{"id":"6984793f533dbb4b731187a5","title":"Walk 484 Sonning Common And Henley On Thames","path":"walks/scrapbook/by-year/2021/volume-38-oct-to-dec-2021/walk-484-sonning-common-and-henley-on-thames","contentMarkdown":"# 🥾 Walk 484 - Sonning Common and Henley-on-Thames\n\nAfter a very unpromising start to Saturday 30th October, with heavy rain to add to the previous day's heavy rain, we were pleasantly surprised when the sun came out at 10:30, just in time for the start of our walk. The eight people who took the risk of venturing out on such a day, were rewarded with fine weather for most of the walk.\n\nStarting in Sonning Common, we headed out eastward, passing Widmore Pond on the way. There is a floating duck house in the centre of the pond, proudly named Duckingham Palace. We stopped to look at the many varieties of duck inhabiting the pond before continuing along Blounts Court Road and then crossing Blounts Farm.\n\n![Several varieties of duck at Widmore Pond.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume38/images/widmore_pond.jpg)\n\nIt soon became warm enough for us to need to stop and remove our waterproof jackets. There was no need for them now, anyway. After crossing more farmland and fields, we found ourselves in the suburbs of Henley-on-Thames.\n\nAt Henley Tennis Club, we took a footpath that led us back out of Henley-on-Thames, heading westward through open countryside and the occasional piece of woodland. An uphill stretch took us onto a ridge near Rotherfield Greys, where we stopped to eat our packed lunches while admiring the view.\n\n![The Chiltern Way at Kings Farm Lane.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume38/images/kings_farm_lane.jpg)\n\nAfter lunch, we stopped at the Maltsters Arms pub, which had been decorated for Halloween. They had really gone to town, with a skeleton playing a piano outside the pub, and all sorts of ghoulish apparitions inside. There was also a children's Halloween party going on inside, so we took our drinks into the back garden, where there was a covered area with seating and tables.\n\nAfter we'd finished our drinks, we crossed a couple of fields and entered Crowsley Park Woods. Just passing the outskirts of Rotherfield Peppard, we descended into Stoney Bottom (which sounds like an uncomfortable ailment) and very soon found ourselves back in Sonning Common. See our route on Google Maps.\n\n![Stopping for refreshments at The Maltsters Arms in Rotherfield Greys.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume38/images/the_maltsters_arms.jpg)\n\n*Thank you to Mike for leading this walk.*\n\n## 📸 Back to Volume 38\n\nReturn to volume index","contentHtml":"

🥾 Walk 484 - Sonning Common and Henley-on-Thames

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After a very unpromising start to Saturday 30th October, with heavy rain to add to the previous day's heavy rain, we were pleasantly surprised when the sun came out at 10:30, just in time for the start of our walk. The eight people who took the risk of venturing out on such a day, were rewarded with fine weather for most of the walk.

\n

Starting in Sonning Common, we headed out eastward, passing Widmore Pond on the way. There is a floating duck house in the centre of the pond, proudly named Duckingham Palace. We stopped to look at the many varieties of duck inhabiting the pond before continuing along Blounts Court Road and then crossing Blounts Farm.

\n

\"Several

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It soon became warm enough for us to need to stop and remove our waterproof jackets. There was no need for them now, anyway. After crossing more farmland and fields, we found ourselves in the suburbs of Henley-on-Thames.

\n

At Henley Tennis Club, we took a footpath that led us back out of Henley-on-Thames, heading westward through open countryside and the occasional piece of woodland. An uphill stretch took us onto a ridge near Rotherfield Greys, where we stopped to eat our packed lunches while admiring the view.

\n

\"The

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After lunch, we stopped at the Maltsters Arms pub, which had been decorated for Halloween. They had really gone to town, with a skeleton playing a piano outside the pub, and all sorts of ghoulish apparitions inside. There was also a children's Halloween party going on inside, so we took our drinks into the back garden, where there was a covered area with seating and tables.

\n

After we'd finished our drinks, we crossed a couple of fields and entered Crowsley Park Woods. Just passing the outskirts of Rotherfield Peppard, we descended into Stoney Bottom (which sounds like an uncomfortable ailment) and very soon found ourselves back in Sonning Common. See our route on Google Maps.

\n

\"Stopping

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Thank you to Mike for leading this walk.

\n

📸 Back to Volume 38

\n

Return to volume index

\n"}