Pangbourne College and the River Pang

The river Pang near Pangbourne

This walk, which I did in the early evening, starts from the centre of Pangbourne and initially follows the Thames for about a mile. This is not quite as good as it sounds because the route is along the main road, and the river is not at its most inspiring here. However, the road is lined with a series of magnificent late Victorian and Edwardian mansions - apparently originally known locally as "the seven deadly sins". The route then turns away from the river through woods and fields to pass through the grounds of Pangbourne School and thence to the village of Tidmarsh. It returns to Pangbourne via the water meadows alongside the Pang.

Rating: three and a half stars.

From: Rambling for Pleasure: Around Reading second series by David Bounds for the East Berkshire Ramblers’ Association Group.

Map: Explorer 159 (Reading, Wokingham and Pangbourne).


Sightings

The latter part of the walk was full of interest. First there were a troop (flight?) of swallows performing aerobatics over a corn field on the edge of Tidmarsh, then some rabbits in a field, including the wonderfully alert one below, and finally some splendid long horn cattle.