This year Gwyndaf took us to The Thames or more specifically to Little Marlow for our spring walk.

We all met at The Queen’s Head in Little Marlow at 10:00 for a 10:30 start. There were about 18 of us in all. We ordered our lunches before setting off.

We were very lucky, in that it was a warm bright day (for late March) and the forecast was good.

We started off by heading off to the parish church of St John the Baptist.

Little Marlow is quite an old settlement, and was once the site of a Benedictine convent attached to Bisham Abbey. It is thought that the church, parts of which date back to Norman times, was constructed from materials from the convent, one of the oldest parts is the font.

Gwyndaf had arranged to meet the Church Warden at the church, who told us about some of its history.

As we left the church, we passed the manor house gates and we learned that Mel B (‘Scary Spice’) had once lived there.

We continued past the slightly whiffy Little Marlow Water Treatment works (quite infamous for its spills into the Thames), and then on to the lake that forms Spade Oak Nature Reserve.

Like so many of the lakes in the region this used to be an old gravel quarry, but it is now home to all sorts of waterfowl.

We were able to spot swans, great crested grebes, tufted ducks, and various geese (greylag, bean or was it pink footed?).

We continued around the lake and branched off to cross the single track train line between Bourne End and Marlow and then followed the Thames round towards Bourne End.

As we went, Gwyndaf pointed out features of the flood plain, including the alder trees that grew along the river. Alders love moist or boggy ground, and Gwyndaf showed us the unusual female catkins, which look just like very small pine cones. It is the only deciduous tree which produces a cone.

We then recrossed the railway along the road to the Spade Oak Hotel, which you could see on its walls that it used to be called the ‘Ferry Hotel’.

We then continued around the lake, and back past the church. We were very happy to see the pub as we rounded the corner!

One or two others from the Society, who hadn’t taken part in the walk, joined us for lunch. Fish and Chips seemed to be the most popular choice, but all the food was very good.

David Powell led the thanks to Gwyndaf for arranging the walk, and we all made our way home benefitting from the fresh air, but feeling a little tired.