🥾 Walk 219 - Shakespeare's Way and Thames Path

William Shakespeare died in Stratford-upon-Avon on 23rd April 1616. Exactly 400 years later, the Berkshire Weekend Walkers led a walk that included a couple of sections of the Shakespeare's Way, a long-distance path that links Stratford-upon-Avon to the Globe Theatre in London. (A total of 146 miles.)

Eleven of us, including two newcomers and a dog (twelve of us if you count the dog) set off from the car park on Skirmett Road, near Mill End. We followed a footpath heading north, through open fields, towards Hambleden. Before reaching Hambleden we joined the Shakespeare's Way, heading uphill towards Rotten Row, gaining 75m (250ft) of altitude in just a quarter of a mile.

Before reaching Rotten Row, we diverted from the long-distance path and headed north and further uphill. Joining a lane taking us east, we entered Heath Wood to be greeted with a carpet of bluebells. Finally going downhill, we turned south through Heath Wood and picked up the Shakespeare's Way again.

We followed the long-distance path through Homefield Wood, open fields, Pullingshill Wood, Davenport Wood and Little House Farm. We left the Shakespeare's Way as it crossed the A4155 close to Marlow and followed Harleyford Lane down to Temple Lock. Taking advantage of the benches at Temple Lock we stopped for our picnic lunch.

After lunch, we crossed the Thames to the southern bank and began following the Thames Path westward. This path included a couple of bridges that took us onto an island at Hurley Lock and then back to the same side of the Thames. We followed the Thames Path for about four miles, to the hamlet of Aston, where we stopped off at The Flower Pot pub for a drink.

Suitably refreshed, we continued along the Thames Path until we reached Hambleden Lock. We crossed the lock and the weir, which took us into Mill End. It was a short walk from there back to the car park from which we had started. See our route on Bing Maps.

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