# Walk 725 - Kintbury, Hamstead Marshall and Marsh Benham

With blue skies overhead and the prospect of a balmy summers day with the mercury set to hit 25°C, a good crowd of ramblers assembled outside Coronation Hall in Inkpen Road on Sunday 10th August. This was Simon and Becky’s inaugural walk as leaders, and a group of twenty had been tempted by the 9½ mile walk. With sun cream being applied the walk brief was given under the shade of a tree. The assembled crowd was in good spirits.

The walk set-off out of the village up Inkpen Road branching off across pasture of Blandys Farm. With the cow herd safely tucked away from the organised route, the walk proceeded unimpeded. From there the route took us across farmland crossing Forbury and Burgess Lanes towards Kintbury Holt and then on to Hamstead Marshall with some lovely views across the Kennet Valley. With rising temperatures, regular breaks were taken to take fluids onboard.

![Crossing a field of maize at Blandys Farm.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume53/images/kintbury-1-blandys-farm.jpg)

The route then took us into Hamstead Park. Dating back to medieval times, the hamlet of Hamstead is listed in the Doomsday Book. Owned by William Marshall, advisor to five successive ruling monarchs, the park originally boasted a castle and with a deer park was a retreat for both Henry III and Edward III. These majestic park lands were the backdrop for our lunch stop, in the shade of one of the many oak trees looking out across the lakes with ducks, geese and herons to entertain.

After lunch we continued through the park and detoured up the hill to St Mary’s Church and the red brick gateways to the former 17th century manor house. We were treated to homemade flapjacks under the shade of a yew tree in the churchyard. Returning the way we came, we dropped down the hill to the River Kennet and the Kennet & Avon Canal where we gazed into the water looking for trout.

![Group photo at Hamstead Park.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume53/images/kintbury-2-hampstead-park.jpg)

We then returned to Kintbury along the towpath of the Kennet & Avon Canal. Something of a suntrap, this is probably where the heat was felt the most, and on arriving in Kintbury, most took the opportunity to take refreshments in the beer garden at the Dundas Arms stretching out along the banks of the canal.

Suitably refreshed, we ambled along the canal and then up through the churchyard of Kintbury Church back to the where the cars were parked. A good time was had by all…. (See our route on Map Pedometer: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=991420)

![Looking for trout in the Kennet and Avon Canal.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume53/images/kintbury-3-canal-bridge.jpg)

![Walking along the towpath of the Kennet and Avon Canal.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume53/images/kintbury-4-canal-towpath.jpg)

*Thanks go to Simon and Becky for leading their first walk for us, and for writing it up.*

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