Greenham Common 4-mile walk
Details
Greenham Common is a 693-acre area of common land and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the site of the former RAF and US Airforce station of the same name.
We'll meet at 11am at the car park of the old Control Tower on the north side of the common, and walk east to the Crookham end of the field.
Returning west we'll reach a 100m square section of the old runway at the centre of the plot, which is sadly all that remains now of the 3000-meter long runway capable of receiving the largest of military aircraft including the B52 bomber, and potentially the Space Shuttle (it was one of its worldwide emergency landing sites).
Continuing west along the southerly perimeter, we will reach the US cruise missile bunkers, now cordoned off from close inspection but still quite impressive from 50 meters away or so.
Arriving back at the Control Tower car park we will go into the Control Tower itself, and receive an informal guided tour of it from the resident volunteers talking about the history of the place, including tales of the Greenham Peace Women, who in 1982 mustered up a contingent of 30,000 of their numbers, forming a cordon around the perimeter of the entire airfield, holding hands. If we should be lucky to have a similar number of us attending our walk, we can try doing the same thing. But I suspect our numbers will be a little less than 30,000, and sufficient only to form a cordon from the control tower entrance to its dog-friendly cafe, into which we will decamp for a quick cuppa.
Thenafter we'll head out to the Swan Inn (postcode RG20 9BH), if you like, for Sunday lunch at 2pm:
https://www.swannewbury.co.uk/food
The meeting point is the Control Tower car park (parking is free), which is at postcode: RG19 8BZ (off Burys Bank Road, the road that runs along the north perimeter).
Greenham Common is around 4 miles South East of Newbury. It is not easy to reach by public transport, but I will be able to collect up to three people from Basingstoke station at 10:30am (let me know if this would assist).
https://www.bbowt.org.uk/nature-reserves/greenham-and-crookham-commons
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Greenham_Common
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenham_Common_Women%27s_Peace_Camp
Greenham Common 4-mile walk