in Th

atcha

mWA

LKING

WALK

INGU

seful C

on

tacts

This map, along

with further m

aps and

inform

ation around Thatcham

and W

est B

erkshire can be found

online at w

ww

.westb

erks.gov.u

k/walkin

gand

cycling

or b

y telephoning

01635 42400.

Th

atcham

Town

Co

un

cilw

ww

.thatch

amtow

nco

un

cil.gov.u

k or call 01635 863592

Ram

blers

The Ram

blers is B

ritain’s big

gest w

alking

charity. Its goal is to p

rotect the ability of p

eople

to enjoy the freedom

and b

enefits of being

outd

oors on foot. The West B

erkshire branch

can be contacted

via w

ww

.westb

erksramb

lers.org.u

k

Visito

r Info

rmatio

n C

entre

The local Visitor Inform

ation Centre

can provid

e you with d

etails and

information ab

out the local area and across

West B

erkshire, including

where to stay,

ticketed events, activities and

cycle hire. The V

IC can b

e contacted on 01635 30267 or b

y em

ailing to

urism

@w

estberks.g

ov.uk

For more inform

ation about the historic

environment w

ithin Thatcham and

the rest of W

est Berkshire p

lease visit w

ww

.westb

erks.gov.u

k/HE

R,

or call 01635 519805.

Bu

sesFor inform

ation about b

uses and p

ublic

transport w

ithin Thatcham and

West B

erkshire, p

lease visit ww

w.w

estberks.g

ov.uk/tran

spo

rt P

lan your journey in advance using

the traveline

journey planner at

ww

w.travelin

e.info

/se, or by calling

0871 200 2233 (calls cost from

12p p

er min). To check

when the next b

us is arriving at a stop, text the

bus stop

code to 84268 (charg

es app

ly), or visit w

ww

.nextb

uses.m

ob

i

WB

C/T

/NT

/061

5

Wal

kin

g fo

r H

ealth

Wee

kly

led

wal

ks fo

r al

l ab

ilitie

s b

etw

een

30 m

inut

es a

nd 1

1/2

ho

urs

take

pla

ce in

loca

tions

ac

ross

Wes

t Ber

kshi

re. T

he

wal

ks a

re fr

ee a

nd n

eed

no

spec

ial e

qui

pm

ent.

Fo

r m

ore

info

rmat

ion,

ple

ase

visi

t w

ww

.wes

tber

ks.g

ov.u

k/w

fh

or c

all 0

1635

519

679.

BB

OW

T

Vis

it w

ww

.bb

owt.

org

.uk/

nat

ure

-dis

cove

ry-c

entr

e or

ca

ll 01

635

874

381

for

mor

e in

form

atio

n.

Dis

clai

mer

Car

e sh

ould

be

take

n on

all

rout

es. T

he

Hig

hway

Cod

e an

d th

e us

ual r

ules

of

road

sa

fety

sho

uld

be

obse

rved

.

Ext

rem

e ca

utio

n is

ad

vise

d w

hen

near

wat

er

and

rai

lway

line

s, e

spec

ially

with

you

ng

child

ren.

Whi

lst w

e tr

y to

ens

ure

the

accu

racy

of

all

rout

es, w

e d

o no

t acc

ept l

iab

ility

for

any

use

mad

e of

them

by

you.

The

rou

tes

are

inte

nded

as

a g

uid

e on

ly, n

eith

er th

e C

ounc

il no

r an

y of

ficer

or

agen

t of

the

Cou

ncil

will

be

leg

ally

re

spon

sib

le fo

r an

y in

accu

raci

es.

Rou

tes

and

pat

hs s

how

n on

the

map

are

not

ne

cess

arily

rig

hts

of w

ay. S

ome

rout

es m

ay o

nly

be

open

dur

ing

bus

ines

s ho

urs

of th

e p

rem

ises

th

ey s

erve

.

