Hamstead Marshall lies in the North Wessex PLEASE BE AWARE THAT Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its Some fields may contain livestock Walking in Hamstead Marshall landscape of mixed farming, woodland, river Some walk areas may be muddy and canal supports a diverse range of flora and Most walks include stiles fauna. Care needs to be taken when walking on HoltwoodHoltwood WWalkalk The woods contain many broad-leaf species village roads with no pavements and including mature oaks, hazel coppices and some Sensible walking footwear is advisable fine stands of conifer. Hamstead Park has some OldOld MansionMansion WWalkalk good specimens of ornamental trees, including Wellingtonia. COUNTRYSIDE CODE Birds of prey include red kite, buzzard, kestrel, Leave gates as you find them sparrowhawk and the occasional harrier over the Take your litter home riverside water meadow. Owls are often sighted Do not uproot wild plants and, in the higher fields, skylark, lapwing and Keep dogs under close control and wintering golden plover. Migratory birds include poop-scoop if they foul paths swallow, martin, swift, cuckoo, nightingale and warbler in spring and summer, and brambling, fieldfare and redwing in winter. You may also see kingfisher or dabchick from the riverbank. In spring the woods and lanes display snow- drops, primroses, violets and wood anemones, followed by bluebells, riverside yellow flags and kingcups. Butterflies and moths abound, and the amphibian population includes frogs, toads and newts. The water vole is present at both canal and river. Grass snakes are a fairly common sight. Game is plentiful with pheasant, partridge and hare in the fields. Roe deer (pictured) and muntjac are a familiar sight, along with fallow deer in the Hamstead Park Hamstead Park larger woods. Bats are Two circular walks of 3 - 4 miles each, common at dusk, If you would like to comment or enquire about this leaflet and flourishing please do so to [email protected] which can be enjoyed separately populations exist of other mammals, This leaflet is one of two produced in connection with the or linked to make a figure-of-8 walk Hamstead Marshall Parish PLan. The Parish Plan Steering including badger and Group gratefully acknowledges financial assistance received of nearly 7 miles over farmland, fox, with the occasion- from the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural al sighting of mink Beauty. The publishers have endeavoured to supply accurate woodland, country lanes, and and polecat. information, but they cannot accept liability for any mis- Hamstead Park adventure arising from the walks. photo Jonathan Pointer © Hamstead Marshall Parish Plan 2009

bridle path and beside Hamstead Lock. Hamstead beside and path bridle www.dogstrust.org.uk> <

recreation field, at the top end of the Elm Farm Elm the of end top the at field, recreation

Wednesdays. Other times by appointment only. appointment by times Other Wednesdays.

but there are bench seats in the village hall village the in seats bench are there but

01488 658391 Open 12.00 until 16.00, closed 16.00, until 12.00 Open 658391 01488

There is no picnic area as such in the village, the in such as area picnic no is There

DOGS TRUST, Plumb’s Farm RG20 0HR RG20 Farm Plumb’s TRUST, DOGS

PICNICS

road safety. road les. Cam’s Carvery. Accommodation. Carvery. Cam’s les. a

when parking. Always consider sightlines and sightlines consider Always parking. when Open 7 days a week, lunchtime and evening. Real evening. and lunchtime week, a days 7 Open

Please respect private property and entrances and property private respect Please WHITE HART INN RG20 0HW 01488 658201 01488 0HW RG20 INN HART WHITE

lumbs’s Farm are strictly for patrons only. patrons for strictly are Farm lumbs’s P

parks at the White Hart, Elm Farm and Farm Elm Hart, White the at parks

short walk into the village. The private car private The village. the into walk short gate-piers of the former Craven mansion Craven former the of gate-piers timetable and litter bin. litter and timetable

opposite the Craven Arms, from which it is a is it which from Arms, Craven the opposite local contacts, event announcements, bench, bus bench, announcements, event contacts, local

also a small off-road parking area diagonally diagonally area parking off-road small a also at Ash Tree Corner bus shelter. Board with maps, with Board shelter. bus Corner Tree Ash at

from the railway crossing to the A4. There is There A4. the to crossing railway the from VILLAGE INFORMATION POINT INFORMATION VILLAGE

Hamstead Mill, and on Milkhouse Road running Road Milkhouse on and Mill, Hamstead

Crown copyright. All rights reserved. 100024151. 2009 100024151. reserved. rights All copyright. Crown

roadside parking around Chapel Corner, Chapel around parking roadside

advance. There are limited possibilities for possibilities limited are There advance. all for recreation. for all

the hall. Please ring 01488 657022 to check in check to 657022 01488 ring Please hall. the marshall.net/whatson>. Adjoining field open to open field Adjoining marshall.net/whatson>.

walkers when it is not needed for an event at event an for needed not is it when walkers month. For other events see

The village hall car park may be used by by used be may park car hall village The 10am-1pm on the second Saturday of each of Saturday second the on 10am-1pm

ARKING P Hall bookings 01488 657022. Community market Community 657022. 01488 bookings Hall

