Monday December 04, 2006

Six miles around Aldermaston Warf

On a bright sunny Saturday we went along the M4 for a short way turning off at Theale and veering off to park at the Butt Inn at Aldermaston Wark for lunch prior to our walk. The pub might have got its name from the Archery butts that were once positioned in fields opposite the pub. We left the pub turned left along the road and crossed the canal by way of a low bridge that moves when boats need to cross the path of the road. We followed the towpath past a visitor centre and many longboats which would be rented out in the summer for visitors. We left the canal path by way of a metal swingbridge again put there for road traffic to cross the canal. Our walk took us along a a lane with the Aldermaston Quarry on our right. Just before we reached the River Kennet we left the lane and then walked alongside the river with a large house Padworth House in the distance. We carried along until we met the wooden Padworth Mill and here turned right on a lane. Four concecutive footbridges took us over the River Kennet and here we were befriended by a dog who followed us for over a mile before he or she left us to carry on alone. The only slightly uphill part of the walk was here with trees around us many with leaves still on them. We then crossed a series of fields and in one of the fields was a solitary oak which had a perfect shape about it.

We met a road and turned right and past pretty Aldermaston Church sadly no picture as the sun was blazing behind it steeple. We entered the village of Aldermaston itself and went past the school where in 1840 a John Staid a local schoolmaster propagated the first William Pear grown in the UK. A brief pit stop at the 17th century Hinds Head Inn was taken before turning right past the Post Office. The pub had its own Gaol years ago clearly for rowdy locals. Three more fields were then crossed before reaching the river again and then we entered Frouds Lane. Down this lane was a farm with the same name as the lane and beside it a Flower barn. We met the canal again and walked along it the sun now low in the sky and behind us this view.

Just before we got to our starting point we reached the Aldermaston lock which has very unusual scalloped walls built of brick. A very pleasant walk.