Usi

ng

yo

ur

Th

atch

am m

apW

alk

to s

choo

l, th

e sh

ops

or y

our

pla

ce o

f w

ork

and

imp

rove

you

r he

alth

, you

r m

ind

and

th

e en

viro

nmen

t. Th

is m

ap s

how

s a

netw

ork

of w

alki

ng p

aths

and

sho

rtcu

ts in

and

aro

und

Th

atch

am w

hich

link

into

the

mor

e m

ajor

rou

tes.

The

map

sho

ws

wal

kab

le p

aths

in tw

o d

iffer

ent

way

s:

Dar

k G

reen

for

gen

eral

ly a

cces

sib

le w

alki

ng

rout

es. T

hese

will

nor

mal

ly h

ave

hard

sur

face

s an

d b

e fr

ee fr

om m

ajor

ob

stac

les.

The

se p

aths

sh

ould

be

acce

ssib

le fo

r p

ushc

hair

s an

d

whe

elch

airs

.

Pu

rple

for

less

acc

essi

ble

wal

king

rou

tes.

Th

ese

coul

d b

e un

surf

aced

or

mud

dy,

or

may

in

clud

e st

eps

or d

ifficu

lt sl

opes

whi

ch m

ay b

e un

suita

ble

for

pus

hcha

irs

and

whe

elch

airs

.

Our

map

als

o in

clud

es tw

o 1-

mile

Wal

k4Li

fe r

oute

s.

Wal

king

is th

e m

ost s

usta

inab

le

form

of

tran

spor

t so

don

’t fo

rget

– If

you

’re n

ot

goi

ng fa

r, fo

rget

the

car.

Pu

blic

Rig

hts

of

Way

(P

Ro

W)

The

PR

oW T

eam

are

res

pon

sib

le fo

r m

aint

aini

ng

acce

ss to

pub

lic fo

otp

aths

, brid

lew

ays

and

b

yway

s. F

or m

ore

info

rmat

ion

ple

ase

call

0163

5 42

400.

Str

eetc

are

To r

epor

t any

issu

es r

egar

din

g th

e m

aint

enan

ce

of p

aths

, roa

ds,

str

eet l

ight

ing

and

oth

er s

tree

t fu

rnitu

re, l

itter

and

ove

rgro

wn

veg

etat

ion,

p

leas

e co

ntac

t the

Cou

ncil’

s S

tree

tcar

e Te

am o

n 01

635

5190

80 o

r b

y em

ailin

g

cust

om

erse

rvic

es@

wes

tber

ks.g

ov.u

k.

Th

ing

s to S

eeThatcham

has develop

ed d

ue to its position

on several imp

ortant transport routes along

the K

ennet Valley. Mid

dle S

tone Ag

e peop

le cam

ped

besid

e lakes close to the river from

about 10,000 years ag

o. This area now consists

of old g

ravel pit lakes and

reedb

eds near

The Nature D

iscovery Centre. The reed

bed

s rep

resent one of the largest stand

s of inland

reeds rem

aining in the country, and

comb

ined

with the lakes, d

amp

wood

lands and

canal form

a varied w

etland land

scape. It is internationally

imp

ortant for wild

life and is d

esignated

as a S

pecial A

rea of (nature) Conservation.

The town of Thatcham

lies either side of the A

4, once the m

ain coaching road

betw

een London

and B

ath. The western stretch of the B

ath Road

also coincid

es with E

rmin S

treet, a Rom

an road

from S

ilchester to Cirencester, and

Thatcham is

the site of West B

erkshire’s only known R

oman

town, first excavated

in the 1920s and 30s.

