Pete's Walks- Goring and Hartslock (page 2 of 4)
I turned right along the bridleway, and followed it for about a third of a mile. When it entered a wood, I took a footpath on the left. This went through a gate into the Hartslock nature reserve and rose quite steeply up a grassy slope, with a fence nearby on the right. I was puffing and panting when I reached the bench at the top of the slope, and was glad to be able to use the splendid view back along the river towards Goring as an excuse for a photo stop. I then explored the nature reserve for about 45 minutes, seeing a Lady Orchid, a Monkey Orchid and numerous of their spectacular hybrids. I also saw a few wildflowers that were firsts for the year for me, including Milkwort and Clustered Bellflower. I then returned to the bench to eat my packed lunch and to admire the view.
The bridleway from Gatehampton Manor to Hartslock
Zoomed-in shot of Hartslock nature reserve
The bridleway from Gatehampton Manor to Hartslock
The bridleway from Gatehampton Manor to Hartslock
View back from Hartslock nature reserve
Orchids at Hartslock nature reserve (Lady Orchid bottom right, rest Lady x Monkey orchid hybrids)
Lunch over, I dropped downhill to a gate (a pedestrian one, to the left of a metal farm gate), and turned left along what looked like a bridleway but which the OS map indicates is an 'other route with public access'. This soon brought me to what looked like a sharp bend on a lane - in fact, the OS map shows that a lane comes from the left and ends at this point, the continuation to the right being the drive to Upper Gatehampton Farm. I turned right and followed a bridleway uphill along the drive.
'Other route with public access' to Upper Gatehampton Farm
Bridleway to Upper Gatehampton Farm
View back from the bridleway to Upper Gatehampton Farm
Bridleway to Upper Gatehampton Farm
Approaching Upper Gatehampton Farm