Donnington Castle and Snelsmore Common Walk is a 3.6 mile loop trail located near Newbury, Berkshire, England that features a river and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, running, and bird watching.
This is a circular walk including the remains of Donnington Castle, woodland and the easy tranquil paths of Snelsmore Common. There are no stiles on this walk and although there are a couple of fairly steep inclines the walk is suitable for all ages. Please note however it would be tricky to navigate some of the woodland with a pushchair. Snelsmore Common houses grazing cattle and ponies, although these tend to be around the edges of the common, so please be careful with dogs as you enter the common.
The walk starts at The Blackbird, a Michlelin star pub in Bagnor, Newbury. The Blackbird is approximately 2 miles from Newbury town centre and is just off the A34, Newbury Bypass. Post code: RG20 8AQ. If you are not intending to have a drink at the pub, please park at Waypoint 3 instead (Snelsmore Common's free car park) and adjust the walk to start and finish there.
A busy start when beginning with the castle, lots of kids about. But after about 45 minutes it quietened down and was peaceful. Not as many birds as I’d hoped as there were a lot of shooting noises. Saw some cute horses along the way.