Lost and found in Cookham

March 11th. Well we didn’t lose any people. In fact we found 5 in the pub at Cookham including 2 guests and the leader’s wife. She had nobly stayed in Maidenhead to arrange the return of the rucksack left on the train by her husband. Many thanks to the efficient rail staff we need to keep.

The walk had already been delayed by problems en route from London, so the group of 10 were very helpful in making up some time leaving Maidenhead via the High Street, a park, then joining the Green Lanes to cross the Moors to Cookham.

That route is never exciting, but provides an easy flat walk through some open fields. The birdlife adds interest, as do the distant views of Cliveden, the other side of the Thames. And our photographers found examples of art along the way.

A pleasant but quite lengthy lunch for the 15 who gathered meant that there was no realistic chance of reaching Marlow before 4pm. But it is always a good idea for the leader to check that belongings have been gathered at lunchtime. Fortunately, our leader’s second basic error only meant that a water bottle was left behind. And we had also deliberately left Peter who became the second person to rescue lost property!

The afternoon walk was otherwise incident-free and the weather remained very kind until the now group of 13 reached Marlow, enjoying fine views over the Thames from Winter Hill along the way

There was half an hour or so for looking at shops or maybe a hot drink. But many of our group instead chose ice cream. The photo suggests it was good.

One of our members was insistent there would be a third loss, but umbrellas, etc, were all put on the Marlow train. Our guest got off at Cookham to return home, then sure enough an urgent phone call to our leader. She had left her gloves on the seat, so item 3 for lost and found ! Tony, with thanks to Mary Jane, Christine M and Sue C for photos.