Henley, Stonor, Turville & Thames – Extra Long Hilly Country Hike

Walk length 20miles/32km approx. Circular.

A spectacular and long circular hike from Henley to Stonor and Turville with far reaching views across open countryside and the Thames.

This hike has a great deal of features..

Stonor Park includes an historic country house and private deer park situated about four miles (6.4 km) north of Henley-on-Thames.

At Turville there will be an opportunity to climb to the top of windmill hill for great views of the surrounding countryside close to the Cobstone windmill. The Cobstone windmill was built around 1816 and featured in the film "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."

The final section of the walk follows the Thames path from Mill End back to Henley.

PLEASE BE AWARE THIS IS A VERY LONG HILLY HIKE SO PLEASE ONLY RSVP IF YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THIS AND CAN KEEP A REASONABLE PACE. BE AWARE IF THE WEATHER IS BAD THE HIKE MAY BE SHORTENED.

Cost

£6 cash guided hike/meetup

Train £17.70 return but may be reduced by a third with a network railcard or groupsave discount.

Lunch and Finish

Please bring a packed lunch and water for the walk. The walk should finish before 6.30pm and includes a pack lunch stop and pub stop at the end, however the time may be earlier or later than this depending on the weather and pace (this is a complete day hike, you are advised not to arrange anything for the evening).

We will probably use the Barn at Turville Heath for our pack lunch stop which will be about halfway. The Barn is a farm shop and no-car cafe.
We will use the Catherine Wheel pub at Henley after the walk which is close to the station (10min walk) does food and is very reasonably priced.

Meeting points please read..

Meet outside Henley train station for the walk to start at 10.20am (after the train from London arrives).

By train from London: The London Paddington train at 9.14am gets to Henley-on-Thames for 10.20am with a short change at Twyford (times correct at time of publishing/please check before travel). I would encourage you to seek out other members who can go as part of a group save on the train and meet at 8.30am to give you time to get tickets.

I would suggest you meet outside the WHSmith shop at Paddington to give you time to get a group save and buy tickets as you may have to queue (see photo below). See National Rail Enquiries (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/)

Car: The station car park at Henley charges but there are a number of off road streets that should be free on a Saturday, please leave enough time to park and check for restrictions.

Please make a note of the organizers numbers - Colin[masked].

RSVP: If you can't make this walk please change your RSVP before the start of the walk. Please see our RSVP policy (http://www.meetup.com/Chiltern-Explorers/pages/RSVP_for_Walks/).

The organizer will not be taking the train but will meet you at Henley.

Dog Policy: As a group we allow and enjoy dogs on our walks however we do ask dog owners to read our dog policy (http://www.meetup.com/London-Explorers/pages/9823882/Dog_Policy/)

Walking Safety

Walking is a great way to keep fit and generally very safe; however it does contain an element of risk. Before going on any of these walks you need to be reasonably fit and be prepared to be responsible for your own safety. You should wear appropriate clothing such as proper walking shoes, warm and wet weather clothing and carry sufficient food and water. Please see our Terms and Conditions (http://www.meetup.com/London-Explorers/pages/3170152/Terms_and_Conditions/)

COULD EVERYONE PLEASE AVOID COMMENTS BELOW THAT ARE NOT SPECIFIC TO THE EVENT AS THIS GENERATES SPAM, JUST CHANGE YOUR RSVP IF YOU CAN'T GO. YOU CAN MESSAGE ME. MANY THANKS.