Farley Hill to Henry Street Nursery Linear Walk

This is a lovely short-ish walk from Farley Hill to Henry Street Garden Centre

This is a linear walk, largely, there and back on the same route but there is a short difference at the end.

Car Park

This route starts at the Playing Fields on Castle Hill, there is limited parking there but normally enough for one or two cars.

The Route

1. Walk left down Castle Hill from the Playing Fields.

2. At Church Lane turn right (your first right after the entrance to Farley Hall gates.

3. After the Cricket Club take a left down the public footpath that borders the cricket pitch.

4. The path emerges onto Bunces Shaw (lane) turn right down this road.

5. After about 50 metres you come to a public footpath down to the left - it cuts behind a house - take this path. It's easy to miss  - there is a finger post pointing the way on the opposite side - so if you pass the house on the left - Shaw House, you've missed it!

6. This path soon joins another path- take it and head left downhill.

7. At the end of this path you join a bridleway around Farley Hill. Turn right on this until - after only about 10-15 metres - you come to  a new pathway on the left heading into fields.

8. Go through the kissing gate and enter the field - continue on the path on the left side - enjoy the views of Reading expand below you.

9. The field path rises at the corner and enters a wood, continue on the path through the wood until you reach a kissing gate, go through this and follow the defined path through the rising field.

10. You will now cross the new Arborfield bypass green bridge and continue on the same path up beside a wood directly on the other side (note the wierd area at the end of this stretch of path covered in shredded tyres)...

11. At the kissing gate pass through and follow the path down and across the field to the houses at the corner of the field.

12. Pass through another kissing gate and continue along the path to the left along the back of the houses.

13. The path emerges on a driveway for Chamberlains Farm and the tudor cottage next door - there's a yappy dog whenever we go there!

14. Continue the short distance along the drive to the Swallowfield Road, Turn left to Henry Street about 100 metres along that road.

The return journey is back along the same route you've come down. You have two choices as you get back to the bridleway going round Farley Hill.

(a) (RED ROUTE BELOW) completely follow the same route back and turn right at the bridleway in to follow the gently ascending path up to the cricket pitch path and Bunces Shaw.

(b) (ORANGE ROUTE BELOW) take a left at the bridleway - then a right - to head to Parsons Farm (where the Geese are) and the up Church Lane back to the cricket pitch for a bit of variation.