Walks you can reach from Paddington (Elizabeth line) by train

Thames riverside path, wooded escarpment views, short steep hill and pretty 18th-century town.

Warnings: Riverside can flood.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Reverse direction: Slow Ways (inc. GPX).

Flat Thames towpath, riverside parks, wooded sections, pasture fields, meadows and riverside gardens.

Waterway: four fifths along the River Thames.

Time: 4h–8h

Warnings: Flood risk sections.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Similar walk: Slow Ways (inc. GPX).

Flat Thames Path riverside countryside, the Horseshoe Bridge and the historic Bull Inn at Sonning (of Three Men in a Boat).

The River Thames: England's best-known river, whose towpath (the Thames Path National Trail) carries long stretches of nearly every walk in this set.

Time: 2h30

Warnings: Shared with cyclists between Reading and Sonning; walkers only beyond.

Walk details: Reading to Basingstoke Community Rail Partnership (turn-by-turn directions).

Urban green spaces, canal towpath, river Thames towpath, parks, gardens and suburban streets.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Lowland heaths, mature woodland, canal towpath, farmland and historic riverside village.

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Ancient woodland, open flats, commons, forest rides, gravel tracks, residential roads and meadows.

Time: 5h30

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Flat urban start, parkland, deer park, historic royal landscape, ornamental gardens and lake.

Time: 4h

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Leafy Georgian avenues, open heath, parkland, Royal Observatory hill, riverside Thames Path, Docklands waterfront and financial district.

Time: 2h30

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Hills, escarpment with valley views, beech woods, open fields, riverside Thames Path, wooded estate banks and town outskirts.

Time: 5h

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Recommended: A scenic, mostly traffic-free route using waterside and green paths out of Maidenhead through Braywick Nature Reserve, then crossing the Thames on the Summerleaze footbridge to follow a wooded stretch of the Thames Path and before leaving the river at Boveney to cross meadows and pass under railway arches into Eton. Mostly flat apart from the bridges; can get muddy after rain in Braywick Park and along the riverside. Passes Dorney Lake; no refreshment stops between Bray and Eton, though there are picnic places. Take a toilet break at Braywick Leisure Centre as facilities are sparse afterwards.

Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.

Time: 3h–6h

End-of-walk reward: Plenty of refreshment options in Eton, with Windsor just across the river.

Warnings: The riverside path is rugged and can get very muddy after rain. Cycle barriers on the Cut Foot Bridge. Direct access to the river along a long stretch — watch for tripping hazards.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended: A beautiful, mostly traffic-free route via Bray, Dorney and the Jubilee River, leaving Maidenhead on green paths through Braywick Nature Reserve, crossing the Thames on the Summerleaze footbridge, passing Dorney Lake, then following the Jubilee River on a flat, well-maintained cycle path with lakes and bird hides and before a final busy-road stretch into Slough. Mostly good path; can get muddy in Braywick Park and along the river after rain. Passes Dorney Lake, a venue for the 2012 Olympic Games; carry refreshments as options are limited between Bray and Slough.

Time: 3h30–6h30

Lunch: Two refreshment options at Dorney mid-way: a garden centre cafe and the Palmer Arms pub.

Warnings: A brief section joins the road with no segregated footpath (quiet). The final stretch along Windsor Road into Slough is busy and a bit unpleasant but safe. The Jubilee River path is rugged and can get very muddy after rain, with little shade.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Fine views, big skies with kites. A varied and beautiful walk through woods, fields, deer parks and manicured parkland, with hills, fine views and many red kites, ending with suburban streets into Maidenhead. Good paths but lots of stiles and kissing gates, narrow rooty paths and steep in places; squelchy and likely very muddy in winter. Follows parts of the Chiltern Way and Thames Path; High Wood is managed by the Berkshire College of Agriculture, which asks walkers to keep to the designated path.

Time: 5h–9h30

3 lunch spots: the Olde Bell, the Honey Pot, or the Rising Sun

Warnings: Several stiles and kissing gates; narrow rooty paths, steep in places, can get very wet and muddy in winter.

Walk details: Slow Ways.