NB - this walk has only been partially receded. so there could be unforeseen issues en-route!

Overview.
This circular walk starts at the lovely village of Hambledon and then heads across fields towards the River Thames. The walk then crosses the River Thames via a weir and lock at Hambleden Mill, before heading upstream alongside the regatta course to Henley-on-Thames. A low hill above Remenham offers panoramic views across the Thames Valley. We return to the lock at Hambledon Mill and retrace our steps back to Hambledon village.

It is regarded as a "moderate" walk that could be slippery and muddy after rain. We will do this at a moderate to brisk pace to ensure we get to the pub for lunch at a reasonable time.

The walk is mainly on soft footpaths (through fields) with some surfaced paths and short, quiet stretches of country lane. There are some slopes and there is one stile.

Parking.
Public car park behind the Stag and Huntsman pub in Hambleden, Henley-on-Thames RG9 6RP. This is a large car park with a machine that issues tickets for your windscreen and lets you pay with a credit card (or you can pay by the Just Park app). We recommend purchasing 24 hours for £5. It is possible to get a 6 hour ticket for £4 but the timing could be tight as we are not sure how long we will spend in the pub at lunchtime.

If you are approaching from the Skirmett Road, there is a "Road Closed" sign - but don't worry, the closure is after the turn-off to the car park (or it was when we did the partial recce on 13th May!).

Start time: 10am sharp.

Facilities
The Stag and Huntsman pub serves drinks and coffee from 7am and has toilets for customers (obviously!). The coffee is nice, but expensive (£4.50). There is a village store nearby that serves coffee and cakes but only has limited outside seating and no toilet. There s a single toilet attached to the Village Hall opposite.

Lunch.
There is an option to have lunch at the Flowerpot pub after about 6 miles. We will not have any tables booked, so we will take our chances at seating in the bar (or there are lots of seats outside if the weather is decent). The menu is shown below (they will probably have a soup of the day on offer for £10.95). Food is nice and served quite quickly.

For those of you who prefer a packed lunch, it is a further 10 minute walk towards the river where you can have a picnic (bring something to sit on). A bit further on at the lock there are 3 benches. A map will be provided so that you can make your way back to the cars if you wish rather than waiting for the people to eat in the pub. The walk back to the cars from the pub is about 2 miles.

Leaders: Della and Mike

Mike Mertens: 07843 763947, email:  mike@mertenshome.plus.com  
Della Mertens: 07974 292612, email:  della@mertenshome.plus.com

We had some wild weather on our recce!