Marlborough and Savernake Forest
26 people attending
4 places left
This walk begins and ends in the ancient town of Marlborough and takes you deep into nearby Savernake Forest, a vast wilderness of mostly deciduous trees, many of them hundreds of years old. Marlborough is a charming Wiltshire market town on the London to Bath Road, and boasts the second-widest high street in Britain, which includes the Merchant's House - one of the finest 17th century middle-class homes open to visitors in England.
Savernake is the only privately owned forest in Britain, having passed through 31 generations of the same family since the 11th-century. It is managed by the Forestry Commmsion and has miles of trails open to the public, some of which pass some beautiful old trees. We will circle back to the start via the village of Mildenhall, which contains an old thatched pub called the Horseshoe Inn, and lies on the River Kennet.
What to bring
Water: bring plenty
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Day rucksack: typically 20-30 litres, they are comfortable to wear and allow you to use your arms freely
Boots: waterproof and breathable and designed for hiking. There may be mud at times on this walk
Socks: proper walking socks will keep your feet dry and help prevent blisters
Layered clothing: lets you quickly adapt to changes in the weather and body temperature. Go for a base layer (vest or t-shirt) and a mid layer (a micro fleece or shirt) and in cooler weather add an outer layer (a windproof jacket or thick fleece)
Trousers: ideally no jeans as they become heavy and cold in the rain, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry and on warm days shorts are OK
Waterproof jacket: essential when hiking in all but the calmest of weather, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry
Hat or cap: stay warm in winter and shaded in summer
Sunglasses: for any sunny day, even in winter
Snacks: bring biscuits, energy bars, gels, bananas, chocolate or dried fruit for example and put them somewhere easy to get hold of
Lunch: bring a packed lunch unless otherwise stated
Food & drink
Please bring a packed lunch, provisions are available from various outlets at the meeting point.
We may be able to get a drink towards the end at The Horseshoe Inn