Thames Footpath 10 - Henley on Thames to Reading - 11 miles

This is an updated description following a more successful recce in mid April. I can confirm that the vast majority of the path is now dry - and so we should have a lovely walk from Henley to Reading! The distance will be c11 miles taking into account to and from stations and the diversion of a diversion that we need to take. Because it is a little further than expected a finish time closer to 4.30pm should be anticipated.

We will meet at Henley station at 11am - a later start time to allow for the awkward journey to Henley. For those who arrive early there are lots of coffee options near to the station. However the toilets at Henley station are really bad - my suggestion is to use the ones at Twyford station - and obviously you have the local coffee shops in Henley.

We pick up the Thames Footpath at Henley Bridge - which also marks the point where we move into Oxfordshire. We soon pass what appears to be a really good crazy golf course - and some pretty good public toilets. The initial part of the walk is really scenic, with some interesting and very expensive houses to gawp at. The foot bridge is down at Marsh Lock and we have to take a significant diversion partly along a busy road where we will need to take extra care. If we are lucky however we may see some polo players practicing in some very scenic grounds. Shiplake is pretty dull - a station, convenience store and gastro pub, but clearly a destination location given by the houses. The path then meanders along the bank of the Thames into Sonning - where we enter Berkshire.

A question - what do George Clooney, Theresa May and Uri Geller have in common? They have been/are residents of Sonning! So if you have any spoons that need bending- bring them along just in case Uri wanders past ... Sonning is a bit weird but lovely. Lots of tightly packed in houses but narrow streets and they are clearly very fussy about shops/restaurants opening. We will stop here for a late lunch -there are some nice looking pubs, a great coffee shop and for those going for DIY food there are lots of benches by Sonning lock. We then have c3 miles left to walk. The path is again lovely but fairly soon we start to see the outskirts of Reading, which is bigger than you might think - it takes a good 30 minutes to get all of the way to Reading Bridge and the short walk to the station. A last highlight - we walk past the head office of Thames Water - in an office block called Clearwater Court. Insert your own gags at this point....

In terms of travel - for those coming from London Paddington I suspect the cheapest approach is to get a return to Reading and then either a stopper to Twyford where you can then buy a single ticket to Henley, or get a fast train to Reading, and then get a single from Reading to Henley via Twyford

NB There is a £2 payment required for non-Ramblers Assoc. members to help cover our Meetup costs. Please help the walk leader by bringing the exact change.

Dogs are also welcome - but preferably with owners!

Ramblers members are welcome on any of our walks, but we would still encourage you to RSVP on Meetup. This will give our volunteer walk leaders an idea of how many are attending, and also keep the numbers manageable. If, on the day of the walk, you are still on the waiting list and a Ramblers member, you can attend - just let the walk leader know you are coming by adding a comment 'Coming as a Rambler'. You will find the start location via our website

Our Walks (westkentwalkinggroup.org.uk).