Walks you can reach from Henley-on-Thames by train

Stile-free bridleway through High Wood and Shiplake Copse (bluebells in spring), Binfield Heath village and the Thames Path past Shiplake Lock.

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: 2h30–5h

Lunch: The Baskerville pub by the station; a village shop at Binfield Heath roughly midway.

Walk details: Round Reading Walk.

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).

Undulating, stile-free woods and fields on the Chiltern Way, past a listed Victorian wellhead and a walled-garden viewpoint.

Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.

Rebecca's Well: a grade II listed Victorian wellhead depicting Rebecca at the well of Nahor, embellished by a 19th-century curate of Wargrave.

Time: 2h–4h

Warnings: Tree roots can be a trip hazard in the woods.

Walk details: Round Reading Walk.

A largely riverside route following the River Kennet and then the Thames Path for a long stretch and with open fields and shaded paths. A narrow path past Sonning Lock with barbed-wire fences can become muddy in wet weather; the approach to Twyford is on a metalled road and through a country park. Follows the Thames Path and the Oscar Wilde Memorial Walk past the walls of Reading Gaol; passes Reading Abbey ruins and Abbey Gardens. A detour through Charvil Country Park gives respite from the main road.

Waterway: two thirds along the River Thames.

Reading Abbey: the ruins of a major medieval abbey founded by Henry I, beside the former Reading Gaol where Oscar Wilde was imprisoned.

Time: 3h–5h30

Lunch: Refreshments available at Sonning, roughly midway.

Warnings: An unavoidable stretch of the A3032 Old Bath Road has a narrow pavement near Twyford, and there is an annoying crossing of the A4.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

An absolutely gorgeous series of woodland, field and lane; Slow Ways don't get better than this. A flat but varied route, mainly traffic-free and quiet, through town footpaths, fields and woods, taking in a rural middle section between Ruscombe and Lillibrooke Manor with pretty villages and old manors and historic churches. Many parts can be very muddy after rain; some stiles and kissing gates. Passes a landscaped estate at Shottesbrooke where sheep graze. The earliest pub heading from Maidenhead is at Waltham St Lawrence, just over six miles in.

Time: 4h–8h

2 lunch spots: the Bell, or the Beehive

Warnings: The route just south of Southbury Farm runs very close to a river and is commonly flooded, with no path where one is marked; an alternative also floods badly after heavy rain. At Lillibrooke Manor the right of way runs alongside the gravel drive, not up it, but is poorly signed and can lead walkers into private grounds. Plenty of mud after rain.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A largely off-road walk across Berkshire farmland, using town green spaces, byways, country lanes and field paths, with several stretches of unavoidable road walking. The field and woodland paths can be narrow and uneven and very muddy after rain.

Time: 4h–7h30

2 lunch spots: the Shurlock Inn, or the Stag and Hounds

Warnings: Mud is a real problem here, even after dry spells. Some road and verge walking is unavoidable, including a stretch alongside Maidenhead Road if the private Billingbear Park crossings are blocked. Footpaths can be narrow and lined with thorny bushes.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A pleasant route that more or less follows the River Loddon and with a half-mile of street walking out of Twyford and an unappealing pavement stretch into Wokingham along suburban streets and the busy Reading Road. The footpath through the Loddon Nature Reserve and along the river is rough in places and can be very muddy. Skirts Dinton Pastures Country Park. Passes through the Loddon Nature Reserve and skirts Dinton Pastures Country Park; starting from Winnersh shortens the dull initial stretch.

Loddon Nature Reserve: a former gravel-pit reserve between the River Loddon and a lake at Twyford, rich in wildlife with boardwalk paths.

Time: 3h–5h30

Lunch: There is also a café beside the main lake at Dinton Pastures Country Park, a short detour off the route.

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a sixth of the walk. A fallen tree may block the path close to Twyford. The Wokingham end runs next to the busy Reading Road. Can be muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.