Attractions and Places To See around Ecchinswell, Sydmonton And Bishops Green - Top 20

The hillfort on the top of the hill has never been excavated, but the land and ditch are sharply defined and well preserved. This Iron Age fort is roughly rectangular and enclosed seven acres within an embankment and ditch. There are two probable entrances to the east and west. The work seems to have been undertaken by several different labour forces, each working on a section of the defences, but for some reason the task was abandoned and the fort left unfinished. Great to walk along the unfinished ramparts, it's windy and flipping huge!!!

This is a fantastic country pub located on the banks of the River Kennet near Woolhampton. The pub has existed since 1850, and serves up a range of delicious dishes as well as cask ales. A great place to stop on a long walk.

This is a wonderful spot with a lovely display of seasonal wildflowers that bloom within the spring and summer months.

Great food and nice atmosphere

This is a great little climb. My Garmin has occasionally told me that the gradient goes up to 10%! The long descent to Ashley Warren after the peak of the climb is also good. You just need to be aware of the warning signs for livestock & children, and the fact that it's single track, barely wide enough to pass oncoming traffic.

St Mary’s is of considerable historic interest as the only executed work in England by George Jonas Wigley, a significant figure in nineteenth century Catholic life and ecclesiology. While the building is architecturally unremarkable, the west front is an impressive, if quirky design. The interior is altered, but contains furnishings by Pugin and glass by Hardman and Wailes. [...] The present church was built [in 1932] also through the efforts of Canon Dambrine, parish priest from 1829 until his death in 1855. He lies buried in the chapel to the north of the chancel, where there is a memorial tablet to him. The site was given in 1846 by Arthur, Earl of Fingal, and the architect for the new church was George Jonas Wigley, a pupil of J. J. Scoles. It was opened by Bishop (later Cardinal) Wiseman on 11 May 1848. The design of the church is said to have been modelled on the Archbishop’s palace and chapel at Croydon, which Wigley considered to be the last church to be built in Catholic England. Wigley is perhaps now little-known, but he is a figure of considerable interest, and some significance in the Catholic scene of the mid-nineteenth century. Cit. https://taking-stock.org.uk/building/woolhampton-st-mary/

Douai Abbey is a Benedictine Abbey at Upper Woolhampton, near Thatcham, in the English county of Berkshire, situated within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth. Monks from the monastery of St. Edmund's, in Douai, France, came to Woolhampton in 1903 when the community left France as a result of anti-clerical legislation. The abbey church is listed Grade II* on the National Heritage List for England. [...] The abbey church was opened in 1933 but only completed in 1993 due to financial constraints. The monastery was greatly expanded in the 1960s with the building of the new monastery designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd. The abbey had in its charge Douai School until the latter's closure in 1999. In 2005, two monks returned to Douai, France to form a community there and restore the historic links to English monasticism. Cit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douai_Abbey

Nice and friendly country pub on the Kennet and Avon canal (as well as National Cycle Network Route 4), this is one of my favourite places in Berkshire. This pub can be easily reached by bike from Reading avoiding traffic via the canal towpath (which is where NCN Route 4 runs, just beware of some stretches were the path is uneven and needs to be treaded with some caution) and is set in a beautiful spot with a huge beer garden that is great for those Summer barbecues. In fact, on those warm Summer days I would recommend an easy ride along the canal to treat yourself to a nice Sunday roast and a couple of pints, followed by another easy ride back to town. The food is nice and warming and reasonably priced, dogs are welcome indoors in the bar area and in the garden and the staff are friendly. Bike racks to lock your bikes are also present, but they are on the road at the front rather than hidden away at the back, so not the safest of places if you are visiting in the evening and sitting indoors.