Leith Hill

The top of Leith Hill Tower is the highest point in the South East, although the hill itself falls short of the highest peak by 3 metres (this being held by Walbury Hill which I hope to walk very soon).  Leith Hill has been on our To-Do list for a long time and after such a long break from hill-walking, it seemed like a good time to inject a bit of excitement (as far as Southern hill-walking goes) into our walks.

2.5 miles seemed like a fair distance as everybody seems to have fallen very lazy lately and after all this is a 'hill'.  It's a National Trust Walk so very straight forward and it even includes a section of Ordinance Survey Map.

The paths are clearly visible with very few junctions, and with an easy map to follow, the route is simple enough.  Already, in the first minutes we are rewarded with the distant hills and a promise of beautiful views.

Blue Surrey Hills in the Distance

As we pass below Leith Hill Place, the view opens up.  If only the clouds would clear I could get some beautiful pictures.  However, I am already feeling very warm so for sanity's sake, I'm quite glad for the cloud.

Golden hills and blue skies - oh and a bit of imagination 

Looking back across the field towards Leith Hill Place

Once we pass into the woods, the climb starts.  For anyone used to 'real' hills this incline is pretty much downhill! But for my family it is hard work.

I am surprised how few people we pass on the way up, but as we reach the tower there seem to be a good number of picnickers and cyclists.  The boys and I ascend the tower and become the highest people in the South East - apart from those in the planes above us, who we see taking off from Gatwick to our East and Heathrow to the North.

Leith Hill Tower

 The route back down could also have been pretty amazing had the sun appeared.  Eventually it did grace us - on our drive home.

The route down to Windy Gap

I have truly been bitten again by the walking bug.  Just the right kind of walks and I'm sure my boys will feel the same. 

Wendy Booth - Portrait Artist

Sandhurst and Horseshoe Lake

I can't believe it is 3 years since I last posted! We have continued to walk as a family, but perhaps not as often as I'd like. However, it looks as though we will soon have our Sundays back, so I am looking forward to a lot more walking. I am always on the look out for walks, locally and within an hour's drive of home, so I was really excited to find FancyFreeWalks.org. Our first walk for a while was their Sandhurst to Horseshoe Lake and Blackwater

which is 4.5 miles. Our previous average would be 3 to 3.5 miles, but this always left us wanting for more.

We were familiar with several parts of this walk but this was the first time we'd amalgamated this route. In August the heather is in bloom and we were greeted with purple carpet and green ferns almost immediately. This part of Edgbarrow Woods is far more interesting and varied than some of the areas deeper into Swinley. If you're lucky you may see slow worms or even adders.

More woods, which are less inspiring but then the most exciting part for the boys, and most heart-stopping for me.  The railway crossing.  The track is straight and long in each direction.  There really is no danger as long as you are sensible, but any mother can't help but fret!



I'm afraid I didn't take many pictures (as I only thought of reigniting my blog afterwards) but below you can see the lovely pastures of Ambarrow Farm where we all commented how lucky we are to live so close to such beautiful countryside. You really wouldn't know that you're only a 10 minute drive from Wokingham or Bracknell.

And the view back across the meadow....

Soon after here we cross the lane to the lake and take a right turn to start the circuit of the Horseshoe Lake.  This is where we get the first complaints and tired boys (who really are big enough to have the energy!) realise we are taking the long route.  We pass close to the horseshoe shaped island (where the lake gets its name) in full bloom with so many colours of wild flower, before turning left to walk alongside the river.

I always love this part of Blackwater River.  The sun passes through the trees creating patterns of dappled light through the shallows that look almost magical.  We spot a rope swing and make a note to ourselves to return purely to play on this at a later date.

Unfortunately, the play area at the watersports centre no longer exists so we just refresh ourselves at the cafe and have a coffee while watching the paddle-boarders and kayakers.  

The route back always seems a lot quicker, but with this being a 'there and back' walk it wasn't quite as varied as a circular would have been and so boredom soon gave way to tiredness and complaints and I decided the family (of varying levels of fitness) would benefit from a few more shorter walks.

Stanage Edge

It was almost 20 years since I'd travelled across the Snake Pass - that was a very snowy new year's eve in the early 90s.  Thankfully our journey for this walk wasn't as trecherous, but almost as frightening - as it was the first time I'd driven it! 

This walk was our first from a book called Derbyshire Walks with Children. We started in the Hollins Bank car park where we had our picnic before we started. There was a hot food/drink van with very friendly staff! As we ate a couple of horses trotted in and one was jumped over a fence. The kids loved this and were enjoying themselves before we even set off!

Track leading up the car park into the woods

The route upwards into the woods is manmade and looked almost Disney!  Inside the woods were some streams down the track and big stones the boys were dying to climb.  I try not to go too health and safety but you have to remember that it's not a park with a rubber floor and high rocks may not be the best place for a clumsy 6 year old who can fall over standing still!

There was no way they were going to stay off this natural playground

To the East from the top of Stanage Edge

It was a steep route to the top, for our Berkshire legs!  But, we reached it quickly and the kids were so excited to climb on those huge standing rocks at the top.  TBH I couldn't resist myself - it was the best place to take pictures!

On top of the world!

