The Three Castles Path - Day 2

On Saturday 28th February 2026, Michala and I were raring to go.  At 7:30am, enjoying the luxury of a local start, we picked up where we had left off a week ago on The Three Castles Path from Windsor to Winchester.  Today we planned to cover just shy of 15 miles from Swinley Park to Hartney Witney. 

With plenty of fuel, and not the petroleum type, we munched on buttery shortbread to get us started. 

Swinley Forest

From the car we crossed over the two busy roads – the A322 Bracknell to Bagshot Road and then Nine Mile Ride - fortunately gifted with a bridge and a pedestrian crossing.  Within minutes we had entered the pine forest.  Whilst this side of the forest, south of the A322, is perceived as busier than Swinley Park, where we had walked last week, straight away we found peace and solitude.

Our route skirted the Discovery Centre taking us behind the buildings and even the mountain biking Summit was deserted.  The only sign of life was the trio of mallards, who seemed untypically friendly.  Recognising the super women that we are, the male bowed to us. 

We continued at a good pace through familiar territory heading for the Devil’s Highway but not the road to Hell.  It was a heavenly morning.

Two Happy Mice

The Devil’s Highway led us under the A3095 Foresters Way.  Fortunately, it was not flood today as it can be so often. 

A friendly peanut winked at us.

Two happy mice made me think of my parents.  When my siblings and I were growing up we often called Mum and Dad ‘the two happy mice’. I think this was influenced by Val Doonican singing about “A Mouse Living in Old Amsterdam”.  Sadly, I cannot find a version in Val’s beautiful soft lilting Irish voice.

Today I was smiling at the memory of my parents, I thought today with Michala ‘how lucky we are’ living near a forest in Bracknell town. 

We climbed up Butter Hill, continuing down past the fenced off, private lake at Butter Bottom where we could see a few people at work. 

We continued south towards Broadmoor Farm, alongside mixed woodland of scotch pine and silver birch embellished with the gold of gorse and delicate white blossoms of the blackthorn. 

Michala was enjoying the photo opportunities it offered every bit as much as I. 

On the forest floor the fairies had left behind a mess of turkey tails and chicken (in the woods). 

Broadmoor Hospital

From fairy tales to darker tales of heinous crimes from the likes of Peter Sutcliffe (The Yorkshire Ripper), Ronnie Kray and Jimmy Saville (who should have been locked up), we walked past Broadmoor Hospital.  This high-security psychiatric hospital was built in 1863 but was redeveloped in recent years when the original Victorian buildings were considered ‘not fit for purpose.  Dark clouds hung over this new build.

Almost hidden among the tangled holly and brambles stood a ramshackle shed.

Edgbarrow Woods

From Broadmoor we turned into Edgbarrow Woods.  I had no idea how extensive this was having tended to stick to the adjacent Wildmoor Heath.  Edgbarrow Woods, owned by Wellington College, covers 78 acres and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) home to many rare plants, birds and insects.  You can see are Dartford Warblers, Nightjars, Silver Studded Blue butterflies, grass snakes, adder and Smooth Snakes. We cut along the northerly path, skirting Edgbarrow School and then dropping south towards Little Sandhurst. 

At this stage, it must be said that the Three Castles Path guide book offered little help in showing us the route.  (Michala had managed to purchase the most recent publication and still we had to abandon referring to the book and instead follow the route using our OS maps).  We were not impressed and neither was the cat but I suspect that it is more likely due to the fact that he had run out of lasagne.

As soon as we found our way out of the housing estate into the next section of Edgbarrow Woods we were presented with exactly what it takes to find our way – some decent signage. But let us not get over excited people.  The great signage was not to last.  We would urge you to use maps for finding your way from Windsor to Winchester and not the book.  The book provides plenty of interesting facts but the directions are not particularly good. 

Laurel & Hardy

Stan gave us a wry smile as he watched the Hardy women walk by.  We do love a bit of pareidolia.

I know Michala likes to snack on ‘easy peeler’ satsumas but she really should leave no trace.

