Dorney and the Thames on Film

Start & Finish: Ramblers car park, Boveney Road, Boveney SL4 6QQ. Grid ref: SU 938 777. If closed for an event go to the car park mentioned in Waypoint 2.

(S/E)  Leave by the path at the far end of the car park, go through a gate and turn left past a further gate to a lane. Turn right along the lane, go over the cattle grid and past a barrier for 130m to a path on the left. DORNEY - The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon and means 'island of bumblebees'. The manor was mentioned in the Domesday Book, and famed for honey. The village contains a number of cottages which date from the 17th century.

(1) Turn left into a field and walk along its left-hand edge. At the end, follow the path round to the right, continue for 150m and turn left through a gap in the hedgerow. Cross the footbridge into the next field ((A) Dorney Common). Bear right over the common towards the left-hand end of the houses. Cross the road to the left of the cattle grid, follow the riverbank and go through the kissing gate up to a track.

(2)  Turn left along a wide track for 750m to a T-junction. Turn right towards a bridge and, just before it, turn left along another wide track. Pass another bridge on the right after 200m and after a further 500m go through a gate and over the car park to a busy road. Cross, turn left along the pavement and immediately right on a wide track. Continue beside the (B) Jubilee River for a further 240m to a path junction with a bridge on the right.

(3) Turn left through a gate and follow an enclosed path between a paddock and a field to reach Court Lane. Turn right along the pavement, shortly passing the entrance to (C) Dorney Court on your left, to arrive at Dorney Burial Ground after 300m. Cross the road to the right of the lane to St James Church and turn right along the rough path that runs parallel to the road. At the left-hand bend, continue ahead through the entrance to Dorney Lake and walk along to the black entrance gates.

(4) Ahead is (D) the Eton Rowing Lake. Most days you are able to visit the site but you will need to return to this waypoint to continue the walk. Mr Brightside mobile cafe is usually nearby. Just before the black entrance gates, turn right over the access road onto a wide, surfaced track. Follow this track all the way to the Thames riverbank at (5) .

(5) Turn left and walk along the (E) Thames riverbank for about 3km. Shortly after a left-hand bend, walk past the large boat house and continue for a further 230m to a path on the left.

(6) Turn left along a path towards the old church of (F) St Mary Magdalene, Boveney. After visiting it return to the path and continue for a further 50m, then turn left through a gate to return to the car park. (S/E)

"We hope you have enjoyed your walk. Please remember to rate the walk and add comments. We are interested in how we could improve the instructions or the route and would like to hear about any issues with paths on the walk."

TERRAIN: An easy, flat walk on good paths and surfaces. A couple of stretches on the walk can be flooded after heavy or prolonged rain, so avoid if river levels are high.

START & FINISH: Ramblers car park, Boveney Road, Boveney SL4 6QQ. Grid ref: SU 938 777. If closed for an event go to the car park mentioned in Waypoint 2.

FOOD & DRINK: Dorney Court Tea Rooms, Court Road, Dorney SL4 6QP. Mr Brightside mobile cafe at Waypoint 4. There are two pubs off route, The Palmers Arms in Village Road and The Pineapple in Lake End Road

LOCAL TRANSPORT: Bus 15 runs between Maidenhead and Slough, Monday to Saturday. There are bus stops in Eton Wick and at The Palmers Arms in Dorney. This walk was created for the book "More Great Walks in the Chilterns" available from the More Great Walks

(A) DORNEY COMMON covers more than 169 acres and has been in agricultural use for about 1,000 years. 

(B) JUBILEE RIVER acts as a flood relief channel for the River Thames by diverting water at peak flows. It was completed in 2001 and has been used as such on numerous occasions since. Over the years it’s become a haven for wildlife, and its habitat has provided a wonderful breeding ground for birds.

(C) DORNEY COURT – This grade I listed house dates from the 15th century and is regarded as one of England’s most uniquely beautiful Tudor manor houses. In the 16th century the estate passed to the Palmer family who have lived there ever since. The very first pineapple to be produced in England was grown at Dorney Court and presented to Charles II in 1661. The house has been used as a film location on many occasions. Notable productions include: A Man for All Seasons, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, The Other Boleyn Girl, Endeavour, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders and Poirot. The Church of St James the Less is Grade I listed. It dates from the 12th century and has been the parish church since that time. It’s been altered many times over the years.

(D) Eton Rowing Lake is owned by Eton College and is set in 400 acres of parkland, with 90 acres set to water and a 100 acre nature conservation area. It had a 10 year construction programme and was opened in 2006. In 2012 it hosted the Olympic and Paralympic rowing events. The main lake is 2,200 metres long, has 8 lanes and is fed from underground aquifers.

(E) RIVER THAMES – The walk along the riverbank provides views of some interesting buildings on the far side. The white building is Down Place, which became Bray Film Studios after Hammer Films bought the site in 1951. Notable films were The Quatermass Xperiment, The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Camp on Blood Island. Despite being under threat of closure, filming continues to this day. Further on the magnificent gothic structure is Oakley Court Hotel, a Grade II listed country house built in 1859. It was once the temporary home of Hammer Films before they moved to Bray. They shot five films there, including The Man in Black. After Hammer left, the house was still used as a film set for many productions, such as Half a Sixpence and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

(F) ST MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH – A church has stood on this site since before the Norman Conquest. The present Grade I church dates from the 12th century, and was a chapel-of-ease to St Peter’s, Burnham. It served the bargees who shipped timber downriver, and became known as ‘the bargees’ church’. It was transferred to Eton parish in 1911, declared redundant in 1975 and threatened with demolition. It passed into the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches in 1983.