Caversham to Sonning on Foot: A Riverside Day Plan

The route: Caversham Bridge to Sonning Bridge

Start at Caversham Bridge, where the Reading side gives you the Thames Path on the north bank. The stretch past Caversham Court Gardens is flat and paved, then becomes gravel as it passes Pipers Island and the reading lawns. Allow 2 to 2.5 hours for the four miles to Sonning Bridge at an easy pace, plus stops. The path is well signed but floods after heavy winter rain; between December and February, check the Environment Agency flood warnings before setting out, and wear boots rather than trainers from November to March.

The best months are May, June and September: the meadows between Caversham and Shiplake are dry, the riverside pubs have their gardens open, and the towpath is quieter than in July and August. Sunday is the busiest day, so start before 10am if you want the path to yourself. There is no reliable café between Caversham and Sonning, so carry water. The walk is largely level with one short climb at Shiplake, and the surface is unsuitable for pushchairs beyond Caversham Court Gardens.

What you pass, and where to stop

Caversham Court Gardens is worth 20 minutes: a medieval church, a herb garden and a lawn running down to the river, free to enter and open daily. Beyond it, the path follows the Thames past the point where the Kennet joins at the Reading side, then opens into water meadows. You will pass Shiplake Lock around the two-mile mark, with benches and a view back towards Reading. The stretch from Shiplake to Sonning is the prettiest, with the Chilterns rising to the north and herons common on the backwater.

Sonning itself is small: a cluster of brick and flint cottages around St Andrew's Church, a village green, and the bridge. The Bull at Sonning sits right on the river and is the obvious lunch stop, though its garden fills quickly on sunny weekends; book ahead or arrive before 12.30. The French Horn is a short walk along the towpath and a good alternative. For a cheaper option, the Co-op in Caversham is the last shop before you set out.

Getting back, and where to stay

The return is the part most people get wrong. Sonning has no railway station. Your options are the 850 bus towards Reading, which runs roughly hourly on weekdays and less often on Sundays, a taxi from Sonning into central Reading (about 15 minutes), or walking back the way you came, which most people find too much after lunch. If you have a car, park at the Thameside car park in Caversham and drive to Sonning separately, but note the village car park near the bridge is small and fills by mid-morning in summer.

For a base, stay in central Reading rather than Sonning: the village has very few rooms and they are expensive in summer. Reading's hotels cluster around the station and The Oracle, an easy 15-minute walk to Caversham Bridge to start the day, with frequent trains to London Paddington taking around 25 minutes. Book a room with a river view if you can, and ask for a quiet floor away from the Reading-to-London line. Prices in Reading run higher during the August Reading Festival and lower in late autumn.

Sonning and Shiplake: the side notes

Shiplake is worth a 10-minute detour for the lock and the church of St Peter and St Paul, but the village itself has no shop and no station, so treat it as a pause rather than a destination. The Shiplake railway station is on the Henley branch, one stop from Twyford, and useful if you want to shorten the walk by starting at Wargrave and heading west to Sonning: that cuts the route to about 2.5 miles.

If you want a longer day, continue east from Sonning to Wargrave, adding roughly three miles along the towpath, or cross Sonning Bridge and walk the south bank back to Caversham for a different view. Note that the south bank path is less maintained and can be muddy. Skip the boat trips on the Reading stretch if you are short on time; the walk gives you the same river views without the timetable constraints.