Crowthorne Circular

12 October. Just as we thought train issues were no longer a problem, this was the second walk out of the last three that was significantly delayed by disrupted services. Twelve walkers set off to join the leaders at Crowthorne station, most of whom had settled themselves on the stated train, unaware of a cancelled connection, only to be dramatically, by all accounts, pulled off at the very last minute in order to try a different route as suggested by the walk leader. Bad decision, it turned out, as the alternative train was slowed to a walking pace just before its destination for fear of an obstruction on the line. So the group finally set off an hour and a half hour late at a bit of a hurried pace.

The walk took us through a National Trust nature reserve, along a country lane and through woodland skirting fields before reaching the lower parts of Finchampstead Ridges, past Spout Pond, then dropped down past Moor Green Lake to the Blackwater River.

This is where the drizzle started and as we left the cover of trees it bucketed down for a short period, but long enough to make us thoroughly wet.

We ploughed through woods again avoiding huge puddles and ascending the hill with views over fields finally reaching the lunch stop, just as the pub was closing its kitchen. Kindly they allowed us to order if we decided within two minutes and picnickers joined us for hot drinks. Slightly tired, people were checking their phones and finding that the distance already walked was somewhere between five and seven miles when the whole walk was meant to be about seven and a half!

The afternoon was luckily not wet, except underfoot, but not as muddy as expected. It was also genuinely shorter! We reached the upper part of the Ridges, stopped for the view and then about half the group decided to take the shorter route straight to the station while nine of us continued on the loop through Simon’s Wood to have a glimpse at the beautiful autumn light on Heath Pond, returning just in time to meet the others at the station, having been warned ahead of another train cancellation!

Using the route back to London via Reading everyone did get home several hours before midnight.

A curious sign at Waterloo Station: clearly somebody had been praying for delay!

Linda and Chris. Photos by Christine.