Marlow has one of the prettiest Thames frontages anywhere, and the white suspension bridge is the reason. It was designed by William Tierney Clark and opened in the early 1830s, and Clark went on to design the Széchenyi Chain Bridge in Budapest, a much larger cousin built on similar lines. Stand by the river on a summer evening, with the church spire behind the bridge and rowers sliding past, and it is hard to imagine a more English scene.
The town has literary connections, too. Mary Shelley finished Frankenstein while living in Marlow with Percy Bysshe Shelley, who wrote poetry while drifting on the river. Jerome K. Jerome, author of Three Men in a Boat, also spent time here. Today Marlow is affluent and lively, with a high street full of independent shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants, which makes it an excellent food stop.
The riding around Marlow is a mix of river valley and Chiltern hills. The A4155 runs along the Thames towards Henley, a lovely road with views over the water, though often busy. To the north, narrow lanes climb steeply into the Chilterns through beech woods, with tight bends, blind crests and sudden views. Red kites, reintroduced to the Chilterns in the 1990s, are everywhere, wheeling overhead with their forked tails.
Traffic can be heavy, especially at weekends, and parking in the town centre is tight. Fuel is available on the edges of town. As a start and finish, Marlow offers plenty of places to eat and drink, from riverside pubs to cafés and smart restaurants.