Note: the Thames Path between Sonning and Henley is unsurfaced and can be muddy after heavy rain. In the summer it’s a popular route for cycling and perfectly passable on any bike. An alternative route on lanes is along the B478 across Sonning Bridge then through Binfield Heath, Crowsley and Sonning Common, bypassing Henley altogether and rejoining the route at the Unicorn pub.
Map (zoom in for more detail)
Download file for GPSDirections and GPX
Route directions PDF (right click to download)
GPX file (right click to download)
We did this ride on Sunday (April 14th) and found that the unsurfaced section by the river between Sonning and Henley was extremely muddy in parts and very slippy on our touring bikes. It was a dry sunny day however it had rained the previous day and next time I would be more inclined to take the alternative road route proposed, unless there has been a particularly dry spell of weather. The river path at this point is very peaceful and quiet and we encountered very few people so is a perfect spot for a picnic or swimming. Some sections of the Thames Path at this point are marked as “no cycling”, but we guess unlikely to be enforced.
Sorry to hear about all the mud, Cath. I can vouch for the section between Sonning and Henley as a very popular summertime cycle route. When I rode I was with a group of friends in the summer of 2012, three of our group were on road bikes with 25mm tyres. So I guess it does dry out in summer. It’s a popular cycling route, particularly with families, and we saw a lot of families with very young kids on bikes enjoying a ride along the river. Any ‘no cycling’ signs sound like overkill to me. As long as cyclists are courteous to people out walking, I can’t see any problem.
This is such a fantastic ride and if, like me, you long to get out of London for a few hours then it is perfect. Just a couple of things I would mention about this ride. We did it on a Sunday morning which felt like a great time to do it, however Henley does get very busy especially the section by the Thames – a wave or a simple thank you goes a long way with people walking.
En route there is a lovely pub at Peppard called The Red Lion that does good vegetarian and vegan food, and I’d suggest stopping off for a bite to eat and a drink if you need it – their website details their menus.
One thing to mention is how crowded the trains back from Didcot became – Sunday afternoon at around 5/6pm seems to be the time everyone is leaving Reading / Slough to get home and by the time we got to Southall the train was rammed and cycle space was a bit of a premium. If you are going to do this ride on a Sunday, then wait a few more hours and get a later train back into London.
As a first ride from the book I have to say I can’t wait till the next weekend so I can try more out.
A lovely ride, with great variety: the lushness of the Thames Path from Reading to Sonning in early October, the climb into the Chilterns from Henley, the long descents from Stoke Row towards the Thames and the south Oxfordshire plain.
We missed The Unicorn at Kingswood Common, but stopped for a good gawk at the ostriches and a chat with the poultrykeepers at Hide [?] Barn before reaching Stoke Row. And bought guinea-fowl eggs there too. The owners have some good stories, and a dog, Boycie, who retrieves eggs from the hens. We lunched at the Cherry Tree in Stoke Row and rather spread ourselves.
We too commend the other Red Lion at Brightwell-cum-Sotwell: small, intimate and comfortable, with local beers. We approached Didcot from the east (having taken s shorter route from in the last light, the power station looking magnificent silhouetted against the sunset, and found a quiet bike route across the housing estates.
Watch out: after crossing the Thames at Sonning Bridge we found the Thames Path negotiable on our bikes (one road, one touring) as far as Shiplake College. It had rained lightly the night before, but the ground was firm. Leaving the college’s riverside lawn we found ourselves immediately tangling with tree roots and lots of walkers. Not our thing. We beat a retreat through the college grounds and did a grateful fast-forward 3 miles into Henley on the A4155.
We will very likely do this ride again. We might split it into two: a short ride Reading to Henley with less experienced riders on MTBs, and a graceful lunge through the hills with road and touring bikes.
A very good day – thanks for the route, Jack.
Hi, is this going to be a bad choice of ride due to flooding? It’s one of the ones we had been contemplating for next weekend. I have a hybrid bike, my friend has a road bike. Looking for somewhere to go near me (Bicester, preferably a train ride away as I don’t have a bike rack for my car) but easy access from London (where my friend lives).
Thanks!
Lucy.
