Walking weekend: Henley

The picturesque town where three counties wait and the Chilterns rise.

Harpsden

PHOEBE TAPLIN grew up in Oxfordshire and still loves walking there. She has written six walking guides, a book about Henley-onThames, and is a regular contributor to Country Walking.

Between the Thames and the Chiltern Hills, Henley has been part of a beautiful landscape for more than a millennium. The riverside walks here are highlights of the 184-mile Thames Path and the Chiltern Way wanders through the nearby hills. The surroundings are also popular as locations for film and TV, from Downton Abbey at Greys Court to Endeavour in Hambleden churchyard. And their literary heritage includes such authors as Kenneth Grahame and Jerome K. Jerome.

Moorings at Henley (top left), autumn foliage at Hambleden (top right), the footbridge over the Thames at Marsh Lock ( bottom). RIVERSIDE RAMBLES