Saxon occup

ation seems to have b

een centred

on St M

ary’s Church, p

robab

ly the site of a hig

h status religious com

munity. Thatcham

b

ecame a successful m

edieval m

arket town,

laid out around

the Broad

way. The M

illennium

Monum

ent here dep

icts some of the notab

le d

ates in Thatcham’s long

history. On the

eastern outskirts of the town is the G

rade I

Listed O

ld B

luecoat School, b

uilt as a chapel

in about 1304 and

one of the oldest b

uilding

s in W

est Berkshire. B

ut architecture of many

different p

eriods can b

e observed

when

walking

round Thatcham

, including

the varying

styles of the 20th century housing estates. N

ew

houses have often been b

uilt respecting

historic b

oundaries and

some old

routes survive such as an avenue to the lost m

ansion of Dunstan

Park, running

from P

ark Lane straight p

ast Thatcham

Park P

rimary S

chool.

The river Kennet w

as mad

e navigab

le from

Read

ing to N

ewb

ury in 1723, and further

develop

ed as the K

ennet & A

von Canal to B

ath in 1810. There are w

alking and

cycling routes

using the canal tow

path w

here you can see narrow

boats and

wild

life as you enjoy the op

en countryside. M

onkey Marsh Lock, near

Thatcham railw

ay station, is a rare turf- sided

exam

ple and

is desig

nated as a S

cheduled

M

onument. M

any Second

World

War p

illboxes

also survive along the canal, a S

top Line

against invasion.

The Nature D

iscovery Centre and

Thatcham

Reed

bed

s, manag

ed b

y the Berks, B

ucks &

Oxon W

ildlife Trust on b

ehalf of West B

erkshire C

ouncil, is a pop

ular destination for fam

ilies and

wild

life enthusiasts. With its cafe, lakesid

e terrace and

walks, com

munity orchard

and

wild

life-themed

events, the Nature D

iscovery C

entre has activities for everyone.

