Henley on Thames, Hambleden and the Great Wood (Midweek Walk)
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This is a mid week walk. Mainly flat along the Thames, it also runs up on the wooded geological terrace above it, up to which there's an ascent of 100m.
The walk starts in Henley (famous for its rowing regatta in late June or early July) and goes along the Thames towpath, with its boats and rowing instructors on bikes shouting instructions to their crews, past Temple Island with its neo-folly, to the 250-metre footbridge over the weir at Hambleden Mill, where canoeists practise in the stormy waters. From there it is northwards for a pub lunch stop in the well-preserved and picture perfect (you can expect Miss Marple to walk around the corner at any minute) hamlet of Hambleden, with its huge church out of all proportion to the population.
From Hambleden the walk heads into the Great Wood, the endlessness of which gives an inkling of how most of Britain must once have been. The walk then returns to the River Thames and back to Henley (with its many tearooms).
It's dog friendly, but dogs will need to be on leads wherever there are sheep and definitely when in the Great Wood where there are thousand of pheasants running around everywhere. Whilst the two gamekeepers are lovely guys, they won't take kindly to out of control dogs.
What to bring
Water: bring at least a litre
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Rucksack: or any other bag
Footwear: hiking boots, sturdy trainers or wellies
Layered clothing: lets you quickly adapt to changes in the weather and body temperature. Go for a base layer (vest or t-shirt) and a mid layer (a micro fleece or shirt) and in cooler weather add an outer layer (a windproof jacket or thick fleece)
Trousers: ideally not jeans which become heavy and cold in the rain, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry and on warm days shorts are OK
Waterproof jacket: breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry
Hat or cap: stay warm in winter and shaded in summer
Sunglasses: for any sunny day, even in winter
Sun cream: can be useful even on cloudy and winter days
Snacks: bring biscuits, energy bars, gels, bananas, chocolate or dried fruit for example and put them somewhere easy to get hold of
Food & drink
We'll either stop for lunch at the pub in Hambleden (about half way round) or, if I find out that they won't be serving food, we can buy something for a packed lunch from a shop in Henley before we set off.