Buckling the Wool: Woolhampton and Bucklebury Common, 8 miles, moderate

Calendar

When:

August 8, 2020 @ 10:30 am

2020-08-08T10:30:00+01:00

2020-08-08T10:45:00+01:00

Contact:

Zak

Walk

Booking Required Limited Spaces (14) moderate public transport Walk

NOTE: This walk is limited to 14 walkers + the walk leader.

Due to Government and Ramblers restrictions, places are limited on all of our walks. Please do not turn up for a walk without prior booking, as we will have to turn you away.

Due to COVID-19, we all need to take extra steps to stay safe. Please follow all safety advice given by the walk leader, including the latest guidelines on physical distancing while out walking.

Please follow the latest government guidelines on the use of public transport and car sharing. It is recommended that you bring hand sanitizer or gloves in case you need to touch gates/stiles/etc. It is also recommended that you bring a face covering, in case of emergencies. If you or someone else from your household has COVID-19 symptoms, please do not attend.

This is an 8-mile walk with a few hills (hence the moderate grade despite the length), climbing out of Woolhampton and across farmland to the villages of Beenham and Chapel Row, before proceeding along the ridge of Bucklebury Common with its woods, bracken and heathland nature reserve, returning via Midgham before descending back to the start point in Woolhampton.

We’ll meet at 10:30am at the entrance to Midgham station (which confusingly is located in Woolhampton, not Midgham!) on the north side of the level crossing, shortly after the arrival of the 10:09 service from Reading and the 10:12 service from Newbury. The walk leader intends to be on this train – if it is delayed, then the start of the walk will be too. Return trains in both directions are every hour. If driving, please park considerately in the village – the station car park is very small.

Please bring a packed lunch and plenty to drink. Bear in mind that there are hills on this walk, and some paths may be muddy if the weather has been wet, so please choose appropriate footwear. There will be no pub stop on this walk.

Book a place on this walk by completing the Google Form. We will only use the contact information you provide to get in touch about the walk, or to share if requested with NHS Test and Trace.

Booking onto a walk

Most walks do not require advance booking, and you can just turn up on the day. We encourage those comfortable with Meetup to indicate there that you plan to come though, so that others can see there will be plenty of people there – this really helps to encourage new members to come along.
For the few which still have limited numbers, this is handled via Meetup. Follow the link to a walk’s Meetup page (or press 🎟 Register / 🎟 Tickets / 🎟), and mark yourself as attending.
Social and other events may have their own booking system – please see the event description.

Pace Guide

Gentle: led at a gentle pace with regular short breaks for water or rest. Should be suitable for anyone capable of the distance. (Expect 2–2.5 mph.)
Medium: led at an intermediate pace with fewer breaks but still suitable for most walkers. (Expect 2.5–3 mph.)
Fast: led at a quick pace with minimal breaks. May be a challenge for those with less fitness. (Expect 3 mph+.)

Speeds quoted are only a rough guide, including time spent on short water/rest stops and negotiating stiles/gates/roads etc. but not that spent on longer lunch or pub stops.