Berkshire Circular Routes: Bradfield

Start : The start of this walk is at Rushall Manor Farm outdoor centre.

(S/E) From Rushall Manor Farm outdoor centre parking area, go down the track past the barn, then go through the steel gate on the right into the field. The path crosses the field diagonally South-West (roughly following the line of electricity poles) to another gate onto Back Lane.

(1) Go through the gate opposite; the path then turns immediately right (West), parallel to the lane on the opposite side of the hedge. Continue to the end, crossing an access track, then turn left (South) along the obvious fenced path along the edge of the field to the River Pang, ignoring the footpath to the right.

(2) Cross over the river by a footbridge, then continue along the path (this section can be muddy but, at the time of writing, wood chips had been spread over the worst parts). At the obvious path junction, turn left (West) between hedges on the path that runs East along the valley floor, parallel to the river. After around 500m, you reach a gate directly in front of you, with a footpath through a kissing gate to the right.

(3) Continue along this footpath (North-East) until you reach a lane (Darl Lane). Turn right along the lane for 50m, then turn left (North-East) onto the footpath. Continue along this footpath, which then joins the river bank, until this reaches Bradfield Church. Turn left (North-Esat) along the lane to reach the main road (Ashampstead Road) through Bradfield.

(4) Turn left (North-West) along this road to the junction with Back Lane, and go up the steps diagonally left (West) from the junction at the start of a footpath. Cross the field on this foopath, slightly to the right of a line of telegraph poles. Go through the hedge and turn right around the corner of the next field (you can ignore the finger post pointing diagonally across the corner). Go through the gap in the hedge and cross the field beyond, diagonally to its far left corner.

(5) Turn right (North-West) along Greathouse Walk to a covered reservoir. Continue along the main track, which bends slightly left and is signposted 'bridleway'. The track curves slightly to the right and then descends a small dip. As you climb out of this dip, a footpath on the left of the track is marked by a white post with an arrow marked 'Recreational Route'.

(6) Take this path, which follows a straight line through the woods with occasional clearings. At the end of the wood, go through the gate and cross the field, slightly to the right of the line of the path through the wood, to reach Scratchface Lane.

(7) Go through the opening on the opposite side of the lane. Follow the main track as it curves left and goes downhill, ignoring signs pointing to tracks to the right. At the bottom of the hill, the path forks shortly before it joins a major track.

(8) Take the right fork (South) then continue along the major track, with a field on the right. When you reach a track junction with a pond in front of you, go straight on to return to the start at Rushall Manor Farm outdoor centre. (S/E)

Car Park : The start of this walk is at Rushall Manor Farm outdoor centre, which has public parking on the left just beyond the barn.

The minor cross-country roads to the farm are confusing. If travelling from the west (Newbury), turn left off the A4 one mile (1.6km) after the end of the dual carriageway, then turn left at the end of this road.
If travelling from the east (Reading), turn right at the roundabout onto the A340 towards Pangbourne, then first left. In both cases, continue through Bradfield, going straight over the crossroads as you enter the village, then as you leave the village turn left into Back Lane. Continue along the lane for one mile (1.6km), ignoring lanes on the right and the left. Then turn right onto the track with a sign for 'Rushall Manor Farm, Black Barn, John Simonds Trust'.

This route is based on the Berkshire Circular Route on Ordnance Survey Explorer map No.159 (but not on the map with this route description). Together with the shorter route described separately, they cover the route options shown on the OS map. They are described in opposite directions and this route has a few variations from the route on the map, so that they feel like different walks.

To follow the circular route exactly as shown on the Ordnance Survey map:

(S/E) From the parking area return along the track to Back Lane. Turn right along the road, then immediately left onto the bridleway to reach a junction with the footpath on the left. (3)

(4) Turn left along the road, then shortly after the bridge over the brook turn left onto a driveway that is also a footpath. This crosses a field diagonally to reach Back Lane. Cross the lane and continue along the track (Greathouse Walk). (5)

Rushall Manor Farm is near the boundary between two geologies. To the North, there are the heavy clays of the Reading Beds. Before tractors, these were difficult to work for agriculture, so for centuries has been left as woodland and permanent pasture. The highest part is overlain by Plateau Gravels (in the area named The Gravels on the map). To the South, the valley is flinty loam over Upper Chalk, which was easy to work as arable land.

(S/E) There has been a farm on this site for at least 700 years. The large barn dates from the 18th Century. The granary sits on staddlestones (stone supports shaped like mushrooms), to keep rodents out. The farm is now an educational centre, run by the John Simonds Trust, which teaches children about the countryside.

(3) The River Pang is one of the rare chalkstreams of Southern England. Its source is normally near the village of Compton, but it can be as far as Farnborough or as near as Hampstead Norreys, depending on the rainfall and the water table in the chalk.

(4) Bradfield is home to Bradfield College, a public school, which occupies a large part of the village. It was founded in 1850 by Thomas Stevens, who was both Rector and Lord of the Manor.

(5) The trees in these woods are very varied. The trees at The Gravels have grown since 1880, as older maps show this area as open ground. Among them are some 'exotics' such as the Monkey Puzzle, planted by Victorian collectors. Further on there are some large Thuja, which can grow to 60m tall. After Stratchface lane are ancient woodlands on the clay of the Reading Beds.