# 🥾 Walk 173 - Ian's Slightly Mysterious Walk

We weren't quite sure what to expect from a walk labelled in the programme as Ian's slightly mysterious walk, so ten of us gathered at Kintbury railway station to find out what this was about. Ian told us that the mystery was something to do with a place name and then set off heading north up Station Road.

We turned off the road onto a footpath through a field of two horses; one foal and one pregnant looking mare. Crossing some other fields, we emerged onto the A4 Bath Road, which we eventually crossed and then took a lane north to Elcot Farm. From here we took a bridleway and then a footpath that crossed the B4000 into the Sole Plantation and Sole Common.

The route turned back on itself, crossing the B4000 again and heading into the hamlet of Hoe Benham. Turning off onto a footpath heading toward Elcot Farm, we stopped off for our picnic lunch at a convenient grassy area. After lunch we set off southward, back down to the A4 Bath Road again.

![Ian leading his slightly mysterious walk near Hoe Benham.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume13/images/hoe_benham.jpg)

It was as we passed through Halfway Farm that I began to wonder if we were halfway through the walk yet, and if so, was this the answer to Ian's puzzle? It was! As we reached the hamlet of Halfway on the A4, we had reached the exact halfway point of the walk. We stopped for a drink at The Halfway Inn, which claimed to be 60 miles from London and 60 miles from Bristol.

After slaking our thirst, we left the pub and headed north again, back to Hoe Benham, then east and south, crossing the A4 near Furze Hill. Continuing south along Milkhouse Road, through Marsh Benham, over the railway, we joined the Kennet and Avon Canal at Hamstead Lock.

We followed the canal back to Kintbury, but along the way we came across a barge being towed by a shire horse in the traditional way. We made way for the massive horse and the lad who was leading it along the towpath toward us. The barge glided quietly along the canal without the diesel accompaniment we are used to these days.

![Exactly halfway round the walk we came across this sign.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume13/images/halfway_sign.jpg)

After a couple of miles we were back at Kintbury, where we had started. See our route on Bing Maps. It had been a long walk in warm weather, so we made a second pub stop at The Dundas Arms before going home.

![Not a sight you see much these days. A horse drawn barge.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume13/images/horse_towing_barge.jpg)

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