From Edgbarrow we skirted Ambarrow Farm and the start of what felt like horse country.  They, like us, were wrapped in their warm coats against a cold wind, eating on the hoof.  However, today we were in luck.  We were getting extremely hungry but had not yet found a bench on which to sit. 

Walk and Talk

We arrived at Horseshoe Lake, part of Moor Green lakes, where we stopped at the Lakeview café to use the facilities and enjoy a cuppa. 

We could see why Horseshoe Lake is a successful activity centre, particularly for sailing, as it was blowing a hoolie. There was little shelter to be had but we were glad of the opportunity to sit down and rest our weary feet. 

From there we continued to walk and talk.  (Yes, men do need to do more of this for their mental health – the sight of a couple of ladies walking is common but a couple of men is not a common sight at all. You are missing out guys!)

We strolled along the banks for the Blackwater enjoying the green and gold reflections.  The sun was now shining.  We decided that a cuppa and a piece of shortbread was perhaps not sufficient lunch to sustain us so we found a seat in front of a birdwatchers’ viewing wall.  Sheltered from the wind we looked out at the view between the wooden slats while enjoying our wraps. 

We were not the only ones enjoying the splash of sunshine.  This cute little songster – a dunnock - eyed us over his shoulder. 

Just above him, in a fallen willow, slept the tawny owl, totally undisturbed by our twittering.  (I had told Michala of the resident but could not believe our luck when we found him at home today). 

The landscape along the Blackwater is somewhat bedraggled and tangled but there is much beauty in the intimate scenes. 

Over the Bridge to Hampshire

We turned off the main path and crossed a bridge into Hampshire.    

Hampshire was even muddier than Berkshire but the mud did not deter us as we left the Blackwater and slowed our pace to Moulsham Green and more mud. 

To Michala it was a walk in the park striding out over stepping stones. Fortunately, it was not long before we were back on relatively dry soil thinking less about the long dreary winter and enjoying the hint of spring soon to come. 

We continued along side the fields and then crossed the road towards Up Green, where the sheep had taken a break from grazing to enjoy an afternoon nap in the sunshine.  We continued along the country paths with lacy white blossoms adding to the pleasure of our day. 

In Up Green we encounter high a chimneyed gothic house.  Then we were off the beaten track again alongside the woodland of Lower Eversley Copse, stopping to say hello to the ponies. 

We made a brief stop in Eversley’s St Mary’s Church yard but decided not to enter the church in our extremely muddy boots.

With just a suggestion that these gates led to a private property we turned left, gaining no hint of the Grade II listed building, Arletts Cottage beyond. 

When I started learning French at the age of 11 my French teacher asked us all to choose a French name by which we would be called during her lessons.  My name was Arlett and my best friend Caroline was Annette.  (Funny the little things that trigger a memory). 

The Three Castles path took us through Warren Heath, part of Bramshill Forest.   The forest is very similar in style to Swinley Forest however, rather than Scots Pine we found Corsican Pine, otherwise known as Black Pine.  Corsican pine is fast growing, ideal for a working forest, providing wood that can be easily treated and used for building work.  In the past it would have been used for holding up mine shafts. 

The trees are easily recognisable by their fissured dark greyish brown trunks and their pairs of pine needles with a distinctive twist. 

Michala was reminded that she needed to share her location with Rich as he would be giving us a ride home from Hartney Witney. He was driving up from the New Forest.  He is such a saint.  That said, Warren Heath’s Richard was no saint.  Apparently, he was a ‘Sir’.  It seems a mistake was made in the signage.

From Warren Heath we followed the eastern end of Hazeley Heath walking alongside paddocks with yet more horses, some, like the sheep, enjoying an afternoon nap in the sunshine.

You would have thought we had woken these two, wood-land creatures, from their sleep, as they glared at us in passing whereas the wild snowdrops and violets nodded their heads, full of respect as we arrived at today’s end point. 

We had walked an amazing 14.91 miles in just under 6 hours, allowing ourselves plenty of time to stop and stare and drink in the beautiful sights along the way.  This was such a lovely stretch with a great variety of terrain with woodland, heath and river and lakeside - all beautifully unmanicured wildness.