Lambourn

View towards Lambourn

This walk begins in the centre of Lambourn and involves an oval route to the south east. The first part of the walk is the same as the route we followed in June 2008 on the Lambourn to Hungerford leg of the Berkshire Way. You quickly leave Lambourn and follow a mainly rising track between field hedges.

What was new this time was that the walk book helpfully pointed out the Watts Reserve, a grassy slope off to the left belonging to the Berks, Bucks and Oxfordshire Naturalists Trust. We paused to explore. There were lots of wild flowers still and the information board promised a rich selection of butterflies earlier in the season. One to return to next year. The view from the top of the slope was very attractive.



A bit further on we had an unusual experience - being made to slow our pace by a horse in front. The horse and its rider overtook us comfortably enough, but then it seemed to find the combination of the stony rutted track and a descent quite tricky and slowed down markedly.

Reaching a cross roads by the 15th century thatched Cleeve Cottage, we left last year's route and headed along another, more open, but equally stony track. At the end of a slight rise there were excellent views over the Lambourn valley to the right.



And emerging between two hedgerows, Lambourn could be seen again in the middle distance (photo at the top of this post).

We descended between open fields to reach and then turn to walk alongside, the River Lambourn. Sadly, it is currently dry. (Very different from how it was on my Eastbury to Lambourn walk, also last year.)



Gradually the fields give way to the outskirts of Lambourn and then the town itself and you return to the car park off the High St.

From: Village walks in Berkshire by the Berkshire Federation of Women's Institutes (Countryside Books). Probably the best walk in the book.

Distance: Allegedly 5 miles, but seemed much closer to 4.

Map: Explorer 158 (Newbury and Hungerford)..

Rating: four stars. Lovely views and full of interest.


Flower of the day

I spotted this beautiful Clustered Bellflower on the Watts Reserve.



Berries of the day

Less obscure than yesterday's, this Blackthorn was also on the Watts Reserve.



Tree of the day

I am not sure if this will be a regular feature, but the excellent walk description alerted us to this handsome specimen at the Cleeve Cottage cross roads. It is a field maple, our only native acer.