Saturday 26^th May

Dinton Pastures Country Park

Starting Details:

Meet in the car park off Sandford Lane (not the main entrance, where the car park gets very full). Please arrive at 10.15 ready to start walking at 10.30. Phone me on my mobile if you are lost or delayed by traffic. We will wait if you are not too far away.

Directions to the start:

Sandford Lane is a turning off the B3030, which is the road crossing the A329 (Reading to Wokingham Road) at Winnersh. If coming from Reading, come along the road to Wokingham as far as Winnersh, and turn left at the traffic lights into Robin Hood Lane. Go over the railway, past Forest School, and over the A329M. Continue past the main entrance to Dinton Pastures Country Park and shortly after coming to a national speed limit sign and passing the Jolly Farmer Pub, take the left turn into Sandford Lane. About 300 yards down this lane there is a sign post to the left pointing to a car park. Go in there where there should be ample room. A charge of £1.50 for 4 hours, applies for all the Dinton Pastures car parks. Should this car park be full there is an overspill across the road, but the ticket must be purchased in this car park. For those wishing to avoid the centre of Reading, go through Caversham and over Sonning Bridge. Go though the centre of Twyford and follow the A 321 Hurst Road. About a mile out of Twyford turn right along the B3030. Sandford Lane will be on the right with a sign to Dinton Pastures.

Description:

This is a change of plan, because I was concerned that the walk I intended to do around Waltham St Lawrence would be too wet and muddy. Most of this walk will be along well laid paths and it is virtually flat with no stiles. We will walk just under 4 miles. There are toilet facilities and a small café near the main car park. Because it is the bird nesting seasons, dogs have to be kept on a lead.

Points of Interest:

Dinton Pastures is a 350 acre former gravel extractions site, which includes meadows, woodlands, eight lakes, and two rivers. The site is managed by Wokingham Borough Council and is a haven for wildlife. We will start by walking beside Lavells Lake, before entering the Park proper to follow the course of the River Loddon before walking beside two of the largest lakes White Swan (see picture) and Black Swan.