🥾 Walk 157 - Henley and Harpsden

On Sunday 10th May, Julia led her second walk for us. I think we had twenty-two people on this walk. I should know this with more certainty as I was sharing the Back Marker duties with Mike. (The Back Marker is someone that walks at the back to make sure that no-one gets lost if they can't see the leader.)

We set off from Henley-on-Thames railway station and walked further into town and then out the other side, following a footpath known as Pack and Prime Lane (according to my Ordnance Survey map). This path led us through Packham Plantation and across Cowfield Farm before entering Crowsley Park Woods (not far from Rotherfield Peppard) where the bluebells were still in full bloom.

At one point we could see a massive dish antenna, through a gap in the hedge, which belongs to the BBC listening station at Caversham Park. Further on through the woods, nearer to Binfield Heath, we stopped to eat our packed lunches among the bluebell (and nettles).

The picnic over, we continued our route, leaving the wood and passing Binfield House. We did a short stretch of road walking before entering High Wood on our way to Harpsden Wood. We nearly reached Harpsden Village before doubling back, having missed a turning. Back on track we headed in the direction of Lower Shiplake before turning off towards Bolney Court.

At Bolney Court we joined the Thames Path at a point where you couldn't see the Thames, but you could see a rather splendid miniature railway in a large, well-kept garden. There was plenty of track, a number of points, and even a miniature station!

Soon path was back on the banks of the Thames and we followed the this back to Henley. On the way, the path took a detour along a set of bridges to Mill Bank Lock and over the weirs before returning to the same bank of the Thames. See our route on Bing Maps.

The walk finished back in Henley where some of us stopped for an ice cream while others went to a café for tea and cake.

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