After a reasonable night's sleep, given the room, I feel a lot more refreshed than yesterday morning and ready to tackle the walk to Henley-on-Thames! I leave the hotel bright and early and head on over to the other side of Maidenhead to rejoin the Thames Path. As I do so, I catch a glimpse of a bridge, one designed by one of my heroes of the Victorian Age, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
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| Maidenhead Rail Bridge |
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| Fountain in Maidenhead |
We then head on up a path by the river towards Cookham. It's begun to steadily drizzle over the course of the morning, but given it's still warm, I'm getting drenched both inside and outside my jacket which is distinctly uncomfortable! Eventually we come to Boulter's lock.
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| Boulter's lock |
After we pass the lock, the path becomes a trail and gets greener, surrounded by trees and valley slopes. We are like this until we glimpse Cliveden up in the hills and then we turn off to Cookham. Cookham is a nice little village with a cracking church, the Holy Trinity. Apparently, my wife was bridesmaid there twice for her cousins as her Aunt and Uncle lived in Cookham!
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| Cliveden |
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| The Kings Arms, Cookham |
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| Holy Trinity, Cookham |
We pass through the graveyard and see the Thames appear back in front of us. Now the trail gets muddier with no gravel/tarmac paths for the first time on this walk, and with the constant drizzle, it becomes a little treacherous! Cross over a pretty green railway bridge, well, it would be pretty if it wasn't covered in plastic tarpaulin for repainting! The sheer size of the houses on the riverside leave me gobsmacked as we plod on through to Marlow.
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| Old Father Thames watching me go by... |
Eventually I see Marlow lock and a large steeple announcing the town itself. I know that there is a Pugin church in Marlow and I hunt for it. Unfortunately, St Peter's RC Church is considered one of Pugin's least inspired designs and I'm left feeling underwhelmed. The All Saints Church by the river though, is a fine looking church!
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| Marlow Suspension Bridge and All Saints Church |
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| St Peter's RC Church |
As much as I wanted to like Marlow with its fashionable shops and boutiques, there was a distinct air of snobbery, especially with the likes of a sweaty, dusty, muddy hiker strolling down the high street! It especially came to the fore as I was trying to find the path out and onwards to Henley-on Thames, but these oiks in SUITS, yes, SUITS, not a school uniform as we know it, tried to not see me coming towards them. I'm sorry to say, you're never going to knock down an 18 stone adult with a hefty backpack and an attitude!
By this time, I've lost the path and was heading up the A4155, which is a very busy road with no paths! Fortunately, after braving it for a few miles, a kindly old lady who took pity on me, stopped and gave me a lift to the outskirts of Henley-on-Thames and I walk the rest of the way to the Catherine Wheel, my billet for the night.
(As a footnote, I have to mention the excellent Brewhouse where I had some lovely local ales and a nice conversation with a deaf-aware barmaid who could sign a little! Do look it up if ever you're there! http://thehenleybrewhouse.co.uk)
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