Please note: this walk is a linear walk, taking advantage of two different railway lines – starting from Aldermaston station, and finishing at Pangbourne station. If you are travelling from the Reading area, you will need a single from Reading to Aldermaston, and a single from Pangbourne to Reading.
The walk will start at approximately 11.00 am, shortly after the arrival of the 10:44am departure from Reading, which arrives at Aldermaston at 10:58am. The walk leader will be on this train, so if the train is delayed then the start of the walk will also be delayed. Please bring a packed lunch, and something to drink, along with any snacks or change for the pub stop.
Today’s walk is approximately 9 miles, and will explore the three most famous valleys of Berkshire – starting in the Loddon Valley, crossing the river Pang and the Pang Valley, and finishing in the Thames Valley.
We start from Aldermaston Station, close to the River Kennet, and climb up the valley to the village of Beenham. Passing through copses, woodland and farmland we reach the hamlet of Rotten Row. beside Bradfield Hall.
The walk then follows the river Pang, where we will take a lunch break, then along the Valley towards the village of Tidmarsh (with a short, picturesque bridge crossing of the M4 motorway). We will stop in Tidmarsh at The Greyhound for a pub stop where we can rehydrate, warm up and have a short break. Continuing from Tidmarsh, we rejoin and follow along the banks of the River Pang, taking us to the end of our walk, at the small town of Pangbourne, where the River Pang meets the River Thames.
Trains run hourly from Pangbourne back to Reading, at approx. quarter past the hour.
At the end of the walk the nearby located pub, The Swan in Pangbourne (overlooking the River Thames) is an excellent place for the group to keep warm and shelter if the trains are being difficult 🙂
Sat Nav: RG7 5QE or 51.4021 -1.1369
Grid Ref: SU601673