Mortimer to Bramley, around Reading

Start : Mortimer Railway Station (RG7 3NY) Grid ref. SU 672 641

(S) From Mortimer station turn left into Station Rd. Keep left at the road junction.

(1) Turn left again to St Mary's Church on the footpath. Bear left across the brook and turn right alongside the pond.

(2) At the path junction, cross the Brook but keep in the same direction (South-West). Cross a stile and with the brook still on the left, bear left through gate and after the next gate continue to the field boundary.

(3) Turn left and cross the brook again on a rising path across railway bridge. Pass to the left of two oak trees and bear right along field edge to lane. This is the Devil's Highway, once one of the Rom an roads leading to Calleva Atrebatum.

(4) Turn right and at the road junction go through the gate ahead on the footpath. March up the hill to the site of the Rom an town as foot-soldiers may have done 2000 years ago.

Go through gate to lane. The ruins of the Roman Amphitheatre are diagonally right across the junction and are well worth a visit. Continue up Wall Rd and turn left through swing gate.

(5) Turn right at second gate to go along the Wall, once surrounding the town. Half-way along the entrance to the North Gate can clearly be seen. Continue to follow the Wall round to the left to a path junction.

(6) Cross the centre of the Roman site on public bridle-way. Turn right before barn and go through gate into churchyard of friendly st Mary's church, which has a long history associated with the lords of the manor, the Bluett family. Leave the churchyard at a pretty area beside the Wall with a seat by the duck-pond.

(7) Climb steps at a footpath sign across the lane and keep ahead on the permitted path. Bear slightly right across second field to a concrete track. Keep ahead through swing gate beside North Copse. Keep to the edge of field round corner, pass the swing gate on left and go through second swing gate.

(8) Keep ahead on the permissive path as the footpath bears right. Cross the brook, left, into the meadow where the 13th century Manor House of the Bluett family once stood.

The site of the moat can still be seen. The meadow is grazed and has been planted with willow trees for making cratin cricket bats in the traditional way.

Follow the path round the edge of the plantation and leave the meadow at Clappers Farm Rd by road junction.

(9) Turn right along lane and keep ahead at the corner on the footpath along the field edge.

(10) After the last pylon turn left along footpath across field. Go through gate, cross ditch and turn left at cross-path just inside the wood. Follow this path until it emerges on the electricity sub-station access road.

(11) Turn left along the access road to a road junction.

(12) Turn right along the pavement.

(13) At the road junction turn left past the barn then the Bramley public house to reach Bramley Railway Station at the level crossing. (E)

Start : Mortimer Railway Station (RG7 3NY) Grid ref. SU 672 641

Maps : Map OS Explorer 159

Find more information and walks at Round Reading Walks website here.

Calleva Atrebatum, the Iron Age "Wooded Place of the Attrebates" was taken over by the Romans in the first century and became an important administration centre of Rom an Britain. When the Romans left 400 years later the site was gradually abandoned and fell into ruin.