🥾 Walk 355 - Pangbourne and Whitchurch-on-Thames

On Sunday 4th November, eighteen of us met up in Pangbourne on an overcast but dry autumnal day. We set off up Station Road, crossing over as we passed under the railway bridge and taking the alley way to Whitchurch Bridge.

Crossing the bridge, we followed the Thames Path as it passed the church and joined the High Street. We stayed on this National Trail as it left the main road and followed the Hartslock Bridleway.

After leaving the bridleway, the Thames Path took a steep downhill then uphill and entered Hartslock Wood. The path followed the Thames from on high on the steep bank.

Just as the path had descended to river level, we left it and headed up a small but steep hill near Hattonhill Shaw. We stopped at the top of the hill to admire the view and to have some cake made by one of our walk leaders. Very nice!

Down the other side of this hill, we joined a lane that led us up another steep slope to Upper Gatehampton Farm. Next was a footpath leading us into Great Chalk Wood.

It's easy to lose your bearings in woodland and we had to make a slight course correction to join the path taking us through Bottom Farm and Blackbird's Bottom. Who thinks up these names?

We stopped for our picnic lunch in woodland near a farm shop at Cray's Pond. A mixture of quiet lanes and footpaths took us through Great Oaks, Cold Harbour and Beech Wood. Passing Beech Farm and Stonycroft Plantation, we were heading back into Whitchurch.

Following the main road, we passed a life-boat covered in poppies. Obviously to commemorate the centenary of the armistice. Now retracing our steps, we passed the church again and crossed the bridge back into Pangbourne.

The walk finished outside The George, where some of us popped in for refreshment while others went straight back to the car park. See our route on Google Maps.

Thank you to Ann and Kathy for leading this walk.

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