On 23rd August eight of us, including a couple of newcomers, gathered at 10:30am at Crookham Wharf for what we were hoping was going to be a lovely sunny 6¾ mile Sunday morning walk. The leader had chosen to put the walk into the programme during August on account of the shade provided by trees both along the Basingstoke canal and in the wooded areas during the second part of the walk.
The weather forecast showed fine weather during the morning with rain arriving at 2pm, which would have been perfect as all being well we were planning on finishing the walk by then.
On starting the walk, we realised that the forecast had been somewhat optimistic and we noticed a light drizzle as we took our first steps along the tow path. As the walk progressed, this gradually turned into heavy rain and the tree cover that had initially provided shelter became saturated and waterproofs were now essential!
However nothing dampens the spirits of the Berkshire Weekend Walkers and we enjoyed the meandering path of this attractive stretch of the Basingstoke Canal, passing several pill boxes, Tundry Pond and some beautiful coniferous woodland.
After approximately three miles and on reaching the Barley Mow pub, we left the canal, heading east across paddocks and farmland where horses and cattle were grazing. Wooded paths continued to provide a canopy to keep the worst of the rain at bay, but we struggled to find a dry location to eat our packed lunches and we were beginning to think that this might be one of the wettest ever BWW walks during August.
Passing Pilcot Farm, we continued east through Jack Reid's Copse and then headed south along the perimeter of a new housing estate, before crossing fields where the village of Crookham came into view.
Not only was this a welcome sight as our intended pub stop at the Black Horse was also fast approaching, but within 200 metres of the pub, the rain finally abated! Requests for coffee and hot chocolate were the order of the day for some and thankfully the rain held off for the remainder of the walk.
On leaving the Black Horse, the sun started to make an appearance as we continued south across fields and through woodland to join the Basingstoke Canal again at Poulter Bridge, heading west for a short stretch towards Chequers Bridge where our walk was to finish. Having stopped raining for the last mile of the route, our previously very wet clothing had now largely dried ready for a more comfortable drive home.
Thank you to Sue for leading the walk, writing it up and providing the photos.
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