Henley via Stonor Circular walk

Main walk: 22.2km (13.8 miles)

Via Stonor short cut: 19.1km (11.9 miles)

Short Walk: 14.4km (8.9 miles)

Henley is normally thought of as a riverside town but, as this walk demonstrates, it is also on the southern edge of the Chiltern Hills, a charming area of hidden valleys, mixed woodland and farmland, and largely gentle slopes (although the main walk does have one substantial steep hill after lunch). The walk takes you up one side and down the other of the long valley leading up to Stonor, with plenty of charming views and some fine beechwoods en route. This is also a wonderful walk in which to see red kites, a bird of prey that has been successfully re-introduced here, and which can often be seen wheeling slowly overhead.

Unfortunately the Crown, the best situated lunch pub for this walk, is now closed, so the only lunch option is the Rainbow Inn fairly early in the walk. Henley at the end of the walk has plenty of tea options and pub stops.

- Stonor short cut: You can trim 3.1km (1.9 miles) off the main walk by using this short cut, making the total walk 19.1km (11.9 miles). It gives you a fine view of Stonor Park house, which is not otherwise seen on this walk, and has a fine picnic spot.

- Short walk: A short walk up country lanes from the Rainbow Inn in Middle Assendon allows you to shorten the route to 14.4km (8.9 miles). This short walk still takes in several of the best sections from the the main walk, and makes an excellent winter walk.

There are twice hourly connections from London Paddington to Henley-on-Thames, changing at Twyford; though later in the evening the trains revert to hourly. Journey time is about one hour. If aiming for lunch in the Rainbow, get the train nearest to 10am. Otherwise, with the lunch pub in Pishill now closed, it does not really matter what time you start the walk.

Rainbow Inn Middle Assendon (01491 574879). This quiet rural pub with a small garden, 5km (3.1 miles) into the walk, serves pleasant home-cooked food from 12-2.15pm daily and every evening except Monday from 7pm: it is closed 3pm to 6pm (7pm on Sundays). This is the lunch stop on the short walk, and now the only one for the main walk too since the closure of the Crown Inn (see below). It is a husband and wife-run pub and so appreciates an advance call from groups. In winter, note that after lunch on the short walk, there is still 9.2km (5.7 miles) to go, so it is wise to leave the pub no later than 1.45pm.

The Crown Inn in Pishill, 10.9km (6.8 miles) into the main walk, was ideally situated to be the lunch stop on this walk, but sadly it has been closed since 2020 and looks set to be converted to other uses.

A fine picnic spot is the top of the hill on the Stonor short cut (paragraph 34), where you have a sweeping view of Stonor Park house.

Henley is supposed to be the oldest settlement in Oxfordshire, dating at least from Roman times, but it really came into its own from the 12th century onward as a river crossing and a port for shipping grain and timber to London. These days the town has a much more refined air. It is supposed to have 300 listed buildings and is famous for its annual Regatta, held in the first week of July since 1839. A recent famous resident was the Beatle George Harrison, whose former house (or its heavily barbed-wired garden fence) is passed on this walk.

The entrance to the magnificent stately home of Stonor Park www.stonor.com is passed on the main walk, though the house itself cannot be seen except from the Stonor short cut. It has been the home of the Stonor family for 850 years and the house dates back to the 12th century, though it also has plenty of Tudor and even Georgian features. It was one of the places where the 16th century Catholic martyr (and now a saint) Edmund Campion stayed and preached. The house and its gardens and cafe are open on selected days from Easter to October - see www.stonor.com.

Though it looks like an ancient ruin, the abandoned church in Bix Bottom just before Valley End Farm only fell into disuse in 1875. Before that, it was the Church of St James, which had features dating back to Norman times.

After the walk, please leave a comment, it really helps. Thanks!

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National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

Jan-24 Peter