THE
WALK
Distance: 6.5
miles
Grid reference at start: SU475677
Time: 2-3 hours
Going: Easy
Parking: Car park in centre of Newbury and find a suitable
place in Chieveley as there is no designated car park.
BBC
BERKSHIRE WALKING AND SAFETY
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Start
at Victoria Park in Newbury (you can park in the car park opposite
it).
Follow
the path through the park that brings you out onto Park Lane.
This
takes you out onto a busy main road, where you need to take the
underpass straight ahead.
Turn
left out of the underpass, onto the path with the Harvester restaurant
on your right.
Cross
the road using the pedestrian crossing, and follow the road straight
ahead.
You'll
see that the path straight ahead deviates away from the road to
the right, and is fenced off.
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| This
is the first bit of open countryside you'll cross as you leave
Newbury |
Follow
this path, away from the main road.
This
path takes you past Shaw Park on the left, and woodland on the right.
Leave
the path by a metal gate, crossing the River Lambourn over a bridge.
Follow
the path to a T-junction where you'll see a school straight ahead.
Turn
right.
Just
after the sign saying cyclists dismount, turn left up the footpath.
Where
the footpath comes out onto Love Lane, turn right.
Walk
down Love Lane to meet the B4009. Turn left towards Hermitage.
Once
you're alongside the cemetry on your right, take the road half left
through the housing estate.
Take
the track to the left of the sign for Highwood Close.
Keep
on the track, past Highwood Farm, keeping the farm house on your
left.
Pass
underneath the powerline, and continue through a wooden gate.
Keep
going along with the field boundary to your left and pass through
another wooden gate.
The
footpath leaves the field boundary and crosses the middle of the
field.
As
you go over a slight rise you'll see a Red Farm on your left.
The
path comes out on an asphalt road, cross this and continue following
the footpath straight ahead.
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| The
landscape was just changing from summer to autumn as we walked
this route |
The
path here doesn't follow the field boundary but goes through the
middle of the field, heading towards the left hand end of the trees
ahead.
Leave
the field through the metal gate.
The
path follows the field edge on the right side, but then leaves the
boudary and heads towards the wooden gate.
Keep
on following the field boundary and leave this field through another
wooden gate.
As
you reach the gate, you can see the roofs of Grange Farm to your
right.
Still
following the field boundary on your right, pass through another
wooden gate.
After
passing through the gate, there is scrub land on your left and a
field on your right.
Just
after you pass a corrugated farm building on your right, take a
footpath on the left, crossing a stile.
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| You'll
pass through lots of exposed, open farmland |
Continue
following the path through the woods, over another stile.
The
footpath comes out on Curridge Road, where you turn left.
Pass
Oaklands estate on the right.
Keep
following the lane, and it'll take you over the A34 on a roadbridge.
Turn
right after you've crossed the bridge, and then immediately turn
left into Arlington Lane, following the sign for Winterborne.
You'll
pass the Mary Hare School on your left.
Go
up the hill, and take the road off to the right (which says no through
road).
Follow
this road passing Snelsmore barn.
Don't
follow the footpath straight ahead, but turn left onto the asphalt
road.
Passing
a pond on your left and Snelsmore Farm on your right.
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| This
walk is quite a long one - so pace yourself! |
Stay
on this road, passing a stone sign saying Kites Abbey.
Keep
following the footpath into the woods.
As
you approach the motorway, you'll see a bridleway to the left.
Take
this, and you'll walk parallel to the M4.
You'll
reach a path on the right, that turns back sharply, almost going
back the way you have just walked.
Take
this path.
This
takes you across the M4 on a footbridge.
Follow
the bridleway right, onto the field boundary.
As
you cross the field, towards Church farm, you can see Chieveley
ahead of you.
When
you reach the road turn right and when you reach the main road turn
left, taking you into the centre of Chieveley.
You've
completed
Part Five of the Berkshire Way
Well
Done!
Berkshire
Way Part Six
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