{"id":2839,"date":"2024-03-09T05:57:13","date_gmt":"2024-03-09T04:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2839"},"modified":"2024-03-03T09:07:29","modified_gmt":"2024-03-03T08:07:29","slug":"hambleden-weirs-aston-and-the-river-thames-berks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2839","title":{"rendered":"Hambleden Weirs, Aston and the River Thames, Berks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk; varwalkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=740,width=1220,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script><br \/> First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('HambledenWeirs.jpg');\" rel=\"nozoom\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53539766412_f1749cc301_z.jpg\" title= \"Georgian folly designed by James Wyatt on Temple Island 1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53539766412_f1749cc301_s.jpg\" alt=\"Georgian folly designed by James Wyatt on Temple Island 1\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53540828058_d7d6b14401_z.jpg\" title= \"Hambleden Weirs rushing and roaring\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53540828058_d7d6b14401_s.jpg\" alt=\"Hambleden Weirs rushing and roaring\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53539766442_d0dc282563_z.jpg\" title= \"serenity at Mill End\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53539766442_d0dc282563_s.jpg\" alt=\"serenity at Mill End\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53539766562_a40241a946_z.jpg\" title= \"Georgian folly designed by James Wyatt on Temple Island 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53539766562_a40241a946_s.jpg\" alt=\"Georgian folly designed by James Wyatt on Temple Island 2\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53540975464_c0009221f0_z.jpg\" title= \"Warm and characterful Flower Pot hotel at Aston\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53540975464_c0009221f0_s.jpg\" alt=\"Warm and characterful Flower Pot hotel at Aston\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53540975339_d316f9e30b_z.jpg\" title= \"Tranquillity on the banks of the Thames opposite Aston\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53540975339_d316f9e30b_s.jpg\" alt=\"Tranquillity on the banks of the Thames opposite Aston\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"javascript:pwindow=window.open('\/Walks\/prn.php?f=2839','pwin','height=700,width=1200,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes');\" title=\"Click for printable version\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/Walks\/print.gif\" align=\"right\"><\/a><br \/>\nA cold cloudy morning where the Chiltern Hills meet the boundaries of Bucks, Berks and Oxon. Not that the red kites were inclined to respect the county borders \u2013 they soared and wheeled indifferently over the bare woods and rain-sodden fields.<\/p>\n<p>At Mill End the River Thames had forsaken its measured pace through the green meadows. The river, swollen by a whole night\u2019s rainfall, came rushing and roaring, pushing a solid skein of sinewy grey-green water through the sluices. \u2018She\u2019s risen six inches higher than we expected,\u2019 said the lock keeper as he pulled the sluice gate cable. \u2018In for some flooding tomorrow, I should think.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>How did Thomas Caleb Gould, lock keeper here from 1777-1832, cope in similar conditions with no modern technology to help him? Gould was a celebrity in his day, famous for his many-buttoned coat and his daily diet of onion porridge. What his wife thought of that went unrecorded, but it kept him in good fettle till the age of ninety-two.<\/p>\n<p>Heads reeling with the sound and energy of the seething water, we turned along the river bank and were instantly doused in peace and plenty. The Thames formed a broad, graceful bend, the water slow and wind-stippled as it slid smoothly past riverfront villas and their ornate wooden boathouses. Kempt lawns studded with fine cedars sloped up to Greenlands, a white wedding cake of a residence, built in 1853 for stationery mogul WH Smith.<\/p>\n<p>A great crested grebe bobbed in the midriver flow, cautiously observing a nearby tufted duck with straggly crest and brilliant golden eyes. Black-headed gulls still sporting their white winter hoods screamed and squabbled over titbits, and a grey heron emitted a mournful shriek as it skimmed the water like a ragged umbrella on the loose.<\/p>\n<p>At Upper Thames Rowing Club\u2019s handsome premises we left the river and followed a snowdrop-spattered path to join up with the Chiltern Way that led across the winter wheatfields to Aston. From this elevated stance the Thames lay hidden by a fold of ground as though it had ceased to exist.<\/p>\n<p>The Flower Pot Hotel at Aston exuded good smells of log fires. A venison pie (with juniper berries) and a golden pint of Boondoggle bitter here; then the final stroll beside the racing Thames towards the rumble and tumult of Hambleden weirs.<\/p>\n<p>\fHow hard is it? 6 miles; easy; riverbank and field paths<\/p>\n<p>Start: Mill End car park, Hambleden, Bucks RG9 6TL (OS ref SU 786854)<\/p>\n<p>Getting there: Bus 800 (High Wycombe \u2013 Reading)<br \/>\nRoad: Follow \u2018Hambleden\u2019 from A4155 (Henley-on-Thames to Marlow) at Mill End. In \u00bc mile, left into car park.<\/p>\n<p>Walk (OS Explorer 171): Right along road (pavement). Dogleg right\/left across A4155 (786850); follow footpath signs (\u2018Wokingham Way\u2019) across River Thames via Hambleden Weirs. Cross Hambleden Lock (783851); right on riverbank Thames Path for 1\u00be miles. Beside flagpole of Upper Thames Rowing Club (767836), left through car park to Remenham Lane. Right; in 50m, fork left (768835, fingerpost). In 50m, left (fingerpost, \u2018Permitted Path); in 150m, left on Chiltern Way, Berkshire Loop (770834, fingerpost). In 400m left on Remenham Church Lane (774837); in 200m, right (773839, kissing gate, fingerpost) on Chiltern Way. In \u00bd mile, just before wooden gate across path, left (782840, \u2018Permitted Path\u2019) down to road (783842). Right into Aston. At Flower Pot Hotel (785842), left down Ferry Lane. At river, left (787845, \u2018Thames Path\u2019) to recross Hambleden Weirs and return to car park.<\/p>\n<p>Lunch\/Accommodation: Flower Pot Hotel, Aston RG9 3DG (01491-574721, <a href=\"http:\/\/flowerpothotel.com\">flowerpothotel.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Info: Henley-on-Thames TIC (01491-576982)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A cold cloudy morning where the Chiltern Hills meet the boundaries of Bucks, Berks and Oxon. Not that the red kites were inclined to respect the county borders \u2013 they soared and wheeled indifferently over the bare woods and rain-sodden fields.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2839\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}