Buckler’s Forest
Crowthorne
Children will enjoy the Pioneer Play Area and looking inside the green boxes on this walk.
Children will love Pioneer Play
The Basics
Time: 1 hour
Distance: 3.8 km / 2.4 miles
Terrain: Flat and well surfaced paths throughout.
Pushchairs: This route is suitable for pushchairs.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome on this walk, but shouldn’t be around the play equipment.
Refreshments: Stables Coffee Co. overlooks the play area.
Toilets: There are toilets at The Hub.
Public Transport: Thames Valley Busses route 194 between Bracknell and Farnborough stops at Brooker’s Row near the car park.
Parking: Buckler’s Forest car park off Woodcote Green, free, height barrier (Postcode: RH45 6HZ - W3W: ///spray.drama.delay)
Buckler’s Forest is interspersed with little ponds with viewing platforms
Buckler’s Forest is a forty-two hectare site made up of woodland, grassland, heathland and ponds. It was once the home of The Transport Research Laboratory where vehicles were tested for road safety. Interesting remnants of this time still exist such as ‘hill start hill’, ‘the banked curve’ and ‘the fire tower’. Recent development in the area has brought a brand new play area and coffee shops, making this an excellent area for outdoor recreation including walks and bike rides.
The Route
Leave the car park following the finger post that says ‘southern loop’. You will pass a couple of small ponds and some green boxes. The green boxes are old electrical boxes and have been re-purposed as bug hotels, museums, habitats and benches.
When you arrive at the fire tower, you will see a line new housing in the distance. Keep right and soon pass a larger pond and picnic area to your right. At a green box that has been made into a bench, keep right and follow the finger post to the ‘northern loop’.
Just after the amphitheatre seating on the banked curve, fork left off the tarmac and onto a track leading you up into the forest. Follow the path through the trees and it will bend to the left. At a finger post, turn right towards hill start hill. Bend round to the left with this path. There are some old road layouts and markings here, which would be fun for kids on bikes. Pass a picnic bench to your right. At the junction after the bench turn left and then turn right at the next junction.
Walk on a paved path towards the play area, the cafe and The Hub. Return to the path through the gate after enjoying the facilities and turn right to complete the circuit. Pass the sign to the community garden and ranger’s office.
Fork right when the path splits around a brown bin. This path will bring you back to the car park.
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Did you know?
Up until 2004, Buckler’s Forest was used by the Transport Research Laboratory. The site played a part in the development of familiar road safety features such as the mini-roundabout, speed humps, the zebra crossing, and the Green Cross Code. Hill start hill was designed to test handbrakes, the banked curve was used by high-speed vehicles, the skid pan was where roundabouts were tested.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try a walk at Hogmoor Inclosure, another area of wooded heathland with a brilliant play area.
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