Winter Hill, near Cookham Dean, offers fine views over the River Thames, with Marlow in the west and Bourne End in the east. Its steep chalk slope descends to the north to Cock Marsh, a National Trust
Common, beside the river. Four burial mounds stud the marsh, where in the 19th century the
remains of an Anglo- Saxon man were unearthed. Cattle graze the rich grass of the floodplain, whilst water fowl breed on the lower ground. Kestrels, sparrow hawks and red kites can be seen soaring above the hillside.

The ghost of the legendary Herne the Hunter is said to ride on Cookham Common, the sound of his horn and baying hounds terrifying the villagers. Cookham village began in Saxon times when it became necessary for people to move towards the river in order to protect themselves from marauding Danes. The Norman invasion brought peaceful times and by 1287 the abundant clay nearby supported a brick and tile industry. Cookham has seen industrialization come and go, leaving a popular, but tranquil village with a wealth of 16th to 18th century black-and-white timber and red brick houses.

Our walk takes us from Cookham Moor north-west along the edge of, and over Winter Hill Golf Course, then by field paths to the scarp face of Winter Hill. After admiring the view we gently descend to the River Thames. There will be time for a refreshment stop at the walker-friendly Bounty public house by the river, before continuing along Cock Marsh to Cookham Church. Our walk finishes with a stroll along the interesting Cookham High Street, back to Cookham Moor.