Sandhurst Wild

(S/E) From Sandhurst Library, turn left onto The Broadway, then right onto Wellington Road and left onto Thibet Road. At the end of the road, continue straight on along the footpath as you enter Wildmoore Heath Nature Reserve.

(1) Continue straight on at the footpath junction, taking the boardwalks across the bog and pools. As you pass under the power lines, follow the boardwalk to the right, past the raised inspection cover, to the path junction. Turn right on to bridleway and follow to the edge of the heath.

(2) Turn left on to South Road, go through the gate and follow the path for 200 metres, before turning right onto the footpath. Follow this up and around the wooded hilltop and down to Broadmoor Farm. Continue straight on up the sunken Eastern Lane with its bracken-covered banks. Take the footpath straight on as the road bends to the left.

(3) Cross the road, go through a gate and continue on into Crowthorne Wood, taking the left fork down to the fish pond at Butter Bottom, and on for 400 metres to a wide path junction. Turn left onto The Devil’s Highway following this restricted byway for about ½ mile, then just past the Broadmoor Hospital car park, turn left (South-West) onto the footpath.

(4) Follow the pavement 'Kentigern Drive with the hospital on your left-hand side. When you reach the junction with Upper Broadmoor and Chaplain's Hill road, turn right (West) by the sports field onto Cricket Field Grove Street. After the small car park, turn left and follow the path downhill through the trees. Turn left at the road (Furze Hill Crescent), then right on to Wellington Road. After 100 metres, turn left and follow the footpath between the houses, across Lower Broadmoor Road and follow Grant Road, slightly to your right through the gap in the trees, cross one road and on to Edgbarrow School.

(5) Turn left beside the school car park following the footpath for 200 metres before turning right between the playground and sports field, and back into Wildmoor Heath. Follow the permissive path straight onto the bridleway junction, and take the footpath straight on, under the power lines, and up to the highest part of the heath.

(6) Descend to Wildmoor Bottom and continue straight on at the footpath junction, this area can get quite boggy. Go up and over the rise and turn left at the next footpath junction. Follow the footpath around the edge of the bog, and along the boardwalk through an area of wet wood before leaving the reserve.

(7) Follow the road opposite, slightly to your right (Beech Ride), and take the footpath as the road bends right, cross Wellington Road and take Albion Road back to the Sandhurst Library. (S/E)

Start : Sandhurst Library Postcode: GU47 9BL (Sandhurst library). Grid ref : SU 839 614
By bus: Check www.traveline.info for information about
local buses
By train: There are railway stations at Sandhurst and also Crowthorne if you prefer to start at a different point on the walk. Check www.nationalrail.co.uk for train times
By car: Parking is available in Sandhurst as well as in Crowthorne and at Wildmoor Heath nature reserve
By bike: The walk starts in the centre of Sandhurst

• There is a 2.4 km/1.5 mile circular Wildlife Walk and other additional paths through Wildmoor Heath to explore further.
• Parts of the route through Wildmoor Heath can get very wet under foot

• More walks on Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust website.
• Read more about nature notes on the leaflet here.

Wildmoor Heath Nature Reserve
Heath once covered much of south and east Berkshire, but today only 2% of this area survives, having been destroyed for housing and forestry. Wildmoor Heath’s gently rolling landscape of heather, gorse and pine is part of this tiny percentage of remaining heathland. The reserve is most colourful when the heather flowers in late summer, turning the reserve shades of purple and pink with an accompanying buzz of bees and flies feeding on this rich nectar source.
However, there is plenty to see throughout the year. Cushions of yellow, green and red sphagnum mosses glow even brighter after fresh rain. There are drifts of white feathery cottongrass dotted with golden-yellow bog asphodel. Dragonflies and damselflies dart back and forth over mirrored ponds. Stonechats and Dartford warblers sing from the tops of gorse bushes.
The reserve is managed by BBOWT in partnership with Bracknell Forest Borough Council for its wildlife and for public recreation. Cattle browse the young pine, birch and purple moor-grass to keep the vegetation at the right height for ground-nesting birds such as nightjars, and for reptiles like adders and lizards.

Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT)
BBOWT relies on the support of our members to help us look after local wildlife. By joining BBOWT you can help to secure the future of special landscapes like Wildmoor Heath.