Route map to Reading below…
On the way out of Newbury we will pass the old Greenham Common airbase and pause at the gate where there is a Commemorative Garden at 09:30 to remember the women who set up the peace camp there back in the early 80s.
They were protesting against the installation of US cruise missiles at the base. This was seen as a major escalation of the cold war and a threat to world peace. The women resisted repeated attempts to evict them, practiced many forms of non-violent direct action, attracted world-wide attention to the issue and gave impetus to a mass protest movement.
Although cruise was briefly deployed at Greenham, the burgeoning peace movement across Europe ultimately forced the USA and USSR to the negotiating table and cruise (and the equally contentious pershing missiles on the west german border) were withdrawn.
NVDA can be effective, and the Greenham women should be an inspiration and strengthen today’s activists travelling to London to rebel against another existential threat.
Leaving Greenham by 10:00 we will pass by both the Aldermaston and Burghfield nuclear weapons establishments – bells will be rung.
It is 40km to Reading from Newbury and we have a long day so we need to push along and try and get there for an early lunch. Likely to also be a brief lunch as there are still some 70km to go to get to Hyde Park – at least they will be flat.
The precise route is open to debate as we need to find a way to penetrate the city through the transition where urban and rural face each other across wasteland and desolate zones as they do battle.
One such iconic battle is currently taking place around Sipson where the Heathrow Grow Local project has recently been evicted – we hope to visit them for a brief regroup before tackling the last 25km into the heart of the beast.
Earth Marchers and Rebel Riders from all over are converging at Marble Arch corner of Hyde Park in the late afternoon. We aim to be there too…
Hi I’m looking to join up in Reading. I hope to be speaking with a local cycle campaigner – Adrian Lawson this evening at an XR meet. He has been playing a small background role in XR.
I would like to find out when and where I can meet up with the group. I also have a suggested for part of the route as far as Slough or Windsor. It is possible to take the A4 out of Reading as far as Twyford which is a short stretch on busy roads and from Twyford take the B3024. This is one of my favorite quiet routes with very little traffic passing through some lovely open countryside and a few quiet hamlets. It is possible to follow this until Windsor/Slough.
Hi Philip – currently we plan to be stopping in Reading for an early lunch on Sunday 14th – exact time tba – I’ll email you full contact details and more. Perhaps we can meet in a cafe somewhere near the Kennet river/canal (I suspect we’ll be coming in to town along the towpath)
Many thanks for the route suggestion onwards – that is really helpful and looks sensible on the map. I hope to publish a GPX file for Sunday here before we set off.
If others from Reading want to join in that would be great – currently about 15 of us heading in to London. We want to pay a visit to Grow Heathrow on the way past to offer them greetings, support and encouragement. Probably a brief stop mid afternoon.
RogerCO
Hello
We would like to join you on Sunday from reading, there’s two of us. Could we have a contact to arrange time and place? Many thanks
Livi & Sammy
Hi Livi,
Great, 07736 74 12 68 – text during day or phone in evenings. Will be about 1:30pm I think. Somewhere where there is a cafe in the centre near the Kennet river/canal.