Hermitage

Grimsbury Castle

The walk starts at Hermitage village hall and goes across fields to the hamlet of Oare, with a pretty church built apparently on the site of a priory chapel. Thence to Little Hungerford, whose chief claim to fame is that DH Lawrence lived there, at Chapel Farm Cottage, during the first world war. The walk duly passes the fairly unremarkable cottage, then heads into Box Wood and then through further woodland to reach Grimsbury Castle, an iron age hill fort. The picture above shows the vestiges of the defensive ditch.

Opposite the fort is this splendid 18th century tower house.


Rating: three stars.

From: 50 walks in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire (AA).

Map: Explorer 158 (Newbury and Hungerford).


Reflections

I have recently read Thomas Pakenham's marvelous Meetings with remarkable trees, which has opened my eyes to the dramatic architectural beauty of trees. I enjoyed this fine specimen, sadly dead.