Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Berkshire

The short Wind in the Willows walk

A village scene with bight green grass in the foreground, a path running through it and a horse chestnut tree in flower behind the path but in front of several houses. — The village of Cookham Dean | © National Trust Images/David Sellman

Enjoy this shorter 3-mile walk through the attractive, unspoilt village of Cookham Dean before passing the boyhood home of Kenneth Grahame, author of 'The Wind in the Willows'. The walk then continues through Quarry and Fultness Woods, which were the inspiration for Kenneth Grahame's 'Wild Wood'.

Near to

Maidenhead and Cookham Commons

Start point

Cookham Dean Common National Trust Car Park, Cookham, Maidenhead SL6 6PJ. Grid ref: SU862838

Address
Cookham Dean Common National Trust Car Park, Cookham, Maidenhead SL6 6PJ
Directions via Google Maps
By train
The nearest railway station is Cookham Station. From the station, turn left into Lower Road, which becomes Dean Lane. You joint the walk at Point 8 at the junction of Dean Lane with Alleyns Lane.
On foot
Cookham Dean is on the Chiltern Way, Berkshire Loop. Please see OS map 172.
By bus
The main bus route is the 238/239 Maidenhead - Knowl Hill / Henley / Cookham Dean run by Courtney Buses. Buses stop by the Jolly Farmer and the Chequers pubs.
Cycling
Cookham Dean is easily accessible by bicycle from Maidenhead, Slough, Marlow, Bourne End and High Wycombe. Please note that no cycling is allowed on the parts of the trail that are footpaths.
By road
Cookham Dean can be reached through Cookham or from Reading, Marlow or Maidenhead, via Pinkney’s Green.
Much of the walk is on undulating ground on soft footpaths, tracks and verges. In places, however, the route follows quiet country lanes which are not entirely free from traffic. There are two moderately steep descents and two climbs of about 70 metres each. There is one low stile to cross. Some paths can be very muddy and slippery after prolonged or heavy rain. Stout, waterproof walking shoes or walking boots are strongly recommended. A walking pole is not essential, but may be useful when the paths are slippery.
Total stages: 10
Total stages: 10
Start point
Cookham Dean Common National Trust Car Park, Cookham, Maidenhead SL6 6PJ. Grid ref: SU862838
Stage 1
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.
Cookham Dean's Commons
Cookham Dean Common, the Cricket Common, Bigfrith, Hardings Green and Tugwood Common collectively comprise the commons of Cookham Dean. They are mostly small in size but together they keep the community connected. The commons were originally part of the Royal Manor of Cookham, but these were sold off by the Crown in 1818 and passed into private ownership. In the 1920s, for fear that the common land would be enclosed, the Maidenhead and Cookham Commons Conservation Committee was established, which raised £2,800 to buy the land, and it was donated to the National Trust in 1934. In the summer months, community events are often held on the Cricket Common. During the Second World War, areas of the commons were dug over and planted with various food crops as part of the nation’s ‘dig for victory’ campaign.
Stage 2
After 120 metres, pass to the left of the triangle of grass and lone silver birch tree and onto the path ahead, turning 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.
The community library phone box in Cookham Dean | © Hugh Mothersole
Stage 3
Continue 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.
Stage 4
Continue along Church Road for 150 metres past the blue plaque commemorating Sir Henry Walford Davies on your right, until you reach the Jolly Farmer pub on your left, then St John the Baptist Church on your right. From here continue ahead along Church Road until you reach the Cookham Dean Village war memorial.
Stage 5
From here take a left at the village war memorial, skirting around Cookham Dean Cricket Common past the sign for Sanctum on the Green restaurant and bar. Join the Chiltern Way Berkshire Loop, taking a left at 'Quarry Edge' and continue down the track past Cookham Dean Quarry on your left. At the bottom of the hill take a right at the Old Stables following the Cookham Bridleway Circuit. After 50 metres, take the footpath on your left.
Stage 6
Continue uphill until you reach Dean Lane. Take a left and continue up Dean Lane. After 40 metres you will see Herries Preparatory School on the right.
Mayfield
Mayfield (now Herries Preparatory School) was the childhood home of Kenneth Grahame, author of the classic children’s tale The Wind in the Willows. Grahame’s many jaunts in surrounding fields and woods, as well as boating trips on the nearby River Thames inspired many of the adventures of Ratty, Mole and Toad, which Grahame would later commit to the page when he returned to the village as an adult to write the book.
Stage 7
Keep following Dean Lane and skirting along the edge of Tugwood Common, crossing at the junction between Dean Lane, Quarry Wood Road and Grubwood Lane, and entering Bisham Woods at the Woodland Trust car park.
Quarry Woods, Kenneth Grahame's 'Wild Wood'
Quarry Wood and Fultness Wood are part of the Woodland Trust’s ancient Bisham Woods, a broadleaf and conifer mix, which is rich in bluebells and orchids in the springtime. Quarry Wood is the site of Bisham Quarry, an important medieval source of stone, much of which was used to build Windsor Castle. Quarry Wood is likely to be the inspiration of the ‘Wild Wood’ in Kenneth Grahame’s 'The Wind in the Willows' published in 1908.
Quarry Woods near Cookham Commons | © Hugh Mothersole
Stage 8
Take the footpath straight ahead from the Woodland Trust car park then follow the blue-topped posts, make sure you don't take the path on your left by the bench after 250 metres and continue to follow the track and the blue-topped posts for a further 360 metres. Here you will find another bench, opposite which is a fine view of the Thames Valley towards Marlow.
The Winter Hill terrace and the Thames Valley
Looking towards Marlow from Quarry Wood, you can see the River Thames far below. You are standing on the Winter Hill Terrace which, around 450,000 years ago during the last Ice Age, was an ancient flood plain, created by deposits from what is now the River Thames, during the coldest and most extreme part of the Pleistocene epoch. The river’s deposits consist of coarsely rounded gravels, which can be found on the plateau at the top of Winter Hill. Subsequent down-cutting by the River Thames, along with the uplift of the land, has left these deposits as remnant terraces at elevated positions along the sides of the Thames Valley.
Stage 9
From the seat and viewpoint continue along the path, keeping the steep slope on your right. After 280 metres take the right fork past another blue-topped post downhill for a further 180 metres where you join up with a bridleway. Following the waymarker for the bridleway downhill for a further 170 metres will lead you to a five-way crossroad.
Stage 10
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. After 200 metres leave the bridleway, following the footpath waymarker to climb the earthen bank on the right. Continue up the steep slope until it levels out, before crossing another footpath and passing through the kissing gate. Follow the hedge line on your left into the arable field ahead. Continue for 360 metres then take the stile and small ramp through the trees on the left. Straight ahead at the end of the trees is Winter Hill Road, and beyond it, the National Trust car park where you started.
End point
Cookham Dean Common National Trust Car Park, Cookham, Maidenhead SL6 6PJ. Grid ref: SU862838
Trail map
The Wind in the Willows short walk around Cookham Dean and Commons route map | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey
You made it
Share your experience

