London has lots to offer but sometimes you will crave getting away from busy city life and this woodland is the perfect place for it. The woods that inspired iconic The Wind in the Willows is less than an hour away from London and a great place to visit for a wholesome winter walk.
The children's tale is a British classic and in the story, Mole ventures into Wild Wood to meet the wise Badger and come up with a plan to protect Mr Toad from himself. He ends up lost but eventually makes his way, with help from Ratty, to Badger's underground home.
The scenes are said to be inspired by Bisham Woods, less than an hour's drive from London on the M40. The National Trust has put together a scenic walk that passes through farmland, woodland and quiet village lanes that inspired Kenneth Grahame, author of the children's classic.
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The route is labelled as moderate in difficulty and is dog-friendly. It is expected to take between two and a half and four hours.
From the Berkshire woodlands, at some points, you can even see a view of the River Thames. There is also a shorter walking route laid out by the National Trust.
Along the way you will encounter a 'telephone box' that has been converted into a book swap, so bring a book along for the journey to trade with one that has been left by other walkers. Another pit stop you pass is the Jolly Farmer pub, a great halfway point for a bite to eat or an afternoon tipple.
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Long Wind in the Willows route
From the National Trust car park, head out across Cookham Dean Common and follow the path that skirts around the left hand edge of the common. Continue following the path to the left of the large house and grounds at the northern edge of Cookham Dean Common and turn left by a yellow grit salt bunker. Take the lane to the right after passing the striped fingerpost to Combe End.
After 120 metres, pass to the left of the triangle of grass and lone silver birch tree and onto the path ahead and turn right before the kissing gate. Follow the woodland path up a gentle hill for 8 minutes until you reach Bigfrith Common meadow and the red telephone box on the corner.
Carry on past the restored red telephone box on the corner of Bigfrith Common and take the road on the right followed by the sharp left onto Church Road.
Continue along Church Road for 150 metres, where you will see a blue plaque commemorating Sir Henry Walford Davies on your right, until you reach the Jolly Farmer pub and St John the Baptist Church. Continue ahead along Church Road until you reach the Cookham Dean Village war memorial.
From pass the village war memorial on your left. Follow Hills Lane, past Popes Lane on your left before following the public footpath across Harding Green. At the other end of Harding Green turn right onto a track and left after the houses on your left, following a footpath sign. After a short distance you will come to a good view towards Cookham and Cliveden House on the top of the distant ridge.
Head back to Harding Green, this time turn right and cross Hills Lane to take the path to Warners’ Hill, past the sign for Uncle Tom’s Cabin to the right. Continue down Warners’ Hill and take a right at the bottom where it meets Dean Lane. After 50 metres you will reach a triangle of land at the centre of a group of 16th-century timber-framed cottages.
From the cottages cross Dean Lane and take the road on the left hand side and continue along Alleyns Lane. Climb the hill and take the footpath on the left before Alleyns Lane meets Bradcutts Lane. Follow the footpath between fence lines and horse fields for a further 550 metres until you reach a kissing gate.
When you come to a track on your right, take it downhill until a crossing of tracks. Carry on straight over until the track joins Spade Oak Reach.
Ahead there is a metal fingerpost with brown bridleway markers. Cross Stonehouse Lane and follow the right-hand bridleway marker down Gibraltar Lane before taking a left at the silver Winter Hill National Trust sign. Continue along this track through the National Trust woodlands at Winter Hill until you meet Gibraltar Lane again.
Follow the left fork joining up with the Cookham Bridleway Circuit and then pass by Quarry Wood End on the path to its left. Pass the entrance to Quarry Clyffe House and Quarry Wood Hall. From here you can see views of the River Thames. Then take the footpath immediately on your left, and climb up the hill for 350 metres until the path re-joins Quarry Wood Road.
Cross over Quarry Wood Road before taking the footpath on your right that squeezes between residential properties to both the left and right. Then enter Quarry Wood at the Woodland Trust car park on Grubwood Lane.
From this point follow the blue-topped posts and at the five-way crossroad take the track to the left by the waymarker post. You are now leaving Quarry Wood and entering Fultness Wood. You will pass a kissing gate again and eventually end up back where you began.
For full details head to the National Trust website.
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