Henley-on-Thames
Oxfordshire/Berkshire
For a perfect riverside ramble, follow this section of the Thames Path National Trail along the course of the Henley Royal Regatta.
DISTANCE: 5.7 MILES/9.3KM TIME: 3.5 HOURS LEVEL: EASY–MODERATE ASCENT: 53M TERRAIN: Well-marked paths and lanes over largely flat ground. One main incline of about 25m on your return through fields. Several stiles and gates to negotiate.
Henley-on-Thames is a pretty market town on the banks of the River Thames, enveloped bytheChilternHills.Foundedinthe12thcenturyasarivercrossingand port for the supply of grain and timber along the river to London, it is now best known for the annual Royal Regatta (28 June–3 July).
This enjoyable route traces the regatta course along a peaceful stretch of the Thames. There are also woods, meadows and some interesting wildlife to be seen.
1 ON YOUR MARKS
Leave the station and turn right at a T-junction. At a boat-hire kiosk, follow the road round to the left, with the River Thames to your right. Turn right across Henley Bridge, leaving Oxfordshire and entering Berkshire.
At the far side of the bridge is the regatta headquarters. Cross the road here and follow a footpath signed to Hambleden Lock. You are now on the Thames Path National Trail. Look for swans, ducks and even great-crested grebes (this section of the path is subject to closure during the regatta).
Walk away from the bridge, passing the Leander Club on your right; founded in 1818, it is perhaps the most celebrated rowing club in the world. After about 300m, you reach the regatta finish at Poplar Point. Continue to Temple Island, with its conspicuous folly. Built in 1771 by James Wyatt, in Victorian times the folly was used by members of the Leander Club as a vantage point from which to watch the regatta. The island also marks the starting point of the regatta.
Follow the watercourse as it sweeps to the right. The impressive white 19th-century mansion on the far bank is Greenlands, once home to newsagent WH Smith and now a university campus. Further on, go through a wooden kissing gate to access Hambleden Lock.
2 LOCK AND LANES
For an optional detour, turn left to cross the lock and continue along a winding footbridge, where the Thames rushes beneath your feet. This leads to Hambleden Mill, a working mill until the 1950s.
Back at the lock, turn left along a riverside lane. After about 200m, walk ahead on a grassy track to a stony lane. Turn right along the lane to reach the Flower Pot Hotel. Pass Remenham Lane on your right and continue along the road to a wooden kissing gate on the right; go through it and up an incline. Climb over a stile and continue uphill, passing woodland to your right. After going through a second kissing gate, keep ahead. As the path takes you across open fields, there are excellent views across the river valley to your right. Cross a stile to reach a lane.
3 THAMES VIEW
Turn right along the lane and, as it bends left, the Thames and Temple Island come in to view. Turn left at a T-junction, passing Remenham church on your right. Follow the road as it curves to the left and continue for 400m to a footpath on the right.
Descend steps and follow the track to the Thames. Turn left and retrace your steps along the river. Cross Henley Bridge and turn left, then bear right by the boat-hire kiosk to return to the car park.
