Backup Only

This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Wednesday 24 February 2016

Mid week day walk - Maidenhead to Marlow

Maidenhead to Marlow with the merest hint of mud

A pretty stretch of the Thames to Cookham in the morning. After lunch, a hill with a view of the Thames valley

Book 3 Walk 56

Length :  14½ km or 9 miles

Toughness :  3 out of 10

Getting there :  Catch the 10:12 am train from London Paddington to Maidenhead
Calling stations:

  • Ealing Broadway:      departs 10:20
  • Southall:             departs 10:27
  • Hayes and Harlington: departs 10:31
  • West Drayton:         departs 10:35
  • Slough:               departs 10:42

Meeting point :  Maidenhead Station at 10:53

Tickets :  Buy a cheap day return to Marlow

Brief Description

This is an ideal walk for those of you weary of mud.  It passes the Cliveden Estate (though not accessible) where the Profumo affair took place many moons ago in 1961.
You may find full details here and a printable PDF here. (Apparently Kindlites may use this PDF) 

Suggested Lunch stops at Cookham

The Bel and Dragon t: 01628 521263 (up market)
The Kings Arms   t: 01628 530667 
The Crown  t: 01628 520163
The Teapot Tea Shop t: 01628 529 514

Hopefully one of these will suffice !

Suggested Tea stop

Burgers t: 01628 483389 Pronounced with a 'soft' G and open to 5:15

There are many other eateries in Marlow too.

Maps

OS Explorer : 172 

Return train times

Trains return from Marlow at the following times ...

15:06  (Change at Maidenhead)
16:05  (Change at Maidenhead)
17:16  (Change at Bourne End and Maidenhead)
17:47  (Change at Bourne End and Maidenhead)
18:17 (Change at Bourne End, Maidenhead and Slough)
18:47  (Change at Bourne End and Maidenhead)


2 comments:

Walker said...

n=9 on this walk, including one late starter who had Tube problems and caught us at lunch. A lovely walk on a day of w=sparkling-sunshine (it clouded up just before lunch but thankfully this did not last). Feeling quite warm in the sun despite the frosty start.

The "minimal mud" billing of this walk proved largely correct, though inevitably there were a couple of gloopy bits around kissing gates towards the end to ensure that we left plenty on the tea room floor (sorry about that!). Generally, though, it was the driest walk I have had since October.

Some saw a kingfisher on the morning stretch along the river (I alas did not). Lunch was in the capacious Kings Arms, which we had almost to ourselves. In the afternoon the climb up Winter Hill was a bit slippy but the views from the top were beautifully sharp.

We got to Marlow at about 3.30pm and all had tea in Burgers. Five of us then did the "new" extension for this walk (actually a new use for the existing Marlow start) back along the River Thames. This proved a great choice, with golden light from the declining sun making everything look especially idyllic. It was so nice, in fact, that when we got to Bourne End we decided to carry on to Cookham, finishing the walk there at 5.45pm and clocking up 13.5 miles in all.

"And at that moment a blackbird sang" (Edward Thomas: Adelstrop) - the first I have heard this year, chirruping away at Cookham station. A reminder that spring is just around the corner.....

Anonymous said...

This was a lovely walk in bright sunshine.Thank you to Marcus for treating three Ladies to tea and cakes in the German? tea shop Burgers. Very nice.jfk