From The Queens Oak head up towards the church. With the church in front, take the lane which forks right and go past White Horse House. The path soon dwindles to a stony track and descends through a wooded tunnel. Cross a lane via two kissing gates and follow a narrow path between tall hedges. Ahead is a waymarked junction. The path follows round to the left, but instead go straight ahead and follow this for several hundred yards. The path is very narrow in places with tall hedgerows. The hedge drops away in places on the right-hand side, giving good views across fields and beyond. Eventually you will come to a stile. Cross this to reach the B3348 at Fleet Hill.
Turn right and keep on this same side of the main road until you see Vann House opposite. Cross over and, in front of Vann House, follow Fleet Lane (signed 'Public Footpath'). This leads past several houses and ends at Fleethill Farm, where the way appears to be barred by a metal gate. Take the stile to the left of the gate and continue across the farmyard, keeping to the left beside the fenced off woodland – this is a public right of way. Reach another large gate and stile.
Leave the farmyard and continue ahead along a broad path, with paddocks to your right and the woods of Fleet Copse to your left. The paddocks finish, and after passing to the left of another metal gate there is a pair of stiles (one of which is redundant). The path here is much narrower and passes through a field, which is obscured to the right-hand side by a large bund (excavated materials) running along its edge. Continue on until eventually Fleet Copse peters out, the gravel footpath gives way to tarmac and a small housing estate comes into view.
The route turns left, before the houses, onto a footpath – but coming from this direction, both path and waymarker may be obscured by foliage. A few paces further on is a small wooden waymarked sign and a 'historic board', set on a neatly trimmed piece of grass, that records the meeting between the English royals and the Spanish envoy. Retrace your steps a few paces and turn right by the waymarked post. Pass alongside a fence and beneath the boughs of holly trees before emerging onto the B3348, Fleet Hill, with a petrol station immediately to your right.
Turn left and cross the road, then turn right on Rectory Farm Drive. Go past Finchampstead House and Rectory Farm, take the path to the right of the main gate, bear right after about 60yds (55m) and cut between paddocks. Cross the next stile, followed by a footbridge, and turn left, then right. Swing left at the next junction and head for Finchampstead Church. Cut through the churchyard and return to The Queens Oak.
Part of this walk is along an ancient road used by Henry VII and his sons, Arthur and Henry, while hunting in this area. The King had hunting lodges near by at Dogmersfield and Easthampstead Park. Henry VII had always sought a marriage alliance with Spain for his sons. Katherine of Aragon, the... youngest daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, and just nine months older than Henry’s older son, Prince Arthur, seemed the perfect match. In September 1501 Catherine arrived at Plymouth, and a messenger began the lengthy journey to the King's hunting lodge at Easthampstead to inform His Majesty that the future queen was on her way. A sign on the walk recalls the spot where they heard the news on 16 November. The King and the princes made their way to the lodge at Dogmersfield, only to find that Katherine had retired for the night and would see no one. Henry was understandably nervous as he had never seen an accurate likeness of Katherine, and insisted on seeing her. He was apparently relieved to discover she was a pretty girl, with red-gold hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. Henry thought she was a perfect bride for Arthur. Marriage and remarriage Some 10 days later, the two 15-year-olds were married in St Paul's Cathedral. Tragically, Arthur died six months after the wedding. His untimely death triggered a series of events that would have a momentous effect on the history of England. The King duly passed Katherine on to his younger son, Henry, who married his brother's widow in 1509. As the Church forbade such a union, a special dispensation was obtained from the Pope. Happiness did not follow, however. By 1527, Henry, now King, was desperate for an heir and Katherine had produced no surviving sons. Their only child was a daughter (the future Mary I of England), but at this time there was no established precedent for a woman on the throne. Having already met and fallen in love with Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII was anxious to dissolve his unfruitful marriage as soon as possible. The Pope refused to bow to his wishes, Henry subsequently broke with the Roman Catholic Church and so began the Reformation in England.
Berkshire consists of two distinct parts: the western half, which is predominantly rural, with the Lambourn Downs spilling down to the River Lambourn and the Berkshire Downs to the majestic Thames, and the eastern half of Berkshire, which offers plenty of opportunity to get out and savour open spaces. Reading and Newbury are the county’s major towns, and the River Kennet flows through them both.
