BEGINNERS HIKE 18KM Wind in the Willows: Woodland, River & Photography adventure

🌳 Large Group Social Hike
One of our bigger, more sociable hikes.
Prefer a smaller group? See our standard-size hikes.

📏 Key Info:
• Distance: 11.5 miles (18km)
• Grading: Beginners/Intermediate - one main hill, but quite long...
• Ascent: 140m
• Hiking time: 5 to 5.5 hours
• Cost: £31 (includes guided hike + return train)
• Refunds: Payments are non-refundable and non-transferable. If you follow our [Resale Process] and your place is rebooked, we’ll issue a refund.
• Toilet Breaks: On the trains, at the lunch stop, and at the end pub

📍 Meeting Point
• Location: Paddington station. Meet at the entrance of the main ticket office - MAP
• Time: Meet 8:40am, leave 9am for the 9:18am train
• Return: 5:57pm arrival back in London (you’re committed until then)

🌟 Highlights
• Walk the scenic Thames Path with riverside meadows and marshes
• Visit Cookham, home of painter Sir Stanley Spencer
• Discover the site of Saxon Queen Cynethryth’s lost 8th-century monastery
• See ancient Bronze Age burial mounds at Cock Marsh
• Enjoy panoramic views of the Thames Valley from Winter Hill
• Walk through Bisham Woods, inspiration for The Wind in the Willows
• Pass near the Cliveden Estate — famed for grandeur and the Profumo Affair
• Cross Boulters Lock, once a favourite haunt of Victorian society
• Finish in Maidenhead, with Brunel’s iconic 1835 railway bridge

🥾 Hike Description
We set off from Cookham and soon make our way into the enchanting Bisham Woods, once part of the Royal Forest of Windsor. Steeped in history and folklore, these ancient woods were said to be haunted by Lady Hoby and inspired Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows. Rich in flora and wildlife, they provide a beautiful opening to our walk.

Climbing to Winter Hill, we enjoy sweeping views across the Thames Valley before descending to the river. The path then leads us through meadows and marshland, past the ancient burial mounds of Cock Marsh, before arriving in the historic heart of Cookham village, famously described by Stanley Spencer as “a village in heaven.” Here we pause for lunch, with time to explore the charming streets, Spencer’s gallery, and Holy Trinity Church where the artist is commemorated, as well as a visit to a traditional pub.

After lunch, we rejoin the Thames Path, widely regarded as one of the most photogenic stretches of the river. The route meanders alongside the water, skirting the edge of the grand Cliveden Estate, once a ducal residence and later the setting of the notorious 1960s Profumo Affair.

Our hike continues along the river past Boulters Lock, a lively boating hub once popular with Victorian high society, before reaching Maidenhead. The finale is at Brunel’s magnificent 1835 railway bridge, a pioneering feat of Victorian engineering and a fitting close to a day rich in riverside scenery, history and culture.

🧭 Guide:
• Leader: GRAHAM
• Contact (hike day only): 07796 098487

🍽️ Food:
• Bring a packed lunch
• Pub visit after the hike (drinks optional)

🎒What to Bring
• Hiking boots/shoes
• Water (2 litres minimum)
• Packed lunch
• Waterproofs (jacket and trousers)
• Hat and gloves if cold
• Train tickets are arranged – just meet us at the meeting point

⚠️ Safety
Your guide is a trained hike leader and Outdoor Activity First Aider

❓ Want to Know More?
• New to Our Trips? (perfect for first-timers, answers “what to expect”)
• About Us (who Outdooraholics are, credibility, history)
• FAQs (covers common queries)

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