On Sunday 11th June, ten of us met up at Hungerford railway station on what turned out to be a muggy but not excessively hot day. I had made plans to shorten the walk but everyone was keen to do the full 13 mile walk, so off we went. We were a mixture of old and new members, or those trying us out, and a couple of visitors from other Ramblers groups who were keen on the longer walk.
To avoid the possible sun, which stayed away to late in the afternoon, we reversed the walk and also traversed paths that were unknown - all in the spirit of adventure!
Upon leaving Hungerford we turned north through Hungerford Marsh and headed in the direction of Chilton Foliat before turning westwards in the directon of Littlecote House Hotel. This was my first visit to the house and it was certainly impressive.
We then continued our travels along a largely shaded footpath before crossing the Kennet River on the edge of Ramsbury. Everyone was very impressed with the quaint old buildings in the old part of town.
Lunch was enjoyed in the impressive church surrounds before we headed on our way to Whittonditch and then onto Eastridge Estate. Some of the footpaths were rarely used and overgrown but we managed to find the secluded stile and make our way into Crooked Soley. We then turned south along a very long path to Chilton Foliat before crossing the Kennet River at a beautiful location. From there we retraced our steps back towards Hungerford but decided to return along the canal rather than through the marshes.
Thank you to Ian for leading this walk and writing it up.
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