village of Finchampstead, and this had been the intended route for today's walk. However, this year's incessant heavy rain and the consequent high river levels meant that this part of the path was somewhat submerged, so we took a diversion along a road that ran across the north of the lakes.
Although the road was on higher ground it was not without some obstacles. Several fallen branches and a tree had blocked the road, but there were already people at work with chainsaws clearing the way. We left the road as it approached Finchampstead and took a footpath that circumnavigated the village and emerged by the church.
We stopped for our picnic lunch in the little green between the church and pub. After lunch we went straight to the pub for a drink before carrying on the walk, heading north-east through Church Farm. This path eventually arched round to head south toward North Court Farm.
A short bit of road walking took us to the bottom of Finchampstead Ridges, a wooded common with lots of ups and downs. We emerged at the top of the ridges, crossed the road and continued north into Simons Woods where we skirted round Heath Pond and finally followed a very straight (and very muddy) path back to Crowthorne. See our route on Bing Maps.
Arriving back in Crowthorne, we were invited by Sue for tea and home-made cakes at her house. (The tea and coffee being conditional on her electricity supply being restored.) Although some of the group had other plans for the afternoon, a few of us were able to accept this kind and unusual invitation. A very pleasant way to round off a good walk.
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