# 🥾 Walk 574 - Shalbourne, Ham, Buttermere and Botley Hill

Ian had originally planned to lead his walk on Saturday 6th May, but I suggested this might clash with a certain national event that might be of interest to our members - the Coronation of King Charles III. So, we moved the walk to Sunday 7th, which turned out to be a much better day for the weather. It had rained all day on Saturday, but it didn't rain at all on Sunday and by afternoon it was really quite sunny and warm.

However, there were a lot of street parties organised for Sunday, including one in Shalbourne, from where our walk was to start. To avoid complications, we parked in a small car park outside the village and walked in to the centre before starting the actual walk itself. Only four of us turned up in just two cars, so we probably could have parked in the village without a problem. Still, it's better safe than sorry.

The walk started from the green in Shalbourne, opposite the village pub, where there were people already setting things up for the street party as we set off. We headed eastward on a footpath through fields to the little village of Ham. We had started a walk from here a few weeks before, so the next section of the walk seemed quite familiar to some of us.

![Stopping halfway up Ham Hill for a breather.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume44/images/stopping_on_ham_hill.jpg)

Following the Mid Wilts Way, we crossed a couple of wheat fields and ascended Ham Hill on a diagonal path, pausing half way up for a breather. At the top we stopped again before heading westward along the ridge and then south the the hamlet of Buttermere. We had a quick look around the tiny church and then followed a bridleway through Buttermere Bottom, just as we had on Ian's previous walk.

We then left the route of the previous walk to follow a track through Buttermere Wood, which was absolutely packed full of bluebells.

As the track left Buttermere Wood for Bushel's Copse, we saw what looked at first like a large and stylish bungalow, but as we got closer we noticed many of the windows weren't glazed. It was in fact a very smart complex of stables!

![Resting at the top of Ham Hill.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume44/images/top_of_ham_hill.jpg)

Crossing fields and woodlands, we continued west, over many undulations - as Ian calls them. At one point we were walking along a quiet lane called Ashley Drove when we spied a glider, silently flying overhead. Soon we passed a long thin field with a runway, which belonged to the Shalbourne Glider Club. There we a few more gliders on the ground with a number of people around them.

One of these gliders then took off, being pulled into the sky on a long tow rope by a motorised winch at the far end of the field. Once the glider was fully airborne, it released the tow rope, which returned to the ground on its own tiny parachute.

The road became a track called Smay Down Lane, which we followed for a short while before heading off into fields and then an old farm that had seen better days. The route through the farm was unclear and seemed to involve crossing a field of cows with their newborn calves. We were careful not to get between the cows and their calves, but even so, one of the cows wasn't overly pleased to see us. It calmed down once it saw we were leaving and we were relieved to be out of their field.

![Bluebells in Buttermere Wood.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume44/images/bluebells_in_buttermere.jpg)

We ate our packed lunches, sitting on a grassy mound near Little Botley Copse. After lunch we continued our walk by descending Botley Hill. At the bottom, we turned north-east on to our return leg to Shalbourne. Along the way, we passed through Starveall Farm where two very friendly long-haired pigs came to investigate us.

Crossing more farmland, we then passed by some relatively new vineyards and then a visitors centre, still under construction. This was once Carvers Hill Farm and now Carvers Hill Estate Winery and Vineyard. It will be worth a visit next year, I reckon, when there's some wine to try. Finally we followed Burr Lane into Shalbourne village and finished at the green. See our route on Google Maps.

The street party was still going strong so we bought some drinks at The Plough and found somewhere to sit on the green. Sadly the hog roast had all gone as it was now around five o'clock. There was a steam traction engine parked outside the pub and we watched someone stoke up the boiler. Soon after, there was an ear-piercing blast on its whistle and it set off, chugging up the road.

![Shalbourne Glider Club.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume44/images/shalbourne_gliding_club.jpg)

Finishing our drinks, we soon followed, making our way back to the car park. We took a little detour past the church, which is slightly outside the village and quite near the car park. The walk was 11.3 miles with 465 m (1,510 ft) of ascent in total, plus the additional walk to and from the car park, made it around 13 miles all together. We certainly got some good exercise that day.

![Moordown Farm. Not as muddy as it looks.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume44/images/moordown_farm.jpg)

![Coronation street party in Shalbourne.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume44/images/shalbourne_street_party.jpg)

*Thank you to Ian for leading the walk and to Jo, Emma and Ian for some of the photos.*

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