Yayoi and I went for yet another one of our weekend walks away from Windsor back in April – I’ve only now got round to writing about it, as work has been keeping my mind busy with other things.
We went on a roundtrip starting at Snelsmore Common near Newbury, over the A34 to Donnington Castle, and then followed the River Lambourne through some pretty villages before heading back into Snelsmore Common again.
Snelsmore Common is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), its importance being due to the wildlife inhabiting the common – ground-nesting birds, rugged heathland, and soggy bogs. It has been a country park since 1972 and has a load of Exmoor ponies roaming around!
Passing through Snelsmore Common – where it is very easy to get lost! – we headed towards Donnington Castle.
Donnington Castle was built in 1386 and famous for being involved in the Battle of Newbury and sieges during the English Civil War in the 17th Century.
There are some great views across the countryside and down to the River Lambourne from Donnington Castle. We followed the river back over the A34 and through some villages before returning to the car through Snelsmore Common once again.
It was really lovely walk and day out. Yayoi and I also managed to capture a few videos, which I will post soon.
Tags: Battle of Newbury, Civil War, Donnington, Donnington Castle, English Civil War, Exmoor, Exmoor ponies, Exmoor pony, Nature, Newbury, River, River Lambourne, Snelsmore Common, SSSI, Video, Videos, Walk, Walking, Wildlife, Windsor
December 4, 2010 at 11:04 pm
I went to Snelsmore Common today and saw quite a few ponies. I didn’t quite find the country park, however. I enjoyed reading your post.