Walk around Hurley and Temple, 6.9 miles

12 August

Bit of retrospective walk blogging.

Picked Ray up from the marina early and drove to Marlow. Parked in the car park off Institute Road and walked up to Bill’s on West Street, where Ray treated me to brunch as an early birthday present. After stuffing ourselves we waddled off down Portlands Alley to Pound Lane. Turned down Lower Pound Lane and walked for a while past what seemed to be the development of a flood relief scheme. As we passed the private house Pens Place Ray speculated as to whether there might once have been a larger and older house of that name nearby, but I couldn’t find anything on a Google search.

Reached the river and paused for a while for Ray to point out some planting across at Temple Marina that a friend of his had done, plus the new house owned by the marina owners. Walked on past Temple Lock and over the elegant footbridge, where Ray paused to ring his sister Sharon, who lives in the residential bit of Hurley Riverside Park with her partner Keith, to see if she was available for visitors – Sharon is currently laid up with her ankle in plaster following a fall down her decking steps. To give her time to get sorted we had a pleasant stroll around Hurley, including walking a short way down a footpath leading off the high street.

Old road from Hurley to Temple

This piece has some interesting stuff about an old tunnel running from the Olde Bell to the Priory. Didn’t spot the entrance gate pillars of the former driveway to Temple House referred to – will have to go back and have another look. The former Temple House looks to have been a big old pile judging by this photo. There’s now a new-build (though olde-style) house called Temple House next to Temple Marina, apparently formerly owned by the marina owners according to Ray but now sold as a private house. Rightmove picture here.

After leaving Sharon and Keith's, we walked along the old road - Temple Lane - leading from Hurley to the village of Temple - apparently this was an actual road for cars at one point though I haven't been able to find out when it was closed to traffic. Just before reaching Temple, some fellow walkers pointed out the jolliness that somebody had added to these slabs.

We continued on through Temple village to join the road that runs off the roundabout through Bisham and over the suspension bridge into Marlow. We had tea and cake at Satollo before returning to Caversham.

Ray on Marlow Bridge

Route below.

Here's the pace/elevation graph, though being mainly near the river there wasn't much elevation to speak of.

Walk, Marlow to Caversham, 16.2 miles

15 April

This walk was intended to be a serious test of my fitness for the upcoming trek distance. Again Ruth surprised me by offering to come, though she seems to be suffering from hip and knee pain after a certain number of miles, so I suggested that she dropped out halfway and went home if the distance was too much. Decided on a route along the Thames from Marlow to Henley, then across country via Harpsden and Binfield Heath back to Caversham (going the whole way back to Reading along the Thames Path would have taken the walk to 18 miles or so).

We took the Arriva 800 bus (an excellent service) at 0916, arriving in Marlow just before 10 am. Had only a brief wobble while walking down the high street to the river when Ruth tried to veer off into India Jane, but I managed to catch her in time before any shopping started. Set off westwards along the Thames Path, crossing the river at Temple Footbridge. At Hurley, the path crosses briefly back to an island in the middle of the river, where we stopped for a welcome cup of tea and ate the chipolatas and hard-boiled eggs we'd brought with us. Continued on past the lock and back across another bridge to the south (Berkshire) bank. Onwards past the collection of bungalows off Black Boy Lane - these form an interesting contrast with most of the properties along the river banks - and the posher houses at Frogmill.

A bit further on the path crossed in front of Culham Court and into trees before emerging on Aston Lane by The Flower Pot. Here we continued along Remenham Lane, rejoining the Thames Path at Remenham. Continued on into Henley, which was the halfway point, and sat on a bench by The Angel to eat some sandwiches. Ruth decided she was OK to continue, so after a visit to the public conveniences at Mill Meadows we turned away from the Thames Path and headed out of the town via Harpsden Road and Harpsden Way. Passed the gates of the 13th-century Harpsden Court, which appears to have been for sale last year. Puffed our way up Chalk Hill and then, after dodging traffic and golfers from Henley Golf Club, past Mays Green to Binfield Heath, passing The Bottle & Glass, which Ruth looked at wistfully.

Thames near Henley	Gates of Harpsden Court
Walking through Harpsden	Bluebells in woodland near Binfield Heath

We stopped briefly - our third and last stop - at a picnic table in Binfield Heath to have a drink and eat some sweet stuff, then tramped the last few miles via Dunsden Green and Kiln Road down into Caversham.

Map of the route:

Here's the elevation and pace graph. Chalk Hill is the steep climb at about time 3:45.

Feet a bit tired afterwards, and we did little that evening other than flop around and order a Thai takeaway, but on the whole few after effects. Am reasonably encouraged. It's still only half the bloody trek distance though.