Bourne End – The Beyonder

THERE are times of the year when the Thames Path between Bourne End becomes a bit of a mudbath.

But when it dries out, it’s the perfect place for an evening stroll, watching the world go by on the river.

Winston Churchill once described the Thames to the Queen as the “silver thread which runs through the history of Britain”.

The year was 1954 and she recalled sailing up the “dirty commercial river” at the conclusion of her six-month Australasia Commonwealth tour to be greeted by her prime minister.

“He saw things in a very romantic and glittering way,” the monarch later recalled.

She was perhaps being a little too self-deprecating. Both she and Churchill were only too well aware of the extraordinary history of Britain’s most iconic river, its banks lined by cultural landmarks and historic towns.

Today, the Thames Path is a long-distance walking trail tracing the route of England’s best-known river for 185 miles as it meanders from its source in the Cotswolds through several rural counties into the heart of London.

But the short section between Bourne End and Marlow provides a welcome chance to savour the river away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Easily accessed from a free car park in Coldmoorholme Lane, this is a picturesque part of the river that runs alongside the railway line to Marlow.

Flat and undemanding, it’s an appealing stroll for families and suitable for all ages, with the Marlow Mums singling it out as a great choice for little legs.

With feathered families out on the water in the spring, there’s plenty to hold the attention too, ducks and geese out in force alongside the walkers, sailors and rowers.

In the spring, the hawthorn blossoms are in full bloom, the goslings are learning to swim and, a couple of fields away, the baby bunnies are out playing too as dusk falls.

During the summer months, locals drowse on their verandas on the opposite bank as the shadows lengthen and pleasure craft chug to and fro.

Popular circular walking routes here include a detour to study the wildfowl on Spade Oak Quarry, or there’s always the option of letting the train take the strain if you fancy a jar or two in one of the welcoming hostelries along the way, or a restaurant meal in Marlow, Bourne End or Cookham.

The branch line to Marlow is a single-track seven-mile line via Bourne End to Maidenhead, and very picturesque it is too. Passenger services are operated by the Great Western Railway using two-coach diesel multiple unit trains, normally every half hour, but hourly after 9pm.

Back in steam days the train used to be known as The Marlow Donkey, normally taking the form of a one-coach train powered by a small pannier tank. Although the exact derivation of the term is unclear, a pub near the station in Marlow is named after it.

But if you’re happy to just watch the train clattering off towards Marlow or Bourne End, a pint or a bite is close at hand at the nearby Spade Oak, a popular upmarket country pub with a wide-ranging menu.

IT’S MORE than half a century since the last train ran through Wooburn Green.

But in truth closing the line can’t have been one of the harder decisions of the Beeching era.

Although the Wycombe Railway linked High Wycombe to the Great Western main line at Maidenhead, it was only ever a single line taking a rather circuitous loop north through Bourne End, Wooburn Green and Loudwater.

**CIRCUITOUS LOOP:** the Wycombe Railway line

Standing on the old trackbed in the dappled sunshine of a glorious July afternoon, it’s easy to understand what a pleasant journey it might have been to meander your way from Maidenhead to Oxford by steam train along this route 150 years ago, but it was never going to be exactly fast.

Originally built to the same broad gauge as the GWR, it opened to passengers in 1854 and extended on through Princes Risborough and Thame to link up with the GWR line from Didcot to Oxford in 1864.

It was converted to standard gauge in 1870 three years after it was subsumed into the Great Western network and the little branch from Bourne End to Marlow opened in 1873.

But by the end of the 19th century new lines were already making life harder for some of the routes promoted during the railway mania of the 1840s, and when the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway opened between High Wycombe and Northolt Junction in 1899, it gave the GWR a shorter route between High Wycombe and Paddington that robbed the Wycombe Railway of much of its traffic.

**BROAD GAUGE:** the line opened in 1854

Nonetheless passenger trains would still run over the route for another 70 years.

Freight services were withdrawn between Bourne End and High Wycombe on 18 July 1966, but British Railways did not close the line to passenger traffic until 4 May 1970.

Almost nothing remains of the original railway infrastructure today, although two sections of the track are open to ramblers and sharper-eyed observers can still spot other traces of the route.

**BACK TO NATURE:** few traces of the old line remain

Richard Gower explores the whole length of the route in his blog and there are some videos tracing the route too, both on foot and by bike.

Wooburn Green’s substantial brick-built station near the bottom of Whitepit Lane became a halt in 1968 because of the decreased service on the route and closed with the line in 1970.

It remained as a private dwelling until the late 1980s, being eventually demolished to make way for the Old Station Way development.

**BOARDED UP:** Loudwater station in 1973 *PICTURE: Alan Young*

Loudwater’s station at the bottom of Treadaway Hill also became a halt in 1968 and was demolished in the mid-1970s to make way for an industrial park, though a railway conservation path towards High Wycombe follows the route of the former railway.

**DEMOLISHED:** the old station at Loudwater

Back in Wooburn Green, dog walkers, joggers and cyclists make good use of the section of trackbed running towards Bourne End, some of it a parish council nature walk.

Visitors can park for free at Wooburn Park and slip across the footbridge over the Wye onto Town Lane, picking up the railway at the bottom of a footpath up the steep incline irreverently known locally as “Cardiac Hill”, which leads to Flackwell Heath.

**STEEP INCLINE:** the climb towards Flackwell Heath

From here, the trackbed is wide and offers a relaxed stroll behind industrial units and houses towards Bourne End.

On a drowsy July afternoon, the air is full of the soothing cooing of pigeons and the going is easy.

**LEVEL WALK:** the railway trackbed at Wooburn Park

Open fields rise on the other side of the line, providing a welcome vista over ripening crops before the path gets a little narrower and the woods a little more dense.

**OPEN FIELDS:** the view towards Flackwell

Those heading to Bourne End emerge from the nature path a short distance from the station, which is still in use, taking passengers on to Marlow or Maidenhead.

On a still evening, the distance clatter of a small local train clattering over the Thames at Bourne End can sound very reassuring, much as perhaps the hoot of a whistle sounded back in the 1950s when a steam train chugged up the valley towards High Wycombe.

Those happy to have a level ramble can just turn round and head back to Wooburn Green, but for those with a bit more energy, a right turn before you get to Bourne End takes you up through the trees on a circular route back to your start point.

The climb isn’t quite as steep as Cardiac Hill, but the views out towards the Thames are far reaching.

Up here, the surroundings can feel idyllic on a summer’s day, with a light breeze rustling the crops and plenty of life bustling in the hedgerows.

It’s easy to feel you have completely escaped from the rat race, with few other walkers to disturb your serenity: and as your circle round to head back to base camp, it’s a whole lot more relaxed going down Cardiac Hill than coming up!

Tag: Bourne End

Wander down by the waterside

Tracking down Wooburn’s lost railway