{"id":"69847930533dbb4b73118693","title":"Walk 594 Great Bedwyn Bagshot Ham And Shalbourne","path":"walks/scrapbook/by-year/2023/volume-45-jul-to-sep-2023/walk-594-great-bedwyn-bagshot-ham-and-shalbourne","contentMarkdown":"# 🥾 Walk 594 - Great Bedwyn, Bagshot, Ham and Shalbourne\n\nJuly has been a busy month, often with two walks and other events each weekend, but we found ourselves with nothing in the programme for the last weekend of July. Ian, who has led many walks for us over the five years he's been staying in the UK, came to the rescue with a rapidly prepared walk at short notice to fill the gap. It was a medley of bits of walks he's led before in the West Berks and Wilts area.\n\nOnly four of us made it to the walk, which started from Great Bedwyn railway station. Perhaps it was too shorter notice, or people were put off by the industrial action by railway workers. (Despite the strike, the trains in our area were actually running.)\n\n![Ian, our walk leader, in Gully Copse.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume45/images/ian_in_gully_copse.jpg)\n\nWe started by taking a path past the rather smart cricket ground in Great Bedwyn - somewhere we not walked before. We then joined a familiar track called Galley Lane, taking us to Jockey Green. From here, we headed east to Foxwood Farm, north to Burridge Heath and then east again into the Polesdon Estate.\n\nOn the way, we passed through Gulley Copse where the path became rather muddy, so we took a diversion into the wood only to realise that we had lost the path. After stopping to scrutinise our maps, we were soon back on track.\n\n![Do you ever get the feeling you're being watched?](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume45/images/sheep_prosperous_estate.jpg)\n\nA rather circuitous route took us through the Polesdon Estate and into the Prosperous Estate. (The most direct route had no public access.) Here we crossed more farmland and then passed by Mount Prosperous House, where we stopped to admire their walled rose garden using a small public viewing platform.\n\nCrossing more farmland, we arrived in the tiny village of Ham. The last bit of footpath took us through the large back garden of a big house. Ian told us that the first time he'd used this footpath, he'd gone the wrong way through the garden and instead of exiting into an adjacent field, he ended up at kitchen door of the house!\n\n![The long driveway through Mount Prosperous Estate.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume45/images/mount_prosperous_drive.jpg)\n\nWe stopped in Ham to have our packed lunches on a picnic table by the green. Ian kindly bought a round of drinks at the village pub, after which we headed west through fields into Shalbourne.\n\nNext we crossed Newton Farm, where another walker pointed out some enormous puffballs (spherical fungi) in a field. Then we made a slight error. After walking through Birch Copse, we followed what looked like the footpath only to find ourselves back at the point where we first entered Birch Copse! So we went through it again and got it right second time, passing Folly Farm and heading west toward Great Bedwyn.\n\n![Entering Birch Copse for the second time!](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume45/images/entering_birch_copse.jpg)\n\nA mixture of fields and woodland took us to the Kennet and Avon Canal, which we crossed on a bridge by Bedwyn Church Lock. Then we crossed the railway line and another field, arriving at St Mary's Church. Upkeep of this large church is partly funded by a tea and cake stall inside the church. We stopped here and enjoyed several types of cake before leaving a generous donation and then following Church Street back into the village centre. See our route on Google Maps.\n\nHere we said goodbye to Ian, without realising this was the last walk he'd lead for us before returning to Australia. He had planned to tell us but, not being fond of farewells, didn't find the right opportunity. We shall miss his willingness to lead so many interesting walks for our group, his jovial nature and his intelligent conversation.\n\n![Bedwyn Church Lock on the Kennet & Avon Canal.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume45/images/bedwyn_church_lock.jpg)\n\n*Thank you to Ian for leading this walk and all the others he's led for us.*\n\n## 📸 Back to Volume 45\n\nReturn to volume index","contentHtml":"

🥾 Walk 594 - Great Bedwyn, Bagshot, Ham and Shalbourne

\n

July has been a busy month, often with two walks and other events each weekend, but we found ourselves with nothing in the programme for the last weekend of July. Ian, who has led many walks for us over the five years he's been staying in the UK, came to the rescue with a rapidly prepared walk at short notice to fill the gap. It was a medley of bits of walks he's led before in the West Berks and Wilts area.

\n

Only four of us made it to the walk, which started from Great Bedwyn railway station. Perhaps it was too shorter notice, or people were put off by the industrial action by railway workers. (Despite the strike, the trains in our area were actually running.)

\n

\"Ian,

\n

We started by taking a path past the rather smart cricket ground in Great Bedwyn - somewhere we not walked before. We then joined a familiar track called Galley Lane, taking us to Jockey Green. From here, we headed east to Foxwood Farm, north to Burridge Heath and then east again into the Polesdon Estate.

\n

On the way, we passed through Gulley Copse where the path became rather muddy, so we took a diversion into the wood only to realise that we had lost the path. After stopping to scrutinise our maps, we were soon back on track.

\n

\"Do

\n

A rather circuitous route took us through the Polesdon Estate and into the Prosperous Estate. (The most direct route had no public access.) Here we crossed more farmland and then passed by Mount Prosperous House, where we stopped to admire their walled rose garden using a small public viewing platform.

\n

Crossing more farmland, we arrived in the tiny village of Ham. The last bit of footpath took us through the large back garden of a big house. Ian told us that the first time he'd used this footpath, he'd gone the wrong way through the garden and instead of exiting into an adjacent field, he ended up at kitchen door of the house!

\n

\"The

\n

We stopped in Ham to have our packed lunches on a picnic table by the green. Ian kindly bought a round of drinks at the village pub, after which we headed west through fields into Shalbourne.

\n

Next we crossed Newton Farm, where another walker pointed out some enormous puffballs (spherical fungi) in a field. Then we made a slight error. After walking through Birch Copse, we followed what looked like the footpath only to find ourselves back at the point where we first entered Birch Copse! So we went through it again and got it right second time, passing Folly Farm and heading west toward Great Bedwyn.

\n

\"Entering

\n

A mixture of fields and woodland took us to the Kennet and Avon Canal, which we crossed on a bridge by Bedwyn Church Lock. Then we crossed the railway line and another field, arriving at St Mary's Church. Upkeep of this large church is partly funded by a tea and cake stall inside the church. We stopped here and enjoyed several types of cake before leaving a generous donation and then following Church Street back into the village centre. See our route on Google Maps.

\n

Here we said goodbye to Ian, without realising this was the last walk he'd lead for us before returning to Australia. He had planned to tell us but, not being fond of farewells, didn't find the right opportunity. We shall miss his willingness to lead so many interesting walks for our group, his jovial nature and his intelligent conversation.

\n

\"Bedwyn

\n

Thank you to Ian for leading this walk and all the others he's led for us.

\n

📸 Back to Volume 45

\n

Return to volume index

\n"}