July 2

015

River Kennet

Kennet and Avon Canal

oM

or

Di

hct

Moor Ditch

Long Lake

JubileeLake

River Kennet

Kennet and Avon Canal

A4

A4

Har

ts H

ill R

oad

ThatchamStation

Urquart Road

Horne Road

Crematorium

CricketClub

MemorialHall

PO

PO

Cemet

ery

OldBluecoatSchool

St Mary’sChurch

Artille r y Dr i

ve

Gras

sm

e

a d

Fu lle r Clo

se

Be

rksh

ire

Dri

ve

Aylesford Way

Wheelers Green Way

Agricola Way

Lo

ngb

ridge Rd

Pipers Lane

Peachy Drive

Bo

sc

a we

n W

ay

Scr

ivens

Me ad

A shma

n

Road

Ch ol

sey Rd

Bol

ingbroke W

ay

Falmouth Way

S killman D

rive

Ed

w

in Cl

Hurford D

r ive

Bath Road

Enterprise Way

Longcroft Road

Be

ech

Wa

lk

Oak Tree Road

Ale

xa

nd

er

Ro

ad

Bly

the

Ave

nu

e

Sta

tion

Ro

ad

Turners D

r ive

SpurcroftPrimary School

KennetSecondary

School

KennetLeisureCentre

Trefoil Drove

Floral Wa

y

S immon

s Fie l d

Celadin e G r

Bro

adm

ead

ow

En

d

London Road

Francis BailyPrimarySchool

Waitrose

Chapel StreetCo

om

be

Ct

Hartmead Road

Sto

ne

y L

an

e

Victo

r R

oa

d

Nevil le Dri

ve

Station Road

Elm

s A

v

Druce

Way

The Moors

Bath Road

Ch

urch

La

ne

Bro

ad

wa

y

High Street

Be

verl

ey

Clo

se

Thatcham ParkC of E Primary

School

CouncilOffices

NatureDiscovery Centre

ParsonsDownJuniorSchool

Parsons DownInfant & Nursery

School

Fylingdales

Ro

sed

ale G

ardens

Exmo

or R

oa

d

Weste rdale

Fr om ont Drive

Spurcroft Road

Bla

ckdown Way

Alston

Mews

Keigh

ley Cl

Gla i sd a le

Somerton G

rov

e

Bra

em

ore

Cl

Ilkle

y W

ay

Bea

ncro

ft R

oa

d

Wolsingha m

Wa

y

Ilkley Way

Wenlock Way

The Quantocks

Gre

en L

an

e

Meadow Clo s

e

Church Gate

Crowfield Driv

e

Gleb

elands

St

John’s Road

Bath Road

Ullswat er Cl

Bo

ur n

e R

oad

Paynesdown Road

As

hb

ou

rn e Wa

y

Cyg

ne

t C

lo

se

He

ron

s Wa

y

Lower Way

Po

un

d L

an

e

Benham HillBath Road

Winston Way

Ro

b

e rtsfield

A rk le A

ven

ue

Der

went Road

Benham Hill

Hambridge Lane

Exp

ress

Way

West BerkshireCommunity

Hospital

Fir TreePrimarySchool

Waller DriveHa

rring

to

n Cl o

se

Turnpike Road

Fir T

ree L

ane

Henwick Field(Sports Ground)

Playing Field

Sports Field

Football Club

Chamberhouse Mill Road

Pip

ers

Way

Tull

Wa

y

Elm

hu

rst R

oa

d

Go

rdo

n R

oa

dH

en

wic

k L

an

e

Barfield Road

Loundyes Close

Humber Close

Tulll Way

Bowling Green Road

Trent Cre

scen

t

Mersey Way

Me

rsey

Way

Th

ames

Rd

Dart Cl

Co

nw

ay C

l

Westfield Road

Westfield Crescent

Baily

Ave

nu

e

Roman Wa

y

Medway Cl

He

nwick Lane

Whitelands ParkPrimary School

No

rla

nd

s

No

rth

wa

y Kip

ling

Clos

e

Heath

Lan e

B

i llington Way

Floral Way

Sagecroft Ro

ad

Elio

t Cl

He

ather Drive

Blu

eb

ell

W

ay

Blackthorne D

rive

Fo

xg

love

Wa

y

No

r th

fie

ld R

oa

d

Sagecroft Road

La

nc

as

ter

Clo

se

Sti

r lin

g W

ay

Shakespere Road Masefield

Ro

ad

Browning Close

Chesterton Rd

New

bo

lt Cl

Parkside Rd

Pa

rk L

an

e

Southend

Library

The Grove

Th

e H

enry

s

Th

e F

r an

ces

The Haywa

rds

Park Avenue

Mount Roa

d

Vincent Road

Du

nstan

Ro

ad

Marsh Road

Wood a v on G

ard

en

s

Vio

le

t Gr

Withy

b

ed Way

Floral Way

Cow slip

Cre

scent

Hareb

e l Drive

Foxglo ve Way

Bro

wns

field Rd

Harts Hill

Road

CatholicChurch

Thatcham Free Church

URCChurch

MethodistChurch

BurdwoodCommunity

Centre

Frank HutchingsCommunity

Hall

BaptistChurch

ThatchamChildren’s

Centre

MoorsideYouth &

CommunityCentre

Newbury Leisure

Park

NewburyRacecourse

Ha

mb

rid

ge

Ro

ad

Parish Hall

Co-op

Mil

l L

an

e

Co

lth

rop

La

ne

Daytona Drive

Gables Way

Th

e F

irs

Huntingdon G

ard

en

s

Ba tallion Way

The

M

ar tins

GardenCentre

RegencyPark Hotel

NorthThatchamChildren’s

Centre

AllotmentsTHATCHAM

Walking in ThatchamPaths generally suitable for all users

Less accessible paths –possiblymuddy, uneven, or with obstaclesAccess point

Controlled crossing

GP Surgery

Public Toilet

PO Post Office

Postbox

Cashpoint

Chemist

Play area

Walk4Life routes

Bus stops served by local bus routes

Nature Discovery Centre Old Bluecoats School St Mary’s Church Skate parkKennet and Avon CanalThe Priory1 2 3 4 5 6

1

36

5

4

2

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey map with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office ©Crown Copyright 2014. West Berkshire District Council 0100024151