We did this ride yesterday, our first from the book. It was a spectacular day for it and a fantastic ride! The Thames path was very muddy… in the group we had one road bike, one mountain bike and two single speeds. The mountain bike did okay, but the rest of us had to push / carry the bikes for a while… perhaps not surprising?!! When we reached Shiplake we went up the private road and took the road the rest of the way to The Red Lion so that we could avoid the mud.
Another great ride from the Lost Lanes book. For the amazing thing was that from Rotherfield Peppard until a few miles out of Wallingford we scarcely saw another car, only other cyclists. Amazing considering you are only an hour from London. The book suggests a possible short cut leaving out Henley, which some may want to consider. The ride out of Henley was our least favourite section and the town itself was a little underwhelming;busy river front and mostly overpriced chain places to eat; lots of better options elsewhere. Looking forward to our next Lost Lanes ride.Thanks Jack.
Fourth ride I’ve done from the book so far, another great ride.
Real boneshaker along the River paths and a bit muddy but nothing not rideable.
There was a bit of confusion on the GPX file at Peppard Bottom, prompted to turn right which turned out to be a road that led to a couple of houses, thought perhaps it was a wooded cut through to pick up Colliers lane at the other end but path was overgrown with nettles and unrideable,just continued down the hill to the junction and continued on my way.
I was riding my gravel bike which was ideal, I really don’t know how Jack, how your wife rode these routes on her step thru….respect!
I’d like to leave an update for those considering this ride in future. My friends and I just did this on Sunday 3 June, 2018. We were a raggle taggle bunch of varying abilities from novice to experienced cyclists with equipment ranging from road bikes, a hybrids, and Bromptons, (including a single speeder). While we had gorgeous weather, and certainly enjoyed the challenge, the Thames Path section between Sonning and Henley was incredibly challenging for cyclists. Much was overgrown and unpaved (and thus particularly difficult for the folding bikes). I’m not certain how long ago anyone else has done this specific route, but there were about four kissing gates to navigate. Less trouble for the Bromptons in this instance, and a lot of almost-too-exciting hoisting of bikes over gates. It felt a bit like a team-building exercise. As there was no mention of these in the book, I can only assume these are fairly new installations put up by the local authorities to discourage cycling in this section. We did meet other cyclists who seemed to know about them, and were not deterred, but we all agreed it was worth posting a comment for the benefit of future others.
All told, it was very slow going for us in the beginning section with the rough paths and kissing gates, but we found the rest to be absolutely lovely.
Amazing amazing amazing. Thanks Jack. Did ride today and followed the bypass through sonning and still had a great time.
I was planning to reverse the route (start in Didcot, finish in Reading). Can anyone think of a downside to this?
The long bridge at the weir, just before Henley is currently closed. Requires a detour around Black Bears Polo Club: up Bolney Road to the A4155. There is no other way without swimming.
Some of the steep, tree-lined roads have very deep potholes, you’d be advised to hold your brakes and take your sunglasses off.
I did this route today, I really enjoyed it! a nice variety of terrain and scenery.
I had one issue though: on the GPX file at 14.0 miles (waypoint 13) the route sent me down an offroad descent instead of following the road. The descent got way too steep way too quickly for me and I ended up crashing at some speed 🙁 I have zero mountain biking skills and I think you would need some (and some better brakes than my basic cantilevers) to negotiate that part safely. I think it would make more sense for the GPX route to stick to the road (collier’s lane) at this point.
Otherwise, I had a great day and really enjoyed the route, just like the other ones I’ve done from Lost Lanes 🙂
Have just eaten a massive chippie supper after completing this route on a glorious day. We loved stopping to soak in the views and free-wheeling on the descents. A couple of the instructions required a bit of creative interpretation but otherwise it was easy to work out where we needed to be. Stopping at the Red Lion (not the one in Wallingford) is a MUST for lunch but prepare to spend ££££.
Gorgeous ride! Henley footbridge is currently closed though, but clear diversion is signposted. Not much mud honestly, though we had to walk in places due to the narrow paths (road bikes with 25c Marathon tires)
The route has a weird turn after the red lion in peppard (great food as mentioned above!) that you should ignore – just stay on the road.
Thanks for the amazing day out!
Did this one yesterday, magical ride. Footbridge at the lock between Shiplake and Henley is still closed with a fairly adventurous detour through some paddocks. I was glad to have a gravel bike on the Thames path between Sonning and Henley.