Hamstead Marshall, Hamstead Park and River Kennet

Crossing Hamstead Park with glimpses of the Great House (now a nursing home) and old gateposts marking the park pale, a short detour brings you to a splendid array of waterways. These include the River Kennet (with sluices and the former Hamstead Mill), the restored Kennet and Avon Canal, and two mottes where Newbury Castle once stood.

Returning to the park via a grand avenue of trees, the route passes diverted river channels, ornamental footbridges, a small duck-filled lake, and the second medieval motte marking the site of Hamstead Castle.

The path circles the outside of the gardens past an ornate glasshouse and along a grand avenue of fully grown horse chestnuts. Afterward, the walk crosses rougher grassland over a small plateau offering wide countryside views before returning via a country lane to Hamstead Marshall village.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.