26/01/18 - London Countryway Stage 11 - Windsor to Marlow

Distance - 15 Miles
Start - Windsor
Finish - Marlow
Geocaches - 12
Pubs - Kings Arms, Cookham and the Butchers Tap, Marlow
Previous Stages - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7, Stage 8, Stage 9, Stage 10


Stage 11 of the London Countryway, the longest walk and quite a different feel to the previous stages.   Starting at Windsor, I pick up the Thames Path and stick to it.   A whole day of river walking, with the only exception a short climb onto Winter Hill.

It's kind of a shame to leaving Windsor immediately after arriving.  Its a short hop from the Central station down to the river and over the pedestrian bridge to Eton, shedding a tear that 9am on a Saturday morning is too early for a Good Beer Guide tick at the George.

Still, the view from the opposite side of the river is impressive.

Windsor Castle from the North Bank

Route finding is not going to be an issue today.  Fortunately, I have a combination of plentiful geocaches and some magnificent architecture to admire.   The houses on the riverbank on the way to Maidenhead are stunning.   And if a new purchaser doesn't like the architecture, they simply pull the old house down and build one they do like.

Geocaching on the Thames Path

A hotel, next to Bray Studios (where they filmed all the Good Hammer Horrors)

Less Care spent on their boats

Coming into Maidenhead

Timings continue to be wrong as I cross the Bridge into Maidenhead.   It's 2.5 hours since I left Windsor and I am both ready for a break and have completed my research.   The Grenfell Arms is another potential Good Beer Guide tick that's a 1/2 mile detour from the route.   Alas, this opens at 12pm, so not wanting to wait 30 minutes, its a sad tale of washing my sarnies down with water.  At last it takes my mind off the only bit of road walking completed today.

The next stretch is described by the Geocache listings as the finest part of the whole of the Thames Path.   I'd only caveat that with the bit through the City but its probably correct.   There's a series of weirs, islands and the hanging gardens of Cliveden on the opposite side to marvel at.   I finished the walk with a burning desire to re-read Jerome K Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat".

Thames Path upstream of Maindenhead is a delight

The next town is Cookham.   I may not be able to afford to live there but I can just about afford to have a drink there.   Its a beautiful place with plenty of refreshment options that I narrow down to a choice between the Bel and Dragon and the Kings Arms.   Both ancient and handsome but the Kings Arms has better advertising.

Rebellion IPA sold in the Kings Arms.  £4.40 a Pint

But is was £4.40 well spent

A lovely old C17th Coaching house with a roaring fire and a friendly landlord who took an interest in my travels.   He also reminded me that Marlow is where the Rebellion Brewery is, although to be fair, there is a clue on the glass.   This could be added to the end of the trip, should I get bored of hunting Tom Kerridge.   He's much better at hide and seek these days.

Onwards and upwards for the final leg..... literally, as I have the only climb of the day to Winter Hill.  It promises more than it delivers.  The OS Map signifies a viewpoint but you can't see much through the trees.

Cock Marsh outside of Cookham

Winter Hill Views

I've not been to Marlow before and I'm pleased the route creator, Keith Chesterton, chose this place as the leaving point to enter the Chilterns.   Its a much bigger town than I expected and crossing the stunning suspension bridge next to the church raises the spirits when you are on weary legs, 14 miles into a trek.

Crossing into Marlow

View from the Bridge

Much as Rick Stein is synonymous with Padstow, Tom Kerridge appears to own Marlow.   I had a long conversation on the train in about whether the Hand and Flowers would be suitable for a man that is would only be interested in a Michelin starred restaurant if the beer is good.  Google maps showed it as Greene King, so this is unlikely.    My fellow passenger reeled off all the places in town that Tom owns and suggested that the Butcher's Tap might be more up my street.

This triggered memories from an article in the Times about how the butchers shop continues as a pub.  I had to investigate.

Doing what it says on the Tin

I'm not sure what this says about the other pubs in Marlow but it is packed.   And its exactly what you would expect.   A long refrigerated butchers display - with some outstanding looking joints - runs one length of the shop.  In the middle of the bar/fridge unit, are two hand pulls, alongside a chiller containing sausage rolls that even the hardiest #DryJanuary self denier would struggle to resist.   The shop's opposite side is a packed house of occupied traditional pub tables.

I was forced to share seating arrangement but there was only enough meat based pastry snacks for one.

Tightly packed punters meant I was closer to my Rebellion Gold than I would have liked

It looks like Tom has hit on a winning formula.