{"id":"69847970533dbb4b73118b95","title":"Walk 44 Shiplake To Knowl Hill","path":"walks/scrapbook/by-year/2013/volume-4-apr-to-jun-2013/walk-44-shiplake-to-knowl-hill","contentMarkdown":"# 🥾 Walk 44 - Shiplake to Knowl Hill\n\nSunday 5th May saw the start of a series of walk we're doing that follow the Wokingham Way. This long distance walk mostly follows the boundary of Wokingham Borough and has recently been set up by the Loddon Valley Ramblers group.\n\nThey have divided the 55 mile route into ten sections, which they have published as a set of ten short walks, each with written directions and a map. They are also in the process of putting waypoint markers along the route so that it can be followed more easily.\n\nJane, one of the founder members of our group, has decided to lead the Wokingham Way for us as a series of five long walks rather than the published ten short walks, so today 20 of us followed the section from Shiplake to Mill End and the section from Mill End to Knowl Hill as a 12 mile walk. In fact we only had 18 when we started the walk from Shiplake as two of our group had overslept and arrived late. However, they managed to catch up with us at Henley-on-Thames, less than 2½ miles into the 12 mile walk.\n\n![Waypoint Markers are being added along the Wokingham Way. Our section had just been done.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume4/images/wokingham_way.jpg)\n\nFrom Shiplake railway station we followed the signs for the Thames path, which took us through the village and on to the towpath by Sheephouse Farm. At this point we passed another group of ramblers going the other way. We recognised a few of them and think their group may have been the East Berkshire or South-East Berkshire Ramblers.\n\nWe soon got to Marsh Lock where we followed the route over the two wooden footbridges that took us across to the Lock and back again. Continuing north on the Thames Path, we reached Henley-on-Thames.\n\nAfter stopping to use the facilities, we crossed Henley Bridge over to the west side of the Thames. Preparations for the Henley Royal Regatta were in progress along Henley Reach, with wooden lane markers in the water and the skeletal frames of marquees being erected on the bank.\n\n![The Thames Path crosses the river to Marsh Lock and back on a wooden footbridge.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume4/images/marsh_lock_bridge.jpg)\n\nWe carried on following the Thames Path to Hambleden Lock. If we were following the published first walk, we would have crossed the weir to Mill End, where the first walk ends and the second begins. Instead we continued on the Thames Path (still following the Wokingham Way) for a short way before stopping for our picnic lunch.\n\nWe sat on the bank munching our sandwiches and watching the boats go by before heading away from the water and into the hamlet of Aston to visit the Flower Pot pub. Needless to say, the pub was packed with people enjoying the warm Bank Holiday weekend weather. Luckily the pub had plenty of outdoor seating.\n\nWe were only half way through the walk as we set off from the pub, through woodland and fields looking down on the Thames. We passed the imposing Culham Court and through Lower Culham Farm before rejoining the tow path.\n\n![We stopped for our picnic on the south bank of the Thames between Hambleden Lock and Aston.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume4/images/aston_picnic.jpg)\n\nLeaving the Thames Path at Frogmill Farm we headed south, crossing the A4130 Henley Road, and up hill through a beautifully maintained Stud Farm. At the top of the hill when we stopped to let everyone catch-up, we realised that three of our walkers were missing! A mobile phone call established that they'd missed a turning about 250m back and were now following the Chiltern Way, so we waited there while our leader went back for them.\n\nAs we passed through the stud farm we saw some horses with their foals. We left the stud farm on Rose Lane, and turning left at Holly Cross, we followed Hatch Gate Lane up Bowsey Hill. This narrow lane went steeply uphill into High Knowl Wood.\n\nBowsey Hill was the highest point on today's walk at 140m (460ft) compared with the flat 30m (100ft) of the Thames Path. There are a few cottages at the top of the hill where the Wokingham Way crosses the Chiltern Way. The rest of the route was an easy down-hill path through woodland, emerging into Knowl Hill village where the walk ended.\n\n![We saw a few horses with their foals as we walked through the stud farm.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume4/images/horse_and_foal.jpg)\n\nThis walk contained a good mixture of man-made and natural scenery, including locks, weirs, bridges, the river, meadows and woodland. It also had an even mix of flat and hill walking. See our route on Google Maps.\n\n![Following Hatch Gate Lane up Bowsey Hill. (It was steeper than it looks in this picture.) ](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume4/images/bowsey_hill.jpg)\n\n## 📸 Back to Volume 4\n\nReturn to volume index","contentHtml":"

