Whitchurch Hill and Boze Down

St Mary, Whitchurch

After a hectic few days, time for a relaxing Friday afternoon stroll. This walk begins in Pangbourne. You first cross the Thames on the Whitchurch toll bridge (photo and description in my post about the Pangbourne to Reading Bridge section of the Berkshire Way) and then make a small detour past the old mill to see the church. According to Pevsner it was wholly rebuilt in the 14th century style in 1858 by Henry Woodyer.

Then you walk up the village high street, turn left up another road past the war memorial and left again to climb a field and follow a track. These exertions bring you - reasonably enough - to the village of Whitchurch Hill. You soon leave the village and pass through a splendid flower meadow, full of Greater Knapweed, with numerous Dingy Skippers and the odd Common Blue.

The meadow leads to a track which offers splendid views to the south. The river can be glimpsed, with Reading dimly in the background.



Reaching Path Hill, you descend through woodland to reach Boze Down ...




... and shortly afterwards join the road for the long plod back to Whitchurch. This stretch is enlivened only by passing the alpacas of Boze Down farm.



From: Rambling for pleasure around Reading (second series) by David Bounds for the East Berkshire Ramblers.

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

Rating: two stars. Way too much road, although the middle section of the walk was lovely. On reflection, it seems clear that this walk simply started in the wrong place, since the route both starts and ends with about a mile of road.


Sightings

I saw this wonderful moth startled out of a hedge by a passing car. It took less than a minute on the excellent UK moths site to identify it as The Magpie.


Flower of the day

I haven't managed to establish what this delicate yellow flower is,