WHEN spring finally arrives at the Spade Oak Lake in Little Marlow, the old quarry suddenly comes into its own.
The same can be said for the nearby stretch of the Thames path, the perfect place for an evening stroll in the spring and summer months, watching the world go by on the river.
Leisurely circular strolls around here start from the free car park in Coldmoorholme Lane, but there’s nothing like a ramble to whet your appetite, so where better to start and end your walk than at the Spade Oak country pub?
It’s an upmarket watering hole in a perfect location close to the River Thames between Bourne End and Marlow, with a relaxed ambience and extensive menu.
From here you can strike out across a field towards the former gravel pit which has become a welcoming haven for wildfowl since becoming a nature reserve more than 20 years ago.
It was here during the 1960s that aggregate was extracted that would be used for the M40 and M4 motorways.
Much of the restoration work focused on encouraging birds to use the site as a breeding sanctuary, making it a popular destination for birdwatchers.
Ducks, gulls and geese who provide a cacophony of background sound on a still evening as the bats come out to flit and flicker around in the gloaming on the permissive path which runs around much of the lakeside perimeter.
This is one of nine fishing venues operated by Marlow Angling Club and is said to host carp, tench, bream, pike, perch, roach, rudd and eels.
It was back in 1966 that the Folley Brothers began to dig the former farmland in Coldmoorholme Lane to extract the valuable flood plain gravel that was in great demand for the motorway building program.
But flash forward to the millennium and the local parish council began discussing plans for a permissive path around the lake, officially opened back in 2002.
Gravel is no longer dug from Spade Oak and today the area offers a very pleasant waterside ramble it is on a spring or summer’s evening, with the gulls and geese shrieking in dismay at some temporary disturbance and the gentle clank of a two-coach train lazily meandering its way from Bourne End to Marlow alongside the lake.
From one corner of the lake walkers can cross the line to take in a short stretch of the Thames which forms part of the 185-mile long-distance walking trail tracing the route of England’s best-known river as it meanders from its source in the Cotswolds into the heart of London.
With feathered families out on the water in the spring, there’s plenty to hold the attention, ducks and geese out in force alongside the walkers, sailors and rowers.
Train buffs could opt for a trip on the single-track branch line to Bourne End or Marlow, but for those happy to just watch the train clattering by, a pint or a bite is close at hand at the Spade Oak after a lazy day by the river.
It’s not the cheapest pub meal around, but tempting menus and a relaxed dining area make it somewhere people tend to return to, with al fresco dining an option on warmer days.
