Length: 17.96 km (11.16 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10
Either
London Paddington: 10-07 hrs Great Western service to Bristol Parkway
Arrive Twyford: 10-39 hrs Change trains
Leave Twyford: 10-53 hrs Great Western service to Henley-on-Thames
Arrive Shiplake: 11-00 hrs
Or For Freedom pass holders and Ealing Broadwayers
London Paddington: 09-32 hrs Elizabeth Line platform B (underground) Ealing Broadway 09-41 hrs
Arrive Twyford: 10-18 hrs Change trains
Leave Twyford: 10-23 Great Western service to Henley-on-Thames
Arrive Shiplake: 10-30 hrs
Return: Henley to Paddington, changing at Twyford: 08 and 38 mins past the hour
Rail ticket: Freedom pass holders just need a day return from Twyford to Henley. All others - buy a day return to Henley from Paddington (or the boundary of your Travelcard).
Depending on the train walkers take, some will arrive at Shiplake 30 mins before others. The Liz Line travellers could wait at Twyford for an extra 30 mins, to join up with the Great Westerners, but they might as well connect with the earlier train to Shiplake - and meet up at one of the lunch stops - their choice.
With some recent rain at last, early opening bluebells will have had a drink and might reward us today with some lovely displays. I recommend you take the High Wood option from Shiplake station, to go through its bluebell woods. 11 am starters will reach Binfield Heath in time for an early lunch at the Bottle & Glass Inn. The 10-30 am starters will be a little early and may prefer to keep going until they reach Rotherfield Greys - and the excellent Maltsters Arms - you e.t.a is 12-45 hrs ( 11 am starters on the High Wood start will reach the Maltsters circa 1-15 pm). Being a Bank Holiday both pubs are likely to be very busy today so no bad thing to book ahead.
After lunch the walk continues from Rotherfield Greys to Greys Court with its magnificent bluebell paddock. On then to Lambridge Wood, where many a SWC walker has strayed off piste and become lost - so do please follow the written directions carefully. Then it's over a golf course, down past George Harrison's mansion and into Henley, for tea. The Chocolate Factory is a long-time friend of the SWC.
T= 1.9
Walk Directions are here: L=1.9
3 comments:
None of the N=3 on the 10:30 arrival read the walk post properly and set off on the main walk without waiting. When we realised, we sort of half hoped that we might meet up with short-cutters from the later train. A check in the Bottle and Glass found nobody but, later, in the Maltsters, we found n=2 who had got an even earlier train and also taken the main route. The late 3 had drinkies, the earlier arrivals had meals. So that’s n=5 innit.
1 took the shorter ending, the rest, the full route.
A w=cloudy-slightly-damp day, any rain was very light.
The bluebells were out in Lambridge Woods. The beech trees were looking good, too.
So far so good. A good day out. But it didn’t stay that way.
From Twyford there were no trains. Neither GWR or Liz line. A power outage. We had to get to Reading by bus then onto a slow train to Waterloo. (That train changed its mind halfway and decided to go fast to Waterloo. Lucky for some).
Sorry to have missed the group..took the 10.07 departure and no-one else appeared at Shiplake.. good day had though..
N=6
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