From The Queens Oak head up towards the church. With the church in front, take the lane which forks right and go past White Horse House. The path soon dwindles to a stony track and descends through a wooded tunnel. Cross a lane via two kissing gates and follow a narrow path between tall hedges. Ahead is a waymarked junction. The path follows round to the left, but instead go straight ahead and follow this for several hundred yards. The path is very narrow in places with tall hedgerows. The hedge drops away in places on the right-hand side, giving good views across fields and beyond. Eventually you will come to a stile. Cross this to reach the B3348 at Fleet Hill.
1 of 5
Turn right and keep on this same side of the main road until you see Vann House opposite. Cross over and, in front of Vann House, follow Fleet Lane (signed 'Public Footpath'). This leads past several houses and ends at Fleethill Farm, where the way appears to be barred by a metal gate. Take the stile to the left of the gate and continue across the farmyard, keeping to the left beside the fenced off woodland – this is a public right of way. Reach another large gate and stile.
2 of 5
Leave the farmyard and continue ahead along a broad path, with paddocks to your right and the woods of Fleet Copse to your left. The paddocks finish, and after passing to the left of another metal gate there is a pair of stiles (one of which is redundant). The path here is much narrower and passes through a field, which is obscured to the right-hand side by a large bund (excavated materials) running along its edge. Continue on until eventually Fleet Copse peters out, the gravel footpath gives way to tarmac and a small housing estate comes into view.
3 of 5
The route turns left, before the houses, onto a footpath – but coming from this direction, both path and waymarker may be obscured by foliage. A few paces further on is a small wooden waymarked sign and a 'historic board', set on a neatly trimmed piece of grass, that records the meeting between the English royals and the Spanish envoy. Retrace your steps a few paces and turn right by the waymarked post. Pass alongside a fence and beneath the boughs of holly trees before emerging onto the B3348, Fleet Hill, with a petrol station immediately to your right.
4 of 5
Turn left and cross the road, then turn right on Rectory Farm Drive. Go past Finchampstead House and Rectory Farm, take the path to the right of the main gate, bear right after about 60yds (55m) and cut between paddocks. Cross the next stile, followed by a footbridge, and turn left, then right. Swing left at the next junction and head for Finchampstead Church. Cut through the churchyard and return to The Queens Oak.
Part of this walk is along an ancient road used by Henry VII and his sons, Arthur and Henry, while hunting in this area. The King had hunting lodges near by at Dogmersfield and Easthampstead Park. Henry VII had always sought a marriage alliance with Spain for his sons. Katherine of Aragon, the... youngest daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, and just nine months older than Henry’s older son, Prince Arthur, seemed the perfect match. In September 1501 Catherine arrived at Plymouth, and a messenger began the lengthy journey to the King's hunting lodge at Easthampstead to inform His Majesty that the future queen was on her way. A sign on the walk recalls the spot where they heard the news on 16 November. The King and the princes made their way to the lodge at Dogmersfield, only to find that Katherine had retired for the night and would see no one. Henry was understandably nervous as he had never seen an accurate likeness of Katherine, and insisted on seeing her. He was apparently relieved to discover she was a pretty girl, with red-gold hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. Henry thought she was a perfect bride for Arthur. Marriage and remarriage Some 10 days later, the two 15-year-olds were married in St Paul's Cathedral. Tragically, Arthur died six months after the wedding. His untimely death triggered a series of events that would have a momentous effect on the history of England. The King duly passed Katherine on to his younger son, Henry, who married his brother's widow in 1509. As the Church forbade such a union, a special dispensation was obtained from the Pope. Happiness did not follow, however. By 1527, Henry, now King, was desperate for an heir and Katherine had produced no surviving sons. Their only child was a daughter (the future Mary I of England), but at this time there was no established precedent for a woman on the throne. Having already met and fallen in love with Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII was anxious to dissolve his unfruitful marriage as soon as possible. The Pope refused to bow to his wishes, Henry subsequently broke with the Roman Catholic Church and so began the Reformation in England.
Berkshire consists of two distinct parts: the western half, which is predominantly rural, with the Lambourn Downs spilling down to the River Lambourn and the Berkshire Downs to the majestic Thames, and the eastern half of Berkshire, which offers plenty of opportunity to get out and savour open spaces. Reading and Newbury are the county’s major towns, and the River Kennet flows through them both.
