Pub Walks with Good Sunday Roasts in Berkshire

Why Berkshire suits a walk that ends at a roast

Around Reading you are spoiled in a quiet way. The Thames curls through the valley from Pangbourne down to Sonning and Wargrave, the chalk of the North Wessex Downs rises to the west, and between them sits one of the densest networks of public footpaths in southern England. That means you can plan a genuinely moderate loop — three to five miles, an hour and a half of walking, one climb at most — and finish at an inn that has been feeding hungry people since before anyone thought to call it a gastropub.

The trick is to treat the roast as the fixed point and build the walk around it, not the other way about. Sunday kitchens work to a timetable, and so should you.

Three reliable loops to build an afternoon around

• Sonning, Shiplake and the Thames Path: about four flat miles. Start on the Berkshire bank at Sonning, follow the river downstream past the lock and the islands, then loop back through Shiplake and the lanes behind the village. It is easy walking, but the riverside stretch floods after heavy rain, so have the inland lanes as a fallback. Finish near the village green, where any of the inns within a short stroll will be busy from noon.
• Pangbourne, Tidmarsh and Sulham: roughly four miles with one steady climb. Head out of Pangbourne along the little River Pang, where the watercress beds and willows make it feel far more remote than it is, then up into Sulham Woods for the beech and the views back over the valley. The descent through Sulham village brings you home. Drains reasonably, but the clay sections hold water — boots rather than trainers.
• Goring, Streatley and Lardon Chase: three miles, one proper pull uphill. Cross the bridge from Goring into Streatley, climb the lane and then the steep path onto the Ridgeway, and walk the edge of Lardon Chase for the classic view over the Goring Gap. Chalk underfoot, so it stays walkable all winter. Two villages, both with inns, both within a mile of the station.

If you want something longer, the commons and lanes between Bucklebury, Stanford Dingley and Bradfield will give you six or seven miles of heath, oak and flint-walled lanes — but check the ground first, as the commons get properly boggy.

Timing the walk around the kitchen

Most Sunday roasts are served from noon until about three, and the last sitting goes quickly. A workable rhythm is to set off at half ten, walk for an hour and a half with a stop for the view, and be at the door for one o'clock. In November and December, when light fades by half four, start at ten and eat at twelve thirty. If you are walking in from a car park half a mile away, factor in the boot-changing faff — it always takes longer than you think.

Booking the table: what to say when you ring

• Book by Thursday for a Sunday, and ask specifically for a table in the bar or the back room rather than the middle of the dining room.
• Say that you are walking. Mention muddy boots and, if applicable, a dog. Landlords would far rather seat you in the right corner than watch you apologise your way across a carpet.
• Ask about dogs rather than assuming — most country pubs welcome them in the bar but not in the dining room.
• Confirm the last food order when you book, and ask whether they hold tables for late arrivals.
• Give a mobile number and ring if you are running more than fifteen minutes late. If your plans change, cancel. A no-show on a Sunday costs a pub real money and is remembered.

Muddy boots, wet dogs and other practicalities

Carry a small bag with a change of footwear, a spare pair of socks, a towel for the dog and a bin bag for the muddy pair. Gaiters are worth the bother on the Pang and the commons. Look for a boot scraper or a mat by the door, use it, and change out of boots before you go in if there is nowhere sensible to leave them. Ask where to put wet kit — most inns have a corner they would rather you used. Keep dogs on leads near livestock, on the downs in spring, and anywhere the path crosses a working farmyard, and always shut gates behind you.

Maps, waymarks and the small print of the path network

Carry paper. Explorer 159 covers Reading, Wokingham and Pangbourne; Explorer 171 covers the Chilterns west around Henley and Wallingford; Explorer 158 takes in Newbury and Hungerford. Digital mapping on a phone is a useful backup but a poor primary, especially in beech woods where the signal drops. Learn the waymarks: yellow arrows for footpaths, blue for bridleways, and on some paths a coloured disc or an acorn for the Ridgeway. Where a path crosses arable land, the line may be ploughed out — follow the waymarks and the line on the map, and do not be shy about using a stile or kissing gate rather than the field edge. If a path is genuinely blocked, report it to the local rights of way team; the network only stays open because people use it.