Maieto three

Verified Slow Way

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Maidenhead to Eton 3 (Maieto 3) review.

An excellent Slow Way that avoids the main roads out of Maidenhead; to join the Thames Path at Bray, and follows it almost all the way into Eton.

The route from the centre of Maidenhead follows the York Stream waterway and then crosses Braywick Nature Reserve.

There is an urban walk along the relatively quiet roads of Bray, to a bridge over the M4. A footpath leads to the Summerleaze Footbridge over the Thames (Photo 1).

The towpath keeps to the north bank of the river (Photo 2), although there are views across into Bray, with glimpses of the former Hammer Films studio and its famous film location Oakley Court (Photo 3).

The Slow Way passes the flint St Mary Magdalene Church (Photo 4) and eventually leaves the river at Boveney Bridge.

The walk into Eton crosses Cooley’s Meadow, under railway arches, to arrive at the High Street.

I walked this route with 4 friends, and really ejoyed the walk. We started off from Maidenhead town centre, and followed the waterway to Braywick Park , which is a lovely walk through trees with wooden sculptures on the way. After a quick detour for a loo stop at Braywick Leisure Centre we took the path that led to the beautiful village of Bray. Not all of the roads through the vilage had pavements, so take care if walking with young children or a wheelchair. Leaving the village, the road takes you on a bridge over the motorway, and then take the path to the river where you cross the pedestrian bridge over the Thames. This would be quite hard work with a wheelchair but there are lovely views along the river from the top. The route then follows the path along the river, which is a lovely stretch of the walk. The path eventually reaches Boveney Lock, and after a while we left the water behind and cut across the common, under the railway arches. After crossing a football pitch, you enter the destination of Eton
This is a lovely walk with only a small stretch of road, and varied scenery. It is mostly flat apart from the 2 bridges. By the time we reached our destination we were ready for some refreshment - there is plenty to chose from in Eton itself, or Windsor just the other side of the river.

This is a very scenic and comfortable route between Maidenhead and Eton. For most part it is traffic free, except in one or two areas where you need to cross over between roads.

We were a group of five who started off from the Maidenhead Library, along the stream into Braywick and on towards Bray village. Going through Braywick Park, you share part of the route with the Maidenhead ParkRun, and it can get muddy in parts after some rains. At Bray village, we crossed over some roads and over the bridge on Monkey Island Lane. There is minimal traffic in this area though, so it isn't dangerous.

A bit further on, we joined the Thames Path after crossing over the Cut Foot Bridge. The bridge has some blockades to stop people from cycling over it and this can be an issue for wheelchairs as well. After this, you have the river on your right for a long stretch. This is a beautiful part of the route where you pass Bray Marina, Oakley Court and Windsor Marina (all on your right), while Dorney Lake is on your left. Some of us have used this path for cycling before and it can get very muddy after some rainfall, and otherwise as well not suitable for wheelchairs, as it is a rugged path. Many people use this for walking this dogs, running & cycling, so it can get busy at times.

After Boveney Lock, we left the riverside and took the route through the Cooley's Meadow and under the arched railway bridge. Then we crossed over a playing field and into Meadow Lane car park, then finally onto the Eton High Street.

Things to bear in mind are:
1) Take a toilet break at the Braywick Leisure Centre (get off the track for a bit from Braywick Park) as there are no other real places you could use toilets along the way after this. As most of the route is busy, finding a spot in the bushes will not be easy!
2) Carry some refreshments with you as there are not too many places to get light refreshments along the way, There are some very good restaurants in Bray, although they are more fine dining than pub-fare.
3) If it has been raining, be prepared for some muddy patches, and so wear the right kind of footwear that you can manage such patches but be able to walk about 11-12 km in.
4) Plan for a comfortable 3 hours, a leisurely 3.5 hours or a speedy 2.5 hours to cover this route.
5) There is direct access to river for a long part of the route, so be wary of tripping hazards if you don't want to end up in the river! This is unlikely to happen though.

I really enjoyed walking this route between Maidenhead and Eton. There are a few quite special places, and no real downsides, so I'm giving it 5 stars. The one thing to be aware of is there are no refreshment stops between Bray and Eton, but there are some picnic places.

The path out of Maidenhead is almost traffic free apart from one road crossing. The dog leg coming out of Braywick Park onto Hibbert Road is to avoid walking a blind corner, coming from Eton direction it may seem uneccesary.

After more green ways I arrived in Bray, and walked around the churchyard. This route aims to pass through Bray without detour, however there should be some refreshment opportunities if you want to look around.

The pavement runs out as the route heads off towards the M4 crossing and Monkey Island. There seems to be new infrastructure crossing the M4 for bicycles, which is good news for walkers too, and there isn't a lot of motor traffic in any case.

Cross the Thames on Summerleaze Bridge, a permissive path. This is a special place, where I saw muntjac (photo) and birds and butterflies in the sun.
After the river crossing continue on the riverside path along the Thames. I enjoyed a long rest at the church just before Boveney Lock. The Lock is good fun for watching boats come and go.
A bit further on the the route turns onto fields and heads directly to Eton. A treat of skylarks. There are tunnels under the main road and railway, and eventually I arrived at Eton for a celebratory drink.

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