Pangbourne circular

About trip

Pangbourne and its companion Whitchurch, on the other side of the River Thames – in Oxfordshire – are delightful villages, spoilt only by too much traffic. Passing on a toll bridge over the river, you come to St Mary’s Church, with the route continuing along part of the Thames Path National Trail (which opened in 1996) past Coombe Park, to a wood with views down to the Thames. From there it is up through a nature reserve and Great Chalk Wood, from where the route heads to a pub for lunch by Crays Pond. After lunch you pass the entrance to Oratory Preparatory School, and go through woods and fields, then head back down through Whitchurch and into Pangbourne for tea.