West Berkshire has a wealth of heritage ranging from early prehistoric finds to remnants of the Cold War – these can be seen as archaeological sites, historic buildings and even the landscapes around us. These heritage assets make up the historic environment of the District, which can be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.
These walks offer an opportunity to explore our local heritage as it exists in the landscape today and to gain a real sense of the our past, while also keeping fit!
The walks are available to download as pdfs, and include directions, a route map, description of heritage Points Of Interest and links to where you can find out more.
Kintbury
A walk around this historic village and its surrounding landscape, including the Kennet and Avon Canal, some Second World War sites, the site of a Roman villa and some of Kintbury’s historic buildings. Download the Kintbury walk.
Hungerford
A walk around this historic market town in many of its important historic buildings, and exploring some of its archaeological past, including it’s well preserved Medieval street pattern and sites dating from the prehistoric and Roman period. Download the Hungerford walk.
Pangbourne
A short walk around this historic town, including many of its historic buildings and its past as a centre of boat building in the 19th century, as well as a military training area in the Second World War. Download the Pangbourne walk.
Inkpen
A walk around the historic village of Inkpen. First mentioned in an Anglo Saxon charter of 935 AD as ‘Ingepenne’ (enclosure on the hill), but there is also evidence of human activity in Inkpen stretching back to the Bronze Age. Download the Inkpen walk.
Shaw House and St Mary’s Church Conservation Area
A walk of approximately 1km around the historic estate of Shaw House. Starting in the grounds of West Berkshire’s very own Elizabethan mansion, it explores the evidence of over 500 years of evolution of the surrounding landscape and its rich history. Visit the pocketsights website to access the trail and optional app.
Heritage Walking Trail
Second World War, Newbury
This trail was created in collaboration with Greenham Common Control Tower to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020 but it has evolved into a general memory trail of people, events and locations, around Newbury, from the Second World War era.
This walking trail is approximately 2.7 miles in length; it starts from the West Berkshire Museum (Wharf Street) and ends at Newtown Road Cemetery. It shows the location of significant sites in Newbury, and outlines their relevance to the Second World War.
Hard copy trail leaflets can be collected from West Berkshire Museum or Greenham Common Control Tower (click the links to check for opening hours). It is also available to download here.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about these walking guides or if there are any other areas within West Berkshire that you would like us to provide a guide for. Please email us with your feedback, comments and even photos of you enjoying the walks to archaeology@westberks.gov.uk or share on facebook.
You can also visit our Heritage Information feedback page on the West Berkshire Council website where you can let us know if you have made any discoveries about West Berkshire’s historic environment or have any observations about the condition of our heritage assets.