Donnington Castle and Snelsmore Common Walk

Start at The Blackbird, Bagnor. Keeping the pub on your left, pass through the car park, past some cottages on your left and follow the gravel track to the kissing gate. Go through the kissing gate, turning left onto take the tarmac path up over the A34 to the edge of Donnington Grove golf course. Follow the path through the golf course, keeping the green on your right. As you reach the top of the slope, cross over the intersecting tarmac path. As you reach the corner you'll see a footpath way marker on your right, follow this into the wood. Keep the greens and fairways on your right hand side.

As you emerge from the woodland you'll see a gate in front of you, with a path to the right. Go through the gate and climb the slope up to Donnington Castle. Donnington Castle was built by its original owner, Richard Abberbury the Elder in 1386 and the surviving castle gatehouse dates from this time. The castle was subsequently bought by Thomas Chaucer, the son of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, as a residence for his daughter Alice, who later became Duchess of Suffolk. When the family fell out with the Tudor monarchs, the castle became a Royal property. Both King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I visited Donnington Castle, in 1539 and 1568 respectively. Following the English Civil War in which the castle succeeded in guarding the major route ways from London to the West Country and Oxford to Southampton, Parliament voted in 1646 to demolish the castle leaving only the gatehouse, as we see it today. As you pass round the back of the castle, you'll see a gate. Take the gate and turn left onto the track, pass through the steel gate and follow the track as it leads past a timber barn on the left and a new barn conversion on the right. Bear left down the tarmac bridleway. Cross back over the A34 and sweep right along the bridleway following the drive as it dwindles to a track.

Keep right at the fork and cut between the fences. On the left hand side you'll pass by extensive fairways; be careful of any stray golf balls coming through the air and please be courteous to the golfers as the path is very close to the Tee squares. Follow the track towards a house set against the trees and keep to the left of it staying on the bridleway. Pass through a gate onto Snelsmore common and go straight ahead at the way marked junction. Please note that livestock are walking freely in the common, so dogs should be kept under control. Pass beneath power lines and continue straight ahead between bracken and gorse bushes. You will pass a couple of forks in the path; continue forward at each of these junctions. A useful directional landmark is the fire control tower (see additional photo in the gallery) which you pass on your left. You'll see the car park in front of you as you walk down the path, keep the first car park on your left, and continue down the path where you pass through the gate on your left and into the second car park. The car park houses a toilet block and a small refreshment hut selling drinks and ice creams. Please note that the toilet block is locked 4pm daily. Snelsmore became a common in the medieval period, used for grazing of cattle and ponies and the collection of fallen timber and fuel. The common was believed to have been used as an ammunitions dump during Second World War. It became a country park in 1972 and Cattle returned to the common in 1999, where they can be seen grazing feely around the park helping control tree and scrub growth.

Turn left, keeping the toilet block on your right and go through the entrance into the Snelsmore Common. Pass under the car barrier and at the sign take the right hand tarmac driveway. Pass smaller car parks on the left and picnic areas, to the left and right. Follow the track and pass through the kissing gate. Follow the track as it curves gradually to the left and then runs clear and straight to a left curve.

As the road curves, there is a stone path on the right with built up trees on the left, take this path and cut through the wooded area. Keep left at the next fork, avoiding the path to your extreme left. Follow the path passing two wooden seats on your left, looking out into the woods of the common.

After the second wooden seat, descend the bank between the bracken (be careful this is a steep slope with loose gravel), cut through the woods to the galvanised gate at the bottom. Follow the path ahead, passing Chestnut and Honey Bottom Cottages on your left. Go straight ahead when the track bends right. Follow the path along the woodland edge until you reach a wooden kissing gate. Once over the kissing gate you will enter a field fenced on both sides, walk down the slope, through this field. Notice the Buck and Doe bronze statues in the adjoining field on the left. Make for the gate at the end of the field, turning left out of the passage onto the road. Turn left back to The Blackbird. The blackbird is a very homely pub with a beer garden looking out onto the Village Green. Dogs are allowed both inside the bar area and in the garden. The Blackbird has an extensive and reasonably priced lunch and evening menu. They are open from 12 - 2pm lunchtime and 6-9pm evenings, except Sunday when they do not serve meals in the evening.