🥾 Walk 559 - Silchester, Bramley and Pamber Forest

Thirteen of us (a mix of regulars, newcomers and visitors from Meetup) congregated in the Wall Lane car park near Silchester for a 10.5 mile walk on Saturday 4th February. The weather was rather grey, but not too cold or windy, and no sign of rain.

Pat, our walk leader, explained how her original route was still flooded in places from all the rain that had fallen over Christmas and New Year. She had devised a new route, which was the same length as the originally advertised walk, but no longer went through Bramley village and therefore there would be no stop at the Bramley Bakery.

We set off, passing the West Gate on the edge of the remains of the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum before heading south through Dicker's Copse and then north-west along a lane in to Silchester village.

The monthly market was taking place at the village hall, so we stopped briefly to have a look before heading through Silchester Common into Pamber Forest. We stopped for a coffee break (or whatever beverages people had brought with them) and Pat handed round a box of millionaire's shortbread that she's bought at the Bramley Bakery. This was a very kind and thoughtful gesture, which was much appreciated.

Following a long and straight path through Pamber Forest, we emerged near Little London, a tiny village south of Silchester that doesn't resemble London in any noticeable way. Next we passed through Latchmere Green before stopping in Bramley Frith Wood for lunch, where we found some fallen trees to sit on.

We shared the wood with a large electricity substation, but couldn't see it from where we sat. After lunch we got a glimpse of it as we were leaving the wood. Now heading north-east, we passed a small farm near Barefoot's House, where there were a few pygmy goats.

In their shed were some old Christmas trees that they were feeding on. An abundant food source at this time of year. There was also a children's slide. Needless to say, we didn't see any of the goats sliding down it! One of the goats came out to greet us, while another was a bit more shy, eying us up from behind a wooden gate.

Heading north-west, we crossed farmland to reach the other side of the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum. We visited the 12th century church of St Mary the Virgin, built on the site of a Roman temple, and then had a look around the nearby Roman Amphitheatre. After that, we followed a path that went along the top of the wall to the north of the Roman town. It's amazing how much of this wall still remains after 2000 years.

We stopped at the North Gate and looked at the information panel with its artist's impression of what the town would have looked like in its heyday. Continuing along the wall to the West Gate, we then retraced our steps back to the car park. See our route on Google Maps. A very satisfying walk, with the added benefit of some unexpected bakery treats!

Thank you to Pat for leading this walk and providing treats.

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