Pete's Walks - Berkshire Loop
Post-walk comments
I enjoyed the Berkshire Loop very much. It lived up to the high standards of the rest of the Chiltern Way and is a worthy addition to that excellent route.
I was pleasantly surprised by Berkshire. I'd not walked there before (except for a couple of walks that I've done which have started there but have left the county as soon as possible by crossing the Thames) and wasn't too sure what to expect. The area that this route passed through turned out to be very pleasant indeed, especially when there were extensive views across or along the Thames Valley. the scenery generally was, unsurprisingly, very similar to that of the Chilterns north of the Thames.
I enjoyed the second of my four walks the most (although the third was not far behind in quality, and the first walk was of a high standard too). The great views from Winter Hill and the surprising number of open commons made that stretch from Cookham to Burchett's Green particularly memorable. The fourth walk wasn't quite so good - but that is probably my fault for choosing to walk a route through Henley when the town was very busy with visitors attending the Henley festival!
So should someone contemplating a circular walk round the Chiltern Way follow the Berkshire Loop or stick to the original route and the southern extension? Good though the Berkshire Loop is, following it would mean omitting the finest section of the entire Chiltern Way from Hambleden through Fingest, Stonor, Maidensgrove and on past Grey's Court. So I definitely see the Berkshire Loop as something to be walked as an optional addition to the main routes of the Chiltern Way, rather than as an alternative section of a circular walk on the Chiltern Way.
View across the Thames Valley towards Hambleden, from near Culham Court (Day 3)