View to the West

The kids had a good mess about before I either was struck with vertigo or came to my senses and realised this might not be the best place to play and we moved on.  The walk along the top was even more nerve-wracking as we followed a family with a lovely well behaved toddler and I had to keep screaming and grabbing at my six year old to keep him from going over the edge!  Our path soon turned away from the edge (to my huge relief).  This is where the rain threatened a few times, but not for long.

Sheffield from Stanage Pole

We crossed a field of ever-increasing boggy ground and it became obvious who was wearing proper boots and who wasn't!  DS1 decided he is going to need some better boots for his backpacking trip to Scotland!

One of the boys spotted part of a bird skeleton and then another part.  They picked it up and fitted it together like lego (much to my disgust).  It was definitely a bird of prey - I'm no expert but from a bit of google research, I'm guessing a goshawk.

Piecing together a bird skeleton

View back across the heather

Back at the edge

As we reached the edge again, we were more aware of the climbers.  This part had almost a wall of rock before the edge and the path was set back, so it was much easier to keep control of the little one!  The path down the edge led to the road, but it was clear from the top that the last half mile (or more) of our walk would be along a road, so instead we crossed the bracken diagonally.  This was pretty strenuous but far more fun.  We came across a gorgeous little pool and couldn't resist a dip!  The weather was very warm by this stage and we all welcomed the chance to cool our feet.  It was fairly deep - DS1 and I were up to our thighs and the water was flowing out quite quickly so we had to keep hold of the little ones.  The water was ICE cold and I couldn't keep my feet in long anyway.

Who could resist a cool pool like this on such a warm day?

Dip if you dare!

And this is where the camera battery died.  It was a short walk back to the car from here.  The boys still had plenty of energy left, I know they could have managed more than 2.5 miles.  It's amazing how much more stamina everyone has when the walk is this much fun!

Mill Pond, Swinley Forest

Our regular walk in the woods has been a favourite since we first discovered it a year ago. We were introduced to Mill Pond (not to be confused with its more urban namesake 2.5 miles directly North West) by the book Kiddiwalks in Berkshire. This is a fantastic book. My only gripe is the distance estimate on this walk – it is twice the distance stated. Anyway, that aside, our Mill Pond walk is a shortened version and at 2.5 miles is an easy stroll on a Sunday afternoon.

We'll never catch them at this rate!	A wood ants' nest - The boys insisted I took this picture!

Normally, we would walk this route, but today were cajoled into taking the boys’ bikes. As with any sunny weekend, the Look Out car park was heaving. However, we set off down the track past Go Ape and with the boys on their bikes we were quickly away from the crowds. Once past Bracknell Road (an unpaved road in the woods) we usually have the place to ourselves. It could have been because it was the only sunny day for weeks, or perhaps it was just the smell of spring in the air, but today was the busiest I’d seen this area. Of course, the runners competing in their forest race certainly didn’t help.

It was actually nice to see others sharing this area that we thought was a well kept secret. In our 12 years in the area, I can’t believe it took us so long to find this place.
We reached the Mill Pond sign (which takes you off the beaten track) quicker than usual. For a change we were limited only by the walking pace of the adults!  We insisted the boys get off their bikes as at some points it could be quite easy to go hurtling towards the lake. Negotiating roots and mud, it was perhaps just as well – they were already muddy enough.

	View across Mill Pond

As the sun shines on the lake you realise what a gem this little place is, so near to the hustle of the Look Out and a stone’s throw from the busy Bagshot Road. Everything slows down and it’s quite easy to forget we all have work and school tomorrow. This would be the perfect place to bring a picnic and spend a hot summer’s afternoon. The water looks very inviting, so you’d have to watch out for little ones.

Mine can spend hours here climbing the trees by the water’s edge and playing in the bushes. If we didn’t have the bikes we would have continued around the lake (over fallen trees) to the little footbridge. Wellies at the ready, another hour can be whiled away damming and undamming the stream, and usually leaving me worrying whether we’ve actually left the stream flowing more freely than when we arrived and that we may be responsible for emptying the lake!

There are some shallow clear spots perfect for pond dipping and we spotted plenty of tadpoles on this visit. We’ll be back in a few weeks to see if many survive into frog-hood. Returning to the main path by the same route (roughly!), we turned left and soon realised why horses and cycles are actually prohibited on this track. Oops! We had walked this route before and with a little care had managed to avoid the worst of the mud. However, we hadn’t banked on the combination of 6 and 8 year old boys, thick gooey mud and bikes! Needless to say, they both had to strip to their underwear before stepping foot in the car!

Stripping off again...	... and again! Will this weather ever make its mind up?!

Once we were back on Bracknell Road, the route back to the Look Out was pretty straight forward.

One of the drier tracks	Bracknell Road - a historic road through the forest

Somehow we managed to avoid most of the day’s rain – although DS3 did go through 4 sets of clothes! I’m not in the habit of carrying spare clothes but luckily when he fell headlong into the first puddle, I did have a fleece zipper in my bag which he wore on its own. This was soon covered with a waterproof jacket and then stripped right back to nothing and then his army gilet which was worn as a vest. It would be lovely to go on a walk where the weather is consistent. But, this doesn’t happen often in Britain, especially in April! And we are, of course, grateful that the heavens only truly opened once we were safely back home. Wendy Booth - Portrait Artist