Hills, woods, the Thames and Bluebells - 17km/11 miles

Do this walk because - you’ll enjoy great variety and you’ll see lots and lots of bluebells (we hope!).

Hike facts
Approximately 17km / 11 miles.
Duration: actual walking time for the full hike, circa 4.5 hours.
Hike grade: moderate. We will maintain a steady pace over varied surfaces. There are some hills.
Weather: see here
Donation to GOSH: £5 cash on the day
What to take: a packed lunch and plenty of water.

We're not insured, so please have your own insurance for this type of event.

Walk description
From Cookham railway station we'll head for Cookham Dean common and beyond to some lovely woodland where bluebells like to hide.

We’ll continue to Quarry Wood, famous for supplying the distinctive stone that built Windsor Castle, and also the inspiration for ‘Wild Wood’ in Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s novel, ‘The Wind in the Willows’.

Our next visual delight will be some great views of the River Thames from Winter Hill before heading downhill to Marlow bridge and crossing the river into the enchanting town of Marlow for our lunch break.

Refreshed we’ll set off along the Thames Path to Bourne End to seek a local pub for some welcome refreshments before catching the train home from Bourne End Station.

We're doing this hike with Variety is the Spice Meetup Group

Meeting at
Cookham railway station. We'll be outside the station exit holding a GOSH banner, please see the photo below.
We will meet at 10.45 and leave at 10.50.

TRAVEL
by train
Get a return ticket to Bourne End. A return ticket costs £19.70 but with Groupsave or a Network railcard, it's £13.10 (prices as of 23 Feb).

1. Getting there - Catch the 10.08 from Paddington, arrives Cookham 10.41 (remember to change at Maidenhead)
2. Coming back - Bourne End to Paddington – there’s one train an hour coming back from Bourne End.
Plan your route here: Trainline

by car
There are car parks at Bourne End railway station & Cookham railway station. The walking distance between stations is approximately 3km ( 50 minutes walk).

Carl can provide a lift from Reading to Cookham (return) for up to 6 people. Please message him to check departure time, availability etc.

KEY INFORMATION
YOU MUST READ THE THREE SECTIONS BELOW - if you join this trip, you're confirming that you have.

1. The perilous bit.
2. Our FAQs, including an explanation of Groupsave tickets which will save you money.
3. See here for what to wear and take

AND FINALLY

• We're raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children

We’ll deduct Meetup fees but all the profits will go to GOSH. After each hike, we’ll let you know exactly how much we’ve all raised. And if you’d like to join us and raise money by leading some hikes, please get in touch – the more the merrier 😊

• We're volunteers hoping to establish a community of friends, so please go with the flow and help out where and if you can.
• If you need to get in touch on the day, you can call Colin on 07941 646 035 or Carl on 07503 237 375 or message on Meetup.