Walk 2

Where to start: From Henley station, follow the river to the five-arched 18thcentury bridge. Climbing out of town, you will pass the gates of neo-gothic Friar Park, where Beatle George Harrison lived and had a recording studio. Along the way: The name of Pack and Prime Lane survives from days when Henley was a staging post for coaches between Oxford and London; coachmen would pause here to load their guns in case of highwaymen. Greys Court, set on a hill above the path, was fortified in the 14th century and restored in the 1930s. A lovely stretch of the Chiltern Way heads towards Harpsden, where old wallpaper-printing blocks decorate the walls of two barns opposite the church. The final section passes close to Marsh Lock, which has operated here since medieval times, and the River and Rowing Museum. In a nutshell: A richly wooded route through gentle hills and scenic villages, starting and ending by the beautiful Thames.