Sandhurst to Farnborough (Blackwater Valley Path 3)

The Blackwater near Sandhurst

A late afternoon walk after a long and tiring work meeting. Continuing the Blackwater Valley Path seemed to be the ideal way to unwind. We walked down Swan lane to join the Blackwater again and followed the south bank. The river was more sinuous here and as the photo shows there was lots of hawthorn blossom in evidence.

We crossed over and wandered through the pleasant Shepherd Meadows and then crossed to the other side to emerge by a roundabout in the village of Blackwater. Happily we were soon back by the river and walking through Blackwater Park and then Hawley Meadows.

One notable point at towards the end of the Meadows was the confluence of the Cove Brook with the Blackwater.


A bit further on, the river was becoming increasingly narrow and full of rushes.


The final leg of the walk involved walking through Frimley Business Park, a complicated manoeuvre to cross the M3 and then a couple of miles following the river bank between the busy A331 on one side and a new series of one-time gravel pits, now used for fishing, on the other. Coleford Lake seemed to be the nicest of these.

From: Blackwater Valley Path (Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership) Stages 7-5.

Map: Explorer 159 (Reading, Wokingham and Pangbourne) and 145 (Guildford and Farnham).

Conditions: dry, sunny, very warm, but getting chilly as the sun went down.

Distance: 5.5 miles.

Rating: two stars. Increasing traffic noise as the walk went on. However, at least the great majority of the walk was right by the river.


Flowers of the day

At several points we saw clumps of this delicate lilac-coloured Cuckoo Flower.


And a few isolated examples of Honesty.