Start : Midham Railway Station (RG7 5SE) Grid ref. SU 572 666
(S) From the train station, join the main road (Station Road) and turn right. Walk Southward to cross River Kennet and reach the towpath on the left.
(1) If you carried on the circular walk, follow the towpath under the road.
(2) After two more pillboxes, the path crosses to the other side of the canal.
(3) Before the road bridge go through the gate and turn left across the bridge. Take great care of speeding traffic as the walkway is narrow and intermittent. At the main A4 turn right and carefully cross the road at the island when there's a gap in the traffic.
(4) At the lane cross to the bridle-way opposite which bears left across the field between posts to reach the corner by the wood.
(5) Go through the gate and continue along the edge of the wood to the byway.
(6) Turn left on the byway and keep right at the path junction still on the main track. Pass the bridle-way on the left. For a direct way to the Six Bells at Beenham, continue up the byway and take the left fork along Clay Lane.
(7) Otherwise, take the next footpath, right, on the rising ground through Old Copse with bluebells and primroses in spring. Go through the gate into the meadow and through a second gate into the pretty churchyard of St Mary's, with far-reaching views across the Kennet Valley. Beside the south porch are some fine examples of original and deeply carved eighteenth-century tombstones.
(8) Leave the churchyard through the lych-gate and turn left to reach the road in Beenham village. Turn left.
(9) Opposite the park take the enclosed footpath, right, beside the drive and keep ahead. Keep alongside the hedge then go through the gap on the left at the field corner to the Wolf Conservation Trust at Butler's Farm.
''If lucky you may see a wolf sitting on the mound in the enclosure. Although the Trust is now closed to the
public, information about the wolves is available on the website.''
(10) Bear to the left of the farm and go into the narrow meadow. At the field boundary bear right, aiming just to the left of the utility pole on the descending path to the tiny Bourne, too small to be called a river but important enough to lend its name to the Thames side village of Pangbourne.
Cross the bridge and the field and keep near the hedge on the right. Go through the gate to a track and just before the road bear left past mature oak trees to the public footpath sign.
(11) Cross the road and take the footpath into the wood. Ignore two cross-tracks and at surfaced byway turn right.
(12) After Bracken House turn right on the enclosed path to a road.
(13) Cross the road to the fenced footpath opposite leading to a lane. Turn right.
(14) At a signpost to Tutts Clump turn left down Bishop's Rd. Continue round to right past Jennets Close and the old post office. Pass the old post office.
(15) After Kimber House turn left at the footpath sign and descend through trees to emerge at the crossing track with views across the Pang Valley. Cross through the gate opposite to the fenced path, descend to the crossing track.
(16) Turn left. For refreshment at the Old Boot Inn or the Bull Inn in Stanford Dingley (½ mile) continue on this path, otherwise turn right through the gate at the path junction.
Continue across the crystal-clear River Pang which joins the Bourne before flowing into the Thames at Pangbourne. Keep to the field edge on a fenced path and turn right before the lane, passing through double gates before joining the lane.
(17) Cross to the footpath opposite and bear right across a large field to the right of the barn. Turn left at the track to the pond at Rushall Manor Farm. ''Here, the John Simonds Trust has been set up to enable people to enjoy the countryside and learn about farming. It is open to the general public in spring for bluebell walks and
lambing.''
(18) Take the right fork at the pond and continue to the lane. Cross carefully on the recreational route. Descend to a gate, cross the open area and continue through bluebell wood on a winding path. Go down dip then bear left uphill to a cross-track.
(19) Turn left then either fork right on the recreational route and turn left at the main track, or take the left fork, keeping to the right of open areas which are covered with primroses in spring. Cross into the wood and follow the boundary at first then go through the woodland.
(20) Cross a ride and at the main track turn left, briefly on the recreational route again, and keep ahead to the bridge over the motorway.
(21) Keep in the same direction for over a mile passing Mapletons and crossing several tracks and a lane until a house comes into sight on the far side of Ashampstead Common.
(22) Here bear left to the road and turn right to make the steep descent of Pyke's Hill. Give way to traffic on this narrow lane. Turn left at a road junction and soon take the footpath, right, up the bank on a rising path between trees.
(23) Turn left round the old chapel to reach the little community of Quick's Green. Turn right along Whitemoor Lane and where the lane bends to the right turn left.
(24) Pass Drift Farm, continue through wood and descend to path junction. Turn right and aim for the corner of the wood ahead then follow the direction of the arrow to the end of the wood far right. There are fine retrospective views down the valley from here.
Keep ahead to the wood opposite where the ancient earthworks of Grim's Ditch are covered in bluebells in spring. Continue through Broom Wood ignoring cross-track and on reaching the road turn left.
(25) At the corner keep ahead along the lane to Southridge and soon turn right along the field boundary at a footpath sign.
(26) At the path junction at the bottom of the gully take the left fork and climb steeply to a gate at the top of the hill. Continue, with the field boundary on the left, down and up then bear left through a gate to the lane.
(27) Turn right, go down the hill past Bennet's Wood Farm then a byway on the left and take the next footpath ahead through Mutton Copse. Turn left along the boundary to descend to a lane.
(28) Turn right along the lane and before houses turn left on a rising enclosed path with a wooden fence on the right. Continue climbing across an open field and cross a stile into The Holies, rare chalk down land owned by the National Trust.
For the best views from the top of the hill veer off slightly onto the higher ground where butterflies and flowers abound in summer. Continue ahead to a paths junction.
(29) Go through the swing gate ahead into trees on the path which descends to Streatley. Seats are positioned along a terrace to the right to make the most of the view to the River Thames and over the Goring Gap to the Chiltern Hills beyond.
(30) At the bottom of the hill turn left for the youth hostel and the Bull at Streatley pub. Turn right at the traffic-lights to continue walking. Go through Goring village to reach the station. (E)