Our group started 2016 with a walk over near Henley which attracted five members. A week later and with the sun beating down we had a bumper turnout of twenty eight. No doubt a few people fulfilling their New Year Resolution obligations. If truth be told our walks from Pangbourne are usually well attended and with today’s walk being a five and a half miles we were always hoping to see a few new faces amongst the usual regulars.
The walk was led by Clare. I had helped Clare with the reccie only the day previously although then we ended up with rain and completing it in darkness. We were prepared for the slippery mud, however were rest of the group? As we congregated outside Pangbourne station it was clear we were all well kitted out so shouldn’t pose a problem.
We set off along the Thames Path and Pangbourne Meadow, home to mostly grassland that makes for ideal picnic opportunities in the summer and is residence to some reeds and scrubland and a number of alder trees nearby. The group soon headed in a southerly direction hugging a small stream for a short while. We were thankful for a welcome stretch of tarmac as we had to fight our way through some very muddy patches early on.
Soon enough we left the tarmac, climbing a short hill to Sulham Woods – which is a Site of Scientific Interest – via more mud and through woodlands. This footpath here was familiar to those who were on our Theale walk in late Spring 2015 although we were heading in the opposite direction this time. We found ourselves a nice clearing within the woods to settle down and have our picnic lunches. Our walk leader Clare took the opportunity to hand out Membership forms to the maybe eight or ten people who were on their first walk today.
Lunches complete, forms handed out we were on our way again, picking up the Berkshire Circular route before heading west through Sulham woods again before descending to the village of Tidmarsh. In doing so we had to use a little bit of imagination to how best tackle a footpath that had become a “river of mud”. Oh, how we have fun on our walks.
We completed the walk by returning to Pangbourne via a tarmac footpath alongside the A340 and then the final half a mile we picked up the route along the River Pang. We said cheerio to half the group when we returned to our starting point whilst the remaining others headed to the pub for some liquid refreshment. All in all a very enjoyable walk and we especially look forward to welcoming back the first timers sometime soon.
