Mapledurham watermill
Walk Distance: 9.14km from central Caversham; 6.14 km from end of The Warren
Walk Duration: 2hr 45 from central Caversham; 1 hour 50 from end of The Warren (times and distances include return walk).
OS Map: OS Explorer 159 Reading;
Suitable for: All-terrain pushchairs and durable standard pushchairs; little legs, all the family, bikes and majority suitable for scooters.
Walk features: peaceful rural walking, mainly paved surfaces, Mapledurham house & water mill, there and back again walk, shops & refreshments at walk start/end in Caversham, good for a close to 10k run for parents with buggies, option for boat back to Reading in the summer.
Walk description:
The gentle amble from Caversham to Mapledurham is the perfect lazy Sunday morning stroll and best of all, it’s suitable for babies/ toddlers in all-terrain buggies or good quality sturdy pushchairs. If your children are permanently attached to their scooters or first bike then you’ll be pleased to know that the majority of this walk is wheel friendly and also great for a short family bike ride. If you don’t fancy walking all the way back again, boats run to and from Mapledurham from Caversham on summer weekends.
Mapledurham House and lawns.
Mapledurham itself is a picturesque rural Thame-side hamlet that feels a million miles away from the busy streets of nearby Reading. The village was once the setting for parts of the wartime classic film ‘The Eagle has Landed’
The walk starts from St. Peter’s Church in Caversham. For those looking to reduce the length of the walk, drive instead to the end of The Warren and start from where The Warren turns into a footpath. There is limited roadside parking along The Warren.
Quiet walking on The Warren
If coming from Caversham Bridge or the main retail centre, walk up Church Road from the main traffic lights and St. Peter’s Church is on your left a short way up the hill. Go through the churchyard, past the church and out the other side, joining The Warren.
Walk along The Warren – a quiet leafy residential street with the occasional glimpse of some lovely Thames-side properties along its length. Continue past the last houses and walk until the road bends around to the left. A footpath is clearly marked continuing straight ahead. Take the footpath. This is the second start point for those walking the shorter route and avoiding the walk along The Warren.
Footpath starting point at end of The Warren
Walk along the track, through the shady edge of Chazey Wood. The track on this section is quite rough so you will need an all-terrain pushchair or study buggy. There are a few good viewpoints on the left back towards Reading.
View across fields towards Reading.
As you emerge from the wood, the stony track changes into a much smoother paved lane. The lane is principally used for farm access and is pretty quiet so is good for little ones testing out bikes and scooters. Do keep an eye out though for the occasional vehicle.
Continue until you reach a house at an intersection with Jackson Lane to your right. Carry straight on over, keeping the house to your right hand side.
Up close with the cows!
Follow the lane past the farm on your right (a chance to spot cows at close quarters for animal enthusiasts) and walk on towards Mapledurham. Mapledurham house comes into view across some very nicely kept lawns to your left hand side.
The path emerges by a red phone-box onto Sheepways Lane in central Mapledurham. To visit Mapledurham House and watermill (open weekends and bankholidays from Easter to end of September) or the pretty 13th century St. Margaret’s Church, turn left and follow the road through the picturesque hamlet of Mapledurham to its end. For details of opening hours for Mapledurham House and watermill, please visit their website.
Mapledurham House from St. Margaret’s Church
The walk returns along the same route to Caversham or you can take the boat back during weekend in summer.
Map of Route:
Directions:
The walk is easily accessible from Caversham on foot and only around 15 minutes walk from Reading Station. Some limited roadside parking is available on The Warren. There are frequent buses to Caversham from central Reading and an hourly service via High Wycombe and Henley-on-Thames. To plan your journey, please use SE Traveline.
View Caversham to Mapledurham Walk in a larger map
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3 comments
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The walks look excellent–But–Why why oh Why are your distances in kilometres???
Here is Great Britain Every, Single Solitary signpost is in MILES—-haven’t you noticed?
Our cars are programmed in MILES per hour—haven’t you noticed???
Author
Thanks for your comment. The UK has the dubious privilege of using both metric and imperial measurements. Indeed most official government legislation is actually metric, with road signs one of the few exceptions. Even speedometers cars are legally required to have both mph and kmph. Kilometres are used on Baby Routes chiefly due to he fact that Ordanance Survey walking maps have been metric since the 1960s and their grids are based on km, so it is easier to cross reference navigation. Similarly short sporting distances are most often measured in km (eg. 5km/10km runs and all athletics distances) and young children, who these walks are primarily designed to suit, tend not to walk long distances so it is easier to get an accurate idea of shorter distances for parents/caters with metric than imperial. I hope that answers your question. If it’s any consolation you might like to know that I still measure out all my cooking ingredients in lbs and oz!:-)
Read your comments with some amusement as like you I’m still in Ibs and ozs in kitchen and stones/lbs every Wed at SW!
My lovely husband needs to use mobility scooter now so I’m looking for walks which we can enjoy together. It’s trickier than you think but this one looks worth checking out. Thank you.
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