We offer walks in London and Home Counties, accessible by public transport.
This walk is open to all with a chance to look around the Greenham Common Control Tower. There is also an opportunity for a guided tour of the Control Tower. This is limited to 20 and needs to be booked in advance. See details below.
This is a fairly easy walk with some gentle climbs en route. The morning section of the walk crosses Greenham Common, a former World War II and NATO airfield where we visit the Control Tower now a free museum open for us all to visit. In 1953 the airfield was made available to the United States Air Force by the Ministry of Defence as a Strategic Air Command base and in the early 1980s cruise missiles were deployed here. In September 1981 a protest against the missiles began and became the women's peace camp. Did you take part?
Subsequently the last cruise missiles were removed in 1991, and the facility was closed and put up for sale in 1993. The Greenham Common Trust purchased the land in 1997 and the majority of the land has been returned to something approaching its former natural state.
The afternoon section crosses the common and takes us through the varied Berkshire countryside finishing at Thatcham.
Guided tour of Control Tower: An exclusive guided tour of the Control Tower museum has been arranged but is limited to 20 and booking is required: See https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/greenham-common-newbury-to-thatcham-berkshire-tickets-1000615637307.
Lunch: Picnic or light lunch at the Greenham Common Control Tower cafe.
Train: Paddington 10:05; Reading 10:33; Arr. Newbury 10:54. Return from Thatcham. Buy return to Newbury.
Walkers using the Elizabeth line to Reading will need to catch the train from central London that leaves Paddington 9:17 arriving Reading 10:10 to catch the Newbury train at 10:33.
Newbury station.
Thatcham station.
