Boating, Walking & Eating Along The River Thames

It's been ages since I last wrote, but not because we haven't been on the river. We've actually spent 11 glorious weekends boating, walking and eating along The River Thames since the Easter Bank Holiday. So I thought I'd share some of the highlights. On the walking front, we've discovered there are stunning fields to cross, woods to walk through and picturesque villages to visit within 5-10 miles of Henley. This weekend, for example, we did a 17.5 miles circular route that took us along the river to Hambleden and across wonderful countryside to Skirmett, Fingest, Turvil, Stonor House, Middle Assendon and then back to Henley through a beautiful deer park. A shorter, but equally gorgeous, walk is from Henley to Rotherfield Greys, then up to Greys Court (a National Trust House) and back through the Badgemore Park Golf Club. The options are endless and we're having a fantastic time exploring them. All that walking builds up an appetite, of course, but that's not a problem because when we plan our routes, we always make sure there's a country pub or restaurant along the way that serves fantastic food. A few worth mentioning are the Maltsters Arms in Rotherfield Greys, Orwells just about Shiplake, The Frog at Skirmett, The Chequers Inn at Fingest and The Bull & Butcher at Turvil. Long walks & great food during the day and cosy evenings on board at night. Life doesn't get much better than this!