Length: 10 miles T=2.7
Option to return to Henley-on-thames from Hambledon = 9 miles
Train: Take the 10.08 Great Western Didcot train from London Paddington, changing at Twyford (arrive Twyford 10.37; depart 10:45), arriving Henley 10.57.
Return trains (all requiring a change at Maidenhead) are at 00 past the hour (except for 20:06) with frequent trains back to London Paddington.
After lunch, it follows a route over wooded hills from Hambleden to
Marlow, the same route as is taken by the Marlow Circular walk. Or, you could
opt to return to Henley via Aston from Hambledon.
Many lunch options on this walk.
Stag & Huntsman (01491 571 221) in Hambleton (4.7 miles into walk). Please call ahead to confirm availability.
Hambleden Village
Stores: Located 7.6km (4.7 miles)
into the walk, this superior village shop has few outside tables and serves
tea, coffee, homemade cakes and delicatessen items (sometimes even soup),
making it a possible light lunch or early tea stop. It is open to 5pm Monday to
Saturday and 4pm Sunday.
If doing the Henley circular, there is The Flower Pot Hotel (01491 547 721) in Aston - which is about 7 miles into the walk.
Tea can be had at various locations back in Marlow with Burgers and the George and Dragon being suggested. There is a Gail’s Bakery which is 15 minute walk from the station and open till 6pm. Numerous tea places (eg Viv's on the river front, about 6 minute walk from the station) and pubs in Henley.
5 comments:
Actually both Burgers and the George & Dragon in Marlow seem to have closed, but the town has lots of other cafes and pubs, the latter including the very pleasant Marlow Donkey (whose name refers to a type of dock locomotive that used to work the branch line in steam days) near the station.
Marlow return is cheaper than Henley return, just to check that should we be buying Henley return (as opposed to Marlow return)? Many thanks.
Yes, Henley return. That should be accepted from Marlow: if not you have to pay Maidenhead to Marlow.
You could try pointing out that a Henley return is (or used to be…) the same price as a Thames Branches Day Rover, which gives you unlimited travel for a day on the Henley, Marlow, Windsor and Greenford branches from London - if it still exists! About 15 years ago I asked for one at Paddington and they sold it to me, but expressed mighty surprise I had even heard of it. And come to think of it, it probably wouldn’t give you the sone six discount anyway, so why am I even mentioning it…?
It does still exist!! Costs £18.30 with a Senior Card, though, which I doubt would be competitive…..
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tickets-railcards-offers/promotions/thames-branches-day-ranger/
There may be some reluctance among SWC-ers to do Henley walks, but it seems no such resistance exists among Meet-Up types. We shared the train from Twyford with a group of 250 - no, that is not a typo - off to do a walk to a sunflower field or somesuch. Fortunately that was not the same direction as our walk, so 7 of us were able to set off in peace.
A blistering pace was set - or maybe I am getting old. (Eh? You were out in front for the first couple of miles - Ed). Memories of the last time I did this walk (in winter), when we were paddling in places on the riverside bits: not a problem today! The flowers in the Temple Island Nature Reserve were past their best, but probably I was the only one to notice this.
In the woods near Hambleden some did a bit of bushwhacking, saying the GPX went that way. As the “showrunner” for this walk I will look into it. Getting to the village we encountered walker number N=8. She had apparently got the right train but changed at the wrong station.
Five (or was it six?) of us lunched at the Stag & Huntsman, at which our social secretary had kindly booked us a table. Actually it was not hugely busy. Nearly all other diners were in the garden but my attempts to shift the group there were rebuffed with talk of wasps. After a strange foray into burger and fish and chip territory, this pub is back to doing a more gastro menu - market fish of the day etc. I showed my approval for this by having the burger (which was very tasty).
After lunch we climbed up into the Oxfordshire Alps (it is a cruelly steep hill so soon after eating!). When we got to Homefield Wood, so dull in winter and yet such a flower and butterfly paradise in July, I was gratified to discover that enough still remained of the latter to while away a happy hour there. I saw fourteen silver-washed fritillaries (I knew you would be impressed…), albeit some looking rather decrepit. In all I clocked 12 butterfly species. I also saw several hornets.
While I was doing this, the others had marched on to Marlow, reaching it at the (if you ask me, inappropriately early) hour of 3.45. One went to the pub, the others to a cafe called Cedars, which seemed to answer all expectations in the ceramic tea pot department, if a photo I was sent is any guide. By the time I rocked up and got a tea and (humongous) cookie from the park cafe, they had been to the river and were heading for the 5pm train. But it was such a w=lovely_sunny_day (a bit of cloud earlier, but we won’t mention that) that I decided to stay another hour, enjoy my tea, go and see the flowers by the river (acres of purple loosestrife), and get the 6pm train.
On the subject of tickets, while writing this on the Marlow train, my ticket was checked and a Henley return happily accepted. Oh and you can now use contactless to both Henley and Marlow (and eg Marlow to Maidenhead or Twyford to Henley). I leave it to those with university degrees in Trainfareology to say if this is financially advantageous or not.
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