On Sunday 19th November, we had our Annual General Meeting, where we elect a new committee to run the Berkshire Weekend Walkers. The day started with a six mile walk from Pangbourne. Nineteen of us (including two newcomers, trying us out) met up in the village hall car park.
This would have been a repeat of the walk I led for the previous AGM, but the recent prolonged period of wet weather meant parts of the original route were flooded and impassable. So a modified route had to be put together in a hurry.
We walked through the village and took the small lane next to W H Smith called The Moors. This became a footpath that took us out onto Pangbourne moors, initially following the River Pang and then crossing some waterlogged fields to Sulham Lane.
Everything seemed even wetter than it did during the pre-walk a fortnight ago. Soon we were climbing the steep slope into Sulham Wood and then into Mosshall Wood.
There were far more autumn leaves on the paths since the pre-walk, and those still on the trees had turned red, yellow and brown, providing a very colourful canopy.
Leaving the wood near Purley, we headed south toward Little Heath. Some of the lower-lying paths were quite boggy. Just before reaching Little Heath, we turned west and descended a steep path through Sulham Wood into a large field below.
Here we got views of Watership Down and Cottington's Hill in the far distance and later got a view of the Wilder's Folly (aka the Calcot Dovecot) on Nunhide Hill. Passing the church and a quaint-looking gatehouse on Sulham Hill, we crossed the road and followed a footpath behind some large houses and gardens, taking us back to Sulham Wood.
We used some fallen trees as benches while we ate our packed lunches. There was also a rope-swing, which some of us felt the urge to try out.
Finally, we headed back to Pangbourne Village Hall, taking the same route we'd used at the start of the walk. See our route on Google Maps. While we were out walking, three of our committee had volunteered to stay behind and set up the hall for the AGM.
After changing out of our muddy boots, we went into the hall to be greeted by tables of homemade cakes and biscuits, plus the wherewithal for making tea, coffee and lemon squash. Suitably refreshed, we conducted our AGM, voting in the new members of our committee. Afterwards, there was still time for second helpings of drinks and cakes before we had to clear the hall.
Thank you to Sue, Ann and Richard for setting up the hall, and to all those who made the cakes and biscuits.
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