Journal · June 2026 · 5 min read
A Slow Weekend in the Berkshire Countryside
There is a particular kind of weekend that the Berkshire countryside does well. No rushing, no long list of things you must see. Just a slow start, a good walk, a long lunch, and time to watch the light change over the fields.
Squirrels' Nest sits on the quiet edge of West Berkshire, close to the Hampshire border and the North Wessex Downs. From the cabin door you are minutes from some of the loveliest corners of the county. Here is how we would spend two unhurried days.
Saturday morning: out on the Downs
Start with the walk while the day is still cool. The North Wessex Downs rise just south of the cabin, and Walbury Hill is the obvious first stop. At 297 metres it is the highest chalk hill in England, and the view from the top runs for miles across the Kennet Valley. Park near the ridge, follow the old track along Gallows Down, and you will reach Combe Gibbet, a lone seventeenth-century gallows standing on an ancient burial mound. It is a strange and beautiful spot, and almost always empty.
If you would rather keep things gentle, the Kennet and Avon Canal towpath is flat, shaded and easy underfoot. Pick it up at Kintbury and follow the water west, past locks and handsome brick bridges, with swans and moorhens for company.
A long lunch
By midday you will have earned a proper sit-down. The Dundas Arms in Kintbury stands right on the canal, on its own little lock island, and is a fine place to spend an afternoon. For something with rooms and rosettes, the Bunk Inn at Curridge does unhurried, generous food. We have gathered our favourites in a separate post if you would like the full list.
Saturday afternoon: Highclere and history
Highclere Castle, the real Downton Abbey, is only a short drive away. Beyond the house itself there is an Egyptian Exhibition of treasures collected by the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, who helped uncover Tutankhamun's tomb, and a thousand acres of parkland to wander.
If you prefer your history quieter, Sandham Memorial Chapel at Burghclere holds a remarkable set of murals painted by Stanley Spencer after the First World War. Donnington Castle, just outside Newbury, is a ruined gatehouse on a hill with sweeping views and no entry fee.
Sunday: slow and local
Give Sunday to the small things. Newbury has a market on Tuesdays and Thursdays, a free local museum, and the canal running straight through the middle of town. Hungerford, a few minutes west, is known for its antique shops and its long Georgian high street.
Then back to the cabin, boots off, kettle on, and the rest of the day to yourselves. That, really, is the whole point of a weekend out here.
Make it your weekend.
Squirrels' Nest is a cosy one-bedroom cabin in the heart of it all, minutes from these walks, pubs and days out.