# 🥾 Walk 325 - Crowthorne and the Blackwater Valley Lakes

Seventeen of us met up in Crowthorne on Sunday 15th April for a ten mile walk. This walk was the first to be led for us by Sue H. With help from friends within the group, Sue had designed and prepared for this walk, but was understandable still a little nervous. She needn't have been, as the walk went very well.

We started off heading out of town, passing Broadmoor Hospital and joining the Devil's Highway - the remains of a Roman road. We followed this only briefly before joining the Three Castles Path, which we followed south and west, through Broadmoor Farm, Edgebarrow Woods and Ambarrow Farm.

![Walking through Edgebarrow Woods](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume24/images/edgebarrow_woods.jpg)

As we crossed Ambarrow Farm to get to Horseshoe Lake, a horse seemed to want to join our walk. One of our members who is good with horses persuaded it to stay put as we continued to the lake. The man at the Horseshoe Lake Activity Centre kindly allowed us to use their picnic tables to sit at and have our packed lunches.

After lunch, we continued on the Three Castles Path as it merged with the Blackwater Valley Path. This path led us through the Moor Green Lakes nature reserve, before we left it to head north toward Moor Green Farm. After a brief wrong turn, we took a footpath around Beech Hill and back to Ambarrow Farm.

![A horse tried to join our walk at Horseshoe Lake.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume24/images/joined_by_a_horse.jpg)

Here we retraced some of our outward route, but then took a different route through Edgebarrow Woods and a shorter route back into Crowthorne. See our route on Google Maps. Arriving at the car park, we all agreed it had been a good walk and had been led well. (The wrong turning at Moor Green Farm was easily forgiven. Even experienced leaders make the occasional 'unplanned detour'.)

Sue had also booked us a table at a local tearoom, so after changing out of our muddy footwear and divesting our rucksacks, we made our way there. Tea, coffee, cake and conversation was had before heading home. The rain just starting as we left the tearoom. (The rain had held off throughout the walk, despite a doubtful forecast.)

![More mud on the Blackwater Valley Path.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume24/images/blackwater_valley_path.jpg)

## 📸 Back to Volume 24

Return to volume index