Walking in the Thames Valley. Steve Davison

Thames following the Thames Path. All the walks have one thing in common: they introduce the adventurous rambler to some of the best parts of the region.

      The countryside encountered on these walks forms a patchwork of open chalk grassland, broadleaved woodland and farmland. Below the downs, chalk streams flow from the springline and support a diversity of plant and animal life; some of these streams, known as winterbournes, are seasonal and only appear during the wetter winter months. The richly wooded character of the Chiltern Hills distinguishes them from other, commonly more open, chalk landscapes such as the Lambourn Downs. Many of these woodlands are termed as ancient woodlands, defined as being continuously wooded since at least 1600. These areas tend to support a greater number of species and their character often closely reflects the underlying soil conditions, producing a wide range of woodland types and wildlife habitats.

      The unmistakable outline of a red kite – look out for them overhead in the Chilterns

      You should have plenty of opportunities for catching glimpses of local wildlife, from foxes to roe and fallow deer or the much smaller muntjac; you may even be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the elusive badger as dusk approaches. Along the riverbanks you may see herons patiently waiting for a fish to swim past, or the vivid turquoise-blue and orange flash of a kingfisher as it darts along the river, while the ever-present ducks, coots, moorhens and mute swans will keep you company.

      As you wander through the ancient broadleaved beech and oak woodlands you may hear the drumming knock of the great spotted woodpecker declaring its territory, or the raucous call of a jay. Oak woods offer the more diverse wildlife habitat. Beech woods – a celebrated feature of the Chilterns – have a much denser canopy that greatly reduces the light reaching the ground, though even here, in late spring, the forest floor is carpeted with vivid bluebells.

      The open chalk grasslands support rare butterflies, plants including gentians and orchids and traditional farmland birds such as the colourful pheasant; high above you’ll often hear the skylark singing, or see the majestic silhouette of a buzzard soaring overhead. One of the success stories of the area is the reintroduction of the impressive red kite, and you’d be unlucky not to see one while walking in the Chilterns. These birds of prey, with distinctive forked tail, chestnut-red plumage and high-pitched whistling calls – ‘weeoo-wee-wee-wee’ – were driven to extinction by the end of the 19th century. However, in the early 1990s the RSPB and English Nature reintroduced some birds; their numbers have increased, and there are now over 200 pairs of breeding birds in the region.

      The River Thames at Sonning (Walk 23)

      The view east from Haydown Hill (Walk 4)

      The area is also home to two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB): the Chilterns and the North Wessex Downs. The aim of the AONB status is to conserve the natural beauty of the area and protect the landscape for future generations.

      The Chilterns AONB was designated in 1965 and covers over 830 square kilometres of the beautiful Chiltern Hills, which stretch from Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley northeast through Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire to Hitchin in Hertfordshire: an unspoilt area of rolling chalk hills, swathed in beech woods, quiet valleys and picturesque villages with characteristic brick-andflint cottages (www.chilternsaonb.org).

      The North Wessex Downs AONB, the third-largest in the country, covers a rural landscape that encompasses large areas of typical downland scenery from the Marlborough Downs to Watership Down, and includes the World Heritage Site at Avebury and the famous Uffington White Horse. The market towns of Marlborough and Hungerford can be found within its boundaries, as can large stretches of the Ridgeway National Trail and the Kennet and Avon Canal (www.northwessexdowns.org.uk).

      A brief history and a guide to the geology of the region are given in Appendices 1 and 2.

Getting Around

      By car

      The area enjoys a good road network with the M4 motorway running east–west and a number of main Aroads, such as the A34, travelling north–south. If you are travelling by car to the start of these walks please use designated parking areas and make sure you don’t block access for local people and farmers.

      By rail and bus

      The main railway from London to the west gives access to some of the walks, while more local connecting services reach the likes of Henley-on-Thames and Cookham. Throughout the region several bus operators provide reasonably frequent services to several of the towns and villages and some of the walks, though not necessarily to the starting points. Bus services tend to be rather infrequent or non-existent on Sundays.

      Brief details of bus and train services are given with each route description as appropriate. A good source of public transport maps for the Ridgeway and Thames Path is the National Trails website (www.nationaltrail.co.uk). These two maps cover many of the walks in this guidebook.

      For rail service enquiries call National Rail Enquiries on 08457 484950 (www.nationalrail.co.uk). Information for planning a journey by bus, coach or train can be obtained by calling Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 (www.traveline.org.uk). Another service that may be useful is the Connect 2 Taxi (0871 750 0303) which automatically connects you to a cab service in your area. Contact details for bus companies operating in the region are given in Appendix 3.

      The Rose Revived at Newbridge (Walk 7)

      St Michael’s Church in Little Bedwyn (Walk 3)

Food and Drink

      Most of the walks start near places where food and drink can be bought: a local shop, café or pub. Some offer opportunities for stopping off during the walk at a village with either a local shop or pub, although not always conveniently placed; brief details of villages with pubs, shops and cafés are given in the information box for each walk, though there is no guarantee that they’ll be open when required. It’s always a good idea to carry some food and drink with you, plus a small ‘emergency ration’ in case of an unexpected delay. Pubs or cafes passed en route are mentioned in the text.

Accommodation

      There is a wide range of accommodation available from hotels to B&Bs and youth hostels. Contact the local tourist information office (see Appendix 3) for information on accommodation in a particular area.

When to Walk

      Summers tend to be fairly dry and can be quite hot with hazy skies. Spring and autumn offer better walking conditions, with clearer skies making for better views. Cool autumn nights herald a dramatic change, with the trees – especially the Chiltern beech woods – becoming clothed in spectacular shades of russet, gold and brown, while in the early summer there are striking carpets of bluebells. During the winter months spells of rain can make paths and tracks, especially on chalk-based soils, rather muddy, and rivers can flood surrounding fields, especially along the River Thames, making some routes impassable. Even though the days are quite short, walking on a clear, frosty, winter’s day can be a magical experience and you maybe lucky enough to have rare fall of snow, especially on the higher downs.

      A winter scene looking east to White Horse Hill on the Ridgeway