32 Basingstoke – Newbury

The 32 makes a fine day out from Basingstoke, swapping the busy ring road for downland villages and ending at a town built around its canal and racecourse. Plan to leave Basingstoke Bus Station in the morning so you've a full afternoon in Newbury, and consider returning on a later bus so you can linger by the Kennet.

Before boarding, it's worth a short detour in Basingstoke to the Willis Museum on the Market Place, set in the old town hall, where the local history collection covers everything from the Civil War to Jane Austen's links with the surrounding villages. The shopping centre at Festival Place is handy for a quick coffee before the bus departs from Stop P.

As the bus reaches Kingsclere, hop off near St Mary's Church to wander the village. The church has Norman foundations and a curious copper weathervane shaped like a bedbug, said to have been added at the order of King John after a poor night's sleep at the local inn. The high street has a clutch of independents and tea rooms, and the Watership Down escarpment rises behind the rooftops; keen walkers can follow the Wayfarer's Walk up onto the ridge for views across the Kennet Valley.

Continuing on, the bus rolls past Ecchinswell and through Headley, where The Harrow gives its name to one of the stops. These are quiet, hedge-bound lanes, the kind of country best seen from the top deck if one is running. Greenham Common follows, and a stop here is well rewarded: the former airbase is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest, with eight miles of paths across the heath. The restored Control Tower has a small visitor centre and café telling the story of the Cold War years and the peace camp.

Arriving at Newbury Wharf you step straight onto the Kennet and Avon Canal. The eighteenth-century Granary houses the West Berkshire Museum, and a short walk along the towpath leads to Victoria Park. The town centre is compact: the Corn Exchange hosts theatre and comedy, and Northbrook Street and the Market Place are good for an unhurried lunch at one of the canal-side pubs.

If time allows, an early-evening stroll out to Shaw House, a fine Elizabethan mansion just north of the centre, rounds the day off nicely before catching the 32 back over the downs to Basingstoke.