The Three Castles Path
Path alongside Englemere Pond
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Footbridge across the A322
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Ascot to Sandhurst
Sunday 2 January 2016
Ideally, I would have walked yesterday and today would be a day to rest and prepare myself for work tomorrow but unfortunately it was raining. Today the sun was shining and it was one of those crisp winter days that cannot be wasted by staying indoors. I chose to do this walk because travel was convenient and paths in the heath and woodlands should not be muddy.
Travel to Ascot was straightforward – no train replacement bus today – and I started walking in good spirits. It didn’t take long though for me to struggle with directions. The instructions in my guide booklet didn’t seem to match up with reality. Thanks to my map I did find my way to Ascot Heath via an underpass, which presumably was built after the booklet was published.
Finally on the right track (or near enough) I made good progress and soon reached Englemere Pond. Walking on a good path along the lake was a delight and I found a nice spot for lunch. After crossing a busy road (B3017) I arrived in Swinley Park. This forest is part of the Crown Estate and I surprised myself by managing to not lose my way! I left the park on the outskirts of Bracknell and, after crossing the very busy A322 on the swaying suspension footbridge, I arrived at The Lookout. This was incredibly busy, the car park was full, and lots of new Christmas bikes were in evidence, not surprisingly really - Swinley Forest is a paradise for young cyclists. I decided not to waste time queuing for coffee, aware that the sun was already quite low, and instead walked past ‘Go Ape’, thinking for some reason that that was the right way to go! I don’t know why I didn’t consult my map at this point. A large forest, criss-crossed by paths, is just the sort of place where I am most likely to get lost! And so it turned out – when I did finally consult my map I had no idea where I was. All I could do was to continue in the right direction (based on the setting sun) and hope that by luck I was on the right path. Eventually I reached a ‘star junction’ which was marked on the map. Unfortunately, I’d gone too far south but at least I now knew where I was and thanks to a couple of helpful signposts soon found The Devil’s Highway, the track I needed to follow out of the Forest.
For a while all went to plan and, although the sun was rapidly setting, I enjoyed some good walking, past Broadmoor (all quiet) and then through pleasant woodland. As darkness set in, I, rather predictably, took a wrong turn. But that added to my adventure as the moonlight made for an atmospheric, even exciting, walk through a nature reserve (Wildmoor Heath Nature Reserve, as I gathered from the map later). Soon I reached Sandhurst and luckily there was a train station here (my intention was to get the train at Crowthorne). The temperature had now dropped to sub-zero and the half hour wait for the train was no fun.
My verdict on this walk: lovely sunshine early on, some good twilight walking, no mud, very cold end to the day. As the Three Castles Path uses existing footpaths and tracks/roads and is not signposted, it is important to plan the route carefully and bring a map (or satellite GPS gadget). In other words, do as I say and not as I do!
My highlights:
Wildlife:
Useful information
Transport:
Ideally, I would have walked yesterday and today would be a day to rest and prepare myself for work tomorrow but unfortunately it was raining. Today the sun was shining and it was one of those crisp winter days that cannot be wasted by staying indoors. I chose to do this walk because travel was convenient and paths in the heath and woodlands should not be muddy.
Travel to Ascot was straightforward – no train replacement bus today – and I started walking in good spirits. It didn’t take long though for me to struggle with directions. The instructions in my guide booklet didn’t seem to match up with reality. Thanks to my map I did find my way to Ascot Heath via an underpass, which presumably was built after the booklet was published.
Finally on the right track (or near enough) I made good progress and soon reached Englemere Pond. Walking on a good path along the lake was a delight and I found a nice spot for lunch. After crossing a busy road (B3017) I arrived in Swinley Park. This forest is part of the Crown Estate and I surprised myself by managing to not lose my way! I left the park on the outskirts of Bracknell and, after crossing the very busy A322 on the swaying suspension footbridge, I arrived at The Lookout. This was incredibly busy, the car park was full, and lots of new Christmas bikes were in evidence, not surprisingly really - Swinley Forest is a paradise for young cyclists. I decided not to waste time queuing for coffee, aware that the sun was already quite low, and instead walked past ‘Go Ape’, thinking for some reason that that was the right way to go! I don’t know why I didn’t consult my map at this point. A large forest, criss-crossed by paths, is just the sort of place where I am most likely to get lost! And so it turned out – when I did finally consult my map I had no idea where I was. All I could do was to continue in the right direction (based on the setting sun) and hope that by luck I was on the right path. Eventually I reached a ‘star junction’ which was marked on the map. Unfortunately, I’d gone too far south but at least I now knew where I was and thanks to a couple of helpful signposts soon found The Devil’s Highway, the track I needed to follow out of the Forest.
For a while all went to plan and, although the sun was rapidly setting, I enjoyed some good walking, past Broadmoor (all quiet) and then through pleasant woodland. As darkness set in, I, rather predictably, took a wrong turn. But that added to my adventure as the moonlight made for an atmospheric, even exciting, walk through a nature reserve (Wildmoor Heath Nature Reserve, as I gathered from the map later). Soon I reached Sandhurst and luckily there was a train station here (my intention was to get the train at Crowthorne). The temperature had now dropped to sub-zero and the half hour wait for the train was no fun.
My verdict on this walk: lovely sunshine early on, some good twilight walking, no mud, very cold end to the day. As the Three Castles Path uses existing footpaths and tracks/roads and is not signposted, it is important to plan the route carefully and bring a map (or satellite GPS gadget). In other words, do as I say and not as I do!
My highlights:
- Ascot Heath and views of the racecourse
- Englemere Pond
- Swinley Forest (before getting lost)
- Wildmoor Heath Nature Reserve (sunset and moonlight)
Wildlife:
- Birds
- Pheasants
- Horses
Useful information
Transport:
- Train Reading to Ascot
- Return: train Sandhurst to Reading
- Ascot
- The Lookout, Bracknell
- Sandhurst
- Ascot train station
- The Lookout, Bracknell
Swinley Forest
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Late afternoon gloom near Broadmoor Farm
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