Walk & Talk: Reading to Henley-on-Thames 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️

Join us for a sociable walk, starting at Reading and ending at Henley-on-Thames. This is a picturesque walk of about 10.5 miles (about 3h30 of actual walking), mainly along the banks of the Thames. We will stop on the way for a lunch break at a pub or cafe, but you can bring a picnic and eat this along the route if you prefer (it is always a good idea to bring some water and a snack anyway). It would be possible to make the walk shorter - about 8 miles - by leaving early from the train stations at Wargrave or Shiplake. At the end of the walk (estimated time would be about 4:30pm) Mark will probably stay on for a while in Henley-on-Thames for a coffee and stroll in Henley, but this is optional.

Meet Mark (wearing an orange scarf in the photo) between 10am and 10:15am outside the ticket office at Paddington train station. You will need to have bought your train ticket (see next paragraph) before we leave there promptly at 10:30am. We will meet up with Thomas (the man in the brown hat in the photo) on the Elizabeth line platform and will catch the 10:47am Elizabeth line train to Reading, arriving there at 11:40am. Note that we cannot wait for latecomers as this is unfair on the others. You should be back in London by about 6pm if you leave directly at the end of the walk, but will be back a bit later if you stay on for a coffee and stroll in Henley-on-Thames (an attractive small town which is best known for its annual boating regatta).

Please leave a note below if you plan to meet us directly in Reading or if you plan to find us on the Elizabeth line train itself. If you are planning to join us at Paddington train station but are late, note that there are fast Great Western Railway trains leaving at 11:05am and 11:18am which should enable you to meet us in Reading train station before we start our walk (note that the group is not taking these services because they can be more crowded and are more expensive for some participants).

The cheapest ticket from London Paddington will be a return to Reading (much cheaper than a single from London to Reading and a single back from Henley-on-Thames to London), but when you buy the ticket you need to explain that you are walking to Henley-on-Thames and returning from there (otherwise you may need to buy a single later for the branch line service from Henley-on-Thames to Twyford). If there are several people it may be possible to get up to a third discount by grouping together or by using Network railcards (but you must travel back together if you do this, and it might be easier if you carry some cash with you). If you only need a ticket from zone 6 (eg: if you have a 60+ Oystercard) then you can also get cheaper tickets which start from West Drayton. If you have a Freedom Pass then this should allow free travel (on the Elizabeth line only) as far as Reading, but you will need to buy a single ticket from Henley-on-Thames to Twyford on the way back.

There is no meetup charge for this event - just pay for your own travel and food.

If you decide not to come on the walk after putting your name down for it please change your reply.

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Members are responsible for their own health and safety. Please check the weather forecast and wear appropriate footwear and clothing.