Walk Distance: 5.1 km
Time for a rest!
Walk Duration: 1 hour 40 (using pushchairs – tested with Mamas & Papas Sola & Phil & Ted’s offroader)
Suitable for: buggies, baby carriers
Walk Features: Thameside walking, duck feeding opportunities, plenty of coffee shop options at walk start/finish, accessible from town centre, playground at walk start/finish.
Walk Description:
This walk starts at Court Gardens in the centre of the historic town of Marlow on the River Thames. It is perfect for sunny summer strolling by the water but also has a good shaded loop that takes you past quiet fields on the loop back to town offering some varied scenery. This route is possible for all pushchairs and buggies on dry days but is fairly bumpy on the riverside part of the walk. On muddy days it is probably only worth attempting with a good off-roading buggy. There is one set of kissing gates at the end of the walk but this was road tested and all three pushchairs fitted through comfortably without any lifting or squeezing involved!
The walk is accessible from the Court Gardens with the path unmissable as it runs along the side of the Thames. The first half of the walk follows this path along the waterside with ample opportunity for little ones to feed the ducks and swans along the way (if you remembered the bread!). The walk takes you past Bisham with good views of the picturesque Bisham All Saints Church which backs onto the river – a characterfull Norman tower and 16th century church. A little further you pass Bisham Abbey on the opposite bank. Now home to the National Sports Centre the abbey is a grade 1 listed building actually built originally for Knights Templar in the Middle Ages and home since to a whole array of illustrious residents, including many Earls of Salisbury and Robert the Bruce and his wife Queen Elizabeth of Scots in 1310 after their capture during the Scottish wars of succession.
Follow the Thames path until it intersects with a lane and you have clear views of the weir ahead of you. At this point the footpath bends round to the right following the lane for a short distance – a welcome change from the bumpy end of the riverside path if you
Quiet path back to Marlow
are using a pushchair! Just around the bend the footpath turns off the lane to the right hand side, joining a track through the fields and heading back in the direction of Marlow. This footpath is perfectly passable for pushchairs and buggies on a dry day but might be more challenging when wet underfoot
Calves at play!
and is probably better suited to a baby carrier or off-roading pushchairs and buggies after wet weather. Continue on this path under the shade of the trees and enjoy the field views as you head back towards town.
At the end of the track there is a kissing gate, which fits buggies through comfortably. The walk then follows a small lane before rejoining the Court Gardens on the right hand side and back to the walk start. You now have an option of coffee shops in central Marlow to reward your efforts or relax in the park whilst the older kids take advantage of the adventure playground!
Map of Route:
Directions:
[map id=”2″]
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