A view of the Maidenhead and Cookham Commons at dusk, with a pond in the foreground and an orange-blue sky above

Place

Maidenhead and Cookham Commons

An historic landscape full of natural beauty

Trail

The long Wind in the Willows walk

A 5-mile walk along country lanes, woodland and the village of Cookham Dean that takes in places that inspired Wind in the Willows author Kenneth Grahame.

A fallen tree lies on Cock Marsh at Cookham Commons, Berkshire.

Trail

Cookham and Cock Marsh walk

Enjoy stunning views across the Thames Valley while following riverside paths on the dog-friendly Cookham and Cock Marsh walk.

Article

Things to do at Cookham Commons

Enjoy rural countryside walks, impressive views over the landscape and find plenty of wildlife at Cookham Commons, the hidden gems of the Berkshire countryside.

Pinkneys Green, Pinkneys Drive, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 6QD

maidenheadandcookham@nationaltrust.org.uk

We’ve partnered with Cotswold Outdoor to help everyone make the most of their time outdoors in the places we care for.

Visit website

Walking

Explore some of the finest landscapes in our care on coastal paths, accessible trails, woodland walks and everything in between. Find the best places to walk near you.

Article

Follow the Countryside Code

Help to look after National Trust places by observing a few simple guidelines during your visit and following the Countryside Code.

Article

Cotswold Outdoor: our exclusive walking partner

Learn about the National Trust’s ongoing partnership with Cotswold Outdoor. Find out how they help us care for precious places and the exclusive discount available for National Trust supporters.

Trees with no leaves at Pinkneys Drive at Maidenhead and Cookham Commons, Berkshire

Article

Our work at Maidenhead and Cookham Commons

Find out how we protect and preserve around 500 acres of grassland and 340 acres of woodland habitat at Maidenhead and Cookham Commons, Berkshire.

Two female visitors standing on the rocks at Giant's Causeway, County Antrim

Article

Staying safe at National Trust places

The special places in National Trust care sometimes come with a few risks for visitors, be it coastline or countryside. Find out how to keep safe throughout your visits.

Trees in summer surrounded by long grasses in the parkland at Basildon Park, Berkshire

Walking in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire

From gentle strolls for little legs to longer hikes through the rolling Chiltern hills, these are some of the best walks in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.

Near to

Start point

Trail information

Difficulty*

Full trail

Getting here

Facilities

Terrain and elevation

Trail route

Total stages: 10

Total stages: 10

Start point

Stage 1

Point of interest

Stage 2

Point of interest

Stage 3

Stage 4

Point of interest

Stage 5

Point of interest

Stage 6

Point of interest

Stage 7

Point of interest

Stage 8

Point of interest

Stage 9

Stage 10

End point

Trail map

Sign up to hear more from the National Trust