Rectory Road, Taplow, Buckinghamshire, SL6 0ET
01628 604074
Walk Details
Time: 2 hours
Distance: 4.5 miles
Level/grade: Easy
Paths: roads, footpaths and towpaths
Landscape: river and countryside
About the Pub
It is situated in the heart of the picturesque Buckinghamshire village of Taplow, close to the historic river Thames and the Jubilee River, built in 2000 as a relief channel to protect Maidenhead and Windsor when the Thames River is in flood. Whether you are just dropping in for a quick drink or are planning to have a meal, you can always expect a warm and friendly welcome and a place where you can relax and get away from the stresses and strains of daily life.
Our extensive menus cover everything from a quick snack to three course meals. We also have a good selection of fine wines from which you can choose to complement your meal. In the summer months, you can, if you wish, eat alfresco on our lovely patio or in the garden. There are many places of historical interest nearby, including Cliveden House, former home of Lord and Lady Astor, which was infamously associated with the 'Profumo Affair'.
About the Walk
Parking
Parking for walkers using the Oak & Saw is available in the pub car park. Large parties of 8 or more are asked to pre-order their lunch/dinner before setting off to assist food preparation and avoid waiting time for service. (Menu’s available at the pub and on the web site www.oakandsaw.co.uk)
The Walk
Inside the pub, there are is a display of old photographs of the pub and Taplow village from the 19th century. Opposite the pub is the village green and St Nicolas’ Church. The church is in Gothic style, dating from 1912, and is distinguished by its tall spire.
With your back to the pub turn left and walk up rectory road past the Old Rectory with its collection of painted wheel covers, and on up to Berry Hill. At this junction it’s worth turning right and walking 20 yards to the entrance of Taplow Court.
Taplow Court, a mid 19th century mansion set high above the Thames near Maidenhead, is the home of SGI-UK, a lay Buddhist society.
The Taplow site has a long history of continuous human habitation. In the Iron Age a massive hillfort covered the site and the famous 7th century Anglo-Saxon burial mound can still be seen in the garden. There has been a manor house here since before 1066 and the manor was successively owned by the monks of Merton Priory, until the Dissolution, and then by the Hampson family in the 17th century, who came under attack during the Civil War.
At the turn of the 19th/20th centuries, the great sportsman, William Henry Grenfell and his wife Ettie, hosted gatherings of the elite, aristocratic social group, 'the Souls', here. Their eldest son, Julian Grenfell, one of the war poets, was killed in 1915.
After the Second World War, Taplow Court was owned by British Telecommunications Research and Plessey Electronics. SGI-UK came here in 1988.
Now turn around and walk back down Berry Hill, past Saxon Gardens, and then turn right along Mill Lane. Just past the last house on the right the road narrows and there is a footpath forking off to the left. Go down here, heading towards the Jubilee River
Formally known as the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme, the Jubilee River was created to reduce flooding. The last major flood happened in 1947, when over 2000 homes were affected and the river was nearly a mile wide in places. Large areas of Eton were underwater and almost a third of Windsor's population suffered in one way or another.
The Jubilee River leaves the Thames at Boulter's Weir, north of Maidenhead, and rejoins it at Black Potts Viaduct, Windsor. It was designed to replace habitats and breeding areas previously lost from the Thames and looks and acts like a natural river, except that its capacity is controlled so that it will not flood.
The path goes over the Jubilee River footbridge and past the gasometer and ends at the bend in a road. Turn left and go round the bend and up towards the A4. Just before you reach the A4 there is a Thames Path sign which leads you right through a small boatyard and under the first arch of Maidenhead Bridge. There has been a bridge across the Thames here since the 12th century but the present magnificent Georgian crossing was completed in 1777. On the other side the path passes in front of Maidenhead rowing club then immediately after the building you turn left and walk through the car park and onto the road.
Turn right and continue under Brunel’s bridge.
Brunel's Railway Bridge at Maidenhead
The bridge was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, engineer for the Great Western Railway. The railway from London to the West is carried across the River Thames on two brick arches, and the bridge was the widest and flattest in the world. Each span is 128 feet (39 m), with a rise of only 24 feet (7 m). The Thames Path passes under bridge, also known as the Sounding Arch because of its spectacular echo.
After this bridge the road passes some grand, mainly 20th-century houses until, just after a gate, the now gravel drive turns sharp left and goes between the last two houses. Go left up between the houses and past the garage and stables on your right. Continue along the fence between the fields up to the trees where the path becomes a track. Follow this for the next ½ mile as it bends first right and then left, through hedgerows and eventually past a house and disused farm buildings (Barge Farm) until it meets a gravel track. Turn left away from the farm, around a couple of bends and up to another T junction of tracks.
Turn left and follow this track through the fields, past the boating lake, under the railway bridge and up to the crossroads by the BMW garage. Cross over the road (the A4) and go straight up Berry Hill opposite, along the pavement on the right-hand side. Just past the end of the sports field is a kissing gate on your right which you pass through and then head up between the two clumps of trees and on in the same direction to the top corner of the field.
Go through the kissing gate and up the path between the fence on your left and the hedge on your right. At the end you pass through another gate, then turn 45 degrees right and cross the field to the hedge on the other side where you find another kissing gate. Go through this and up the tree-lined path which puts you back on Rectory road beside the church and pub.