🥾 Walk 44 - Shiplake to Knowl Hill

\n

Sunday 5th May saw the start of a series of walk we're doing that follow the Wokingham Way. This long distance walk mostly follows the boundary of Wokingham Borough and has recently been set up by the Loddon Valley Ramblers group.

\n

They have divided the 55 mile route into ten sections, which they have published as a set of ten short walks, each with written directions and a map. They are also in the process of putting waypoint markers along the route so that it can be followed more easily.

\n

Jane, one of the founder members of our group, has decided to lead the Wokingham Way for us as a series of five long walks rather than the published ten short walks, so today 20 of us followed the section from Shiplake to Mill End and the section from Mill End to Knowl Hill as a 12 mile walk. In fact we only had 18 when we started the walk from Shiplake as two of our group had overslept and arrived late. However, they managed to catch up with us at Henley-on-Thames, less than 2½ miles into the 12 mile walk.

\n

\"Waypoint

\n

From Shiplake railway station we followed the signs for the Thames path, which took us through the village and on to the towpath by Sheephouse Farm. At this point we passed another group of ramblers going the other way. We recognised a few of them and think their group may have been the East Berkshire or South-East Berkshire Ramblers.

\n

We soon got to Marsh Lock where we followed the route over the two wooden footbridges that took us across to the Lock and back again. Continuing north on the Thames Path, we reached Henley-on-Thames.

\n

After stopping to use the facilities, we crossed Henley Bridge over to the west side of the Thames. Preparations for the Henley Royal Regatta were in progress along Henley Reach, with wooden lane markers in the water and the skeletal frames of marquees being erected on the bank.

\n

\"The

\n

We carried on following the Thames Path to Hambleden Lock. If we were following the published first walk, we would have crossed the weir to Mill End, where the first walk ends and the second begins. Instead we continued on the Thames Path (still following the Wokingham Way) for a short way before stopping for our picnic lunch.

\n

We sat on the bank munching our sandwiches and watching the boats go by before heading away from the water and into the hamlet of Aston to visit the Flower Pot pub. Needless to say, the pub was packed with people enjoying the warm Bank Holiday weekend weather. Luckily the pub had plenty of outdoor seating.

\n

We were only half way through the walk as we set off from the pub, through woodland and fields looking down on the Thames. We passed the imposing Culham Court and through Lower Culham Farm before rejoining the tow path.

\n

\"We

\n

Leaving the Thames Path at Frogmill Farm we headed south, crossing the A4130 Henley Road, and up hill through a beautifully maintained Stud Farm. At the top of the hill when we stopped to let everyone catch-up, we realised that three of our walkers were missing! A mobile phone call established that they'd missed a turning about 250m back and were now following the Chiltern Way, so we waited there while our leader went back for them.

\n

As we passed through the stud farm we saw some horses with their foals. We left the stud farm on Rose Lane, and turning left at Holly Cross, we followed Hatch Gate Lane up Bowsey Hill. This narrow lane went steeply uphill into High Knowl Wood.

\n

Bowsey Hill was the highest point on today's walk at 140m (460ft) compared with the flat 30m (100ft) of the Thames Path. There are a few cottages at the top of the hill where the Wokingham Way crosses the Chiltern Way. The rest of the route was an easy down-hill path through woodland, emerging into Knowl Hill village where the walk ended.

\n

\"We

\n

This walk contained a good mixture of man-made and natural scenery, including locks, weirs, bridges, the river, meadows and woodland. It also had an even mix of flat and hill walking. See our route on Google Maps.

\n

\"Following

\n

📸 Back to Volume 4

\n

Return to volume index

\n"}