VILLAGE HALL & RECREATION FIELD RG20 0HL RG20 FIELD RECREATION & HALL VILLAGE ewbury_nov2006/013MF22.html>. n

on

and Chapel Corner. The timetable can be seen be can timetable The Corner. Chapel and

www.organicresearchcentre.com> < stopping at Ash Tree Corner, the White Hart White the Corner, Tree Ash at stopping

during working hours. working during daily (each way) Mondays to Saturdays, Saturdays, to Mondays way) (each daily

opposite the farm car park) or from reception from or park) car farm the opposite Marshall on the Kintbury Road about 6 times 6 about Road Kintbury the on Marshall

from the start of the trail (bridle path almost path (bridle trail the of start the from Hungerford) passes through Hamstead through passes Hungerford)

the public seven days a week. Leaflets available Leaflets week. a days seven public the (Newbury to (Newbury 13 ROUTE BUSES NEWBURY

special events, but there is a farm trail open to open trail farm a is there but events, special

miles west of Newbury. of west miles

01488 658298 Not open to the public except for except public the to open Not 658298 01488

southwards from the A4 crossroads about two about crossroads A4 the from southwards

ORGANIC RESEARCH CENTRE, Elm Farm RG20 0HR RG20 Farm Elm CENTRE, RESEARCH ORGANIC

The village can also be reached by a turning a by reached be also can village The

known as the Kintbury Road. Kintbury the as known

the Craven Arms. Within the village this is this village the Within Arms. Craven the

churchwarden on 01635 44868 or 01635 52436. 01635 or 44868 01635 on churchwarden

to Kintbury, first passing Enborne Church and Church Enborne passing first Kintbury, to

ly locked for security. For access contact a contact access For security. for locked ly

Pound Street in Newbury and runs westward runs and Newbury in Street Pound

marshall.net>. At other times the church is usual- is church the times other At marshall.net>.

lies on the unclassified road which begins as begins which road unclassified the on lies

Services most Sundays – see

Holtwood Walk: 3 miles N Old Mansion Walk: 3.75 miles (points 1 to 8 ) (points 9 to 16 )

Take the bridleway opposite Elm Take the driveway opposite the 9 1 Farm (9) across the field (10), passing White Hart up past Plumb’s Farm Crown copyright, all rights reserved 100024151 2009 over a dip created by clay extraction (the Dogs’ Trust). Pass the kennel for brickmaking. To the left is on the left, after which there is a Woodcote Copse. The bridleway rises footpath crossroads. Take the route to meet Park Lane, which you cross, straight ahead, over a stile and uphill continuing on another footpath (1) across a field towards woodland. uphill to a stile (11). Follow the footpath Here you are at one of the highest signs which take you across the points of the village (400ft), and you middle of the Plain, once grassland have a good overall view of the 10 2 used for village cricket and golf, but houses distributed along the now cultivated. The path through Kintbury Road. The distinctive 13 crops should be clearly marked. triangle of Morewood’s roof can be As you cross the Plain note the ditch seen further north. and bank on the right, remains of 12 the pale which enclosed the 14 medieval deer park; it is now a Cross the stile into Briffs Copse (2) and Scheduled Ancient Monument. follow the path which eventually Ahead you can see the gate-piers of takes you to the corner of a field (3). 3 the first Craven mansion, built in the 11 This is Waterman’s Farm land. The 11 1660s and burned down in 1718. The footpath signs direct you across this 15 gate-piers and what is left of the old field in a dog-leg (4) (5), then across mansion walling also have protected another (6), eventually to meet Watery 10 status. Lane at Smiths Bridge (7), which marks 9

the border with Hampshire. 1 The path reaches St Mary’s church- yard (12), at which point footpaths run 16 left into Craven Hill, and also to the Turn left into Watery Lane and pass 2 12 4 right. Take the latter, skirting the Foxlee and Enborne Valley farms on 3 garden of North Lodge, and descend the right. The lane rises and then 8 through an avenue to Hamstead drops to the riding stables at 4 Mill (13). Holtwood Farm (perhaps one of the 5 oldest houses in the village) on the Turn right onto the tarmac drive and left, and its redeveloped barns to the walk towards the big house in the right. Another slight rise meets 6 centre of the park, successor to the Holtwood Lane. 7 burnt mansion. The Craven Fishery 13 5 lies on the left, shrouded by green- ery in summer but plainly visible in Turn left into Holtwood Lane, and winter. The path passes a lake (14) continue a few hundred yards until and climbs a hill. To the left is the the footpath sign takes you off to earthwork of a Norman castle (not the left, crossing the corner of one open to the public). At the top the field, and then the width of another. footpath leaves the tarmac to skirt At this point there is a stile whose the house grounds on grass, approach is sometimes overgrown eventually joining another driveway with brambles. 14 6 Having negotiated this you are back on Elm Farm land, Take the footpath which forks to the right, over pasture leading out from the back of the house. crossing three fields, as you descend to the Mayhouse Gully. aiming for the stile at the far side. Descend, skirting a copse Continue along this to a junction Winding through the damp woodland here, cross the stream to the right. Bear right and after a couple of field crossings, marked by a white stone memorial (8), and the path emerges into another field, at the far fence the path brings you to the corner of Ash Tree plantation, dedicated to the US troops who at which the footpath forks. beside which the path runs to the camped here just before D-Day (15). Take the right-hand option leading left as a more obvious track. After onto a short trackway. This takes you a few hundred yards it joins the to the Kintbury Road, and the White Kintbury Road just east of Ash Tree Hart is about 100 yards to the left. Corner (16), from which it is a half- 7 8 mile walk (to the right) back to Elm 16 15 Farm.