The white cliffs of Wargrave, 10.5 miles, moderate

Calendar

When:

March 12, 2022 @ 10:30 am

2022-03-12T10:30:00+00:00

2022-03-12T10:45:00+00:00

Where:

Wargrave station
Wargrave
Reading RG10 8EU
UK

Cost:

Free

Contact:

Jonathan

Walk

Booking Required Circular Limited Spaces (20) moderate public transport Walk

A 10.5 mile circular walk from Wargrave passing through a variety of farmland and woodland.

Walk details

We start our walk from Wargrave station, heading east for a loop of the Wargrave chalk pit. This pit was first excavated in the mid 1800s and continued to operate until the 1930s. The chalk pit has some of the youngest chalk preserved in Berkshire and is full of fossils. If you’re lucky, you may find sea urchins, oysters and corals in the debris at the bottom of the chalk face.

We continue on our way, passing through Sheeplands Farm which specialises in growing large, plump raspberries and delicious tabletop strawberries and blueberries. We will cross the railway at Ruscombe and continue through several fields (some of which may be a bit muddy!). Lunch is planned outside the church in Waltham St Lawrence. There may be the opportunity for a short pub stop at the Bell too (depending upon the weather and space).

After lunch we cross back over the railway and pass through Knowl Hill, picking up the Knowl Hill Bridleway circuit (and some more mud). For those interested in steam engines, Knowl Hill Steam Rally used to be an internationally known event that was held every August. Unfortunately it hasn’t been held since 2004 due to increasing insurance premiums, so no steam engines for us today! Whilst the clue is in the name – the second half of the way will be hillier than the first with a few undulations to tackle in the woodland.

We will pop out of the woods in Wargrave and after the last short stretch down some residential streets will end up back where we started at the station.

Travel details

By public transport

The 09:52 from Reading (with a change at Twyford) arrives at Wargrave at 10:20.

By car

Parking is available on Station Road on the approach to the station.

Notes

If you or someone else from your household has COVID-19 symptoms, please do not attend.
Please bring a packed lunch and a drink.
It might be muddy – please wear suitable footwear.
Please feel free to contact the leader with queries about the walk, or if you are delayed on the day.

Please press the green 🎟 Register button at the top to go to the Google form to book your place on this walk. This may simply appear as a green ticket icon 🎟.

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.