The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Twyford

After riding the riverside trail along the Loddon, the Waggon & Horses pub is a perfect place for a well-earned break. The pub offers a spacious back garden right beside the river weirs, ideal for stretching your legs, parking your bike, and enjoying some riverside relaxation. Cyclists will appreciate the easy access from the path, plenty of seating, and a safe area to leave bikes while you grab a drink or snack. The garden features a large, active aviary, adding a lively touch to the stop, and the riverside location provides views of weirs, ducks, and occasional fish, giving a calming backdrop to your rest. The pub serves hearty food and drinks, making it an excellent choice for lunch, a snack, or just a coffee break mid-ride. Its position at the end of this trail section also makes it a natural checkpoint or turnaround spot before heading back along the Loddon paths.

Rolling through Dinton Pastures in the evening is fast, quiet, and just eerie enough to keep you sharp. The gravel trails run smooth, looping through open glades and shadowy patches where the bats skim low and the bugs feel unusually organised. Signs still warn: “No faster than a jogger.” If we’re still honoring old world metrics, that’s Daniel Komen’s 2 mile world record from 1997—about 24 km/h (15 mph). Back when things were still… consistent. Whether the rule’s enforced is unclear, but if the rangers are still around and still armed like they were during the “wildlife management years,” best keep it respectful. You don’t want to find out what counts as a pest now. Bring good lights, stay smooth on the corners, and be aware: things move in the treeline. Usually ducks. Occasionally something else. Either way-yield with confidence. Ride safe. Keep your exits in mind. And remember: dusk is when the place starts to remember

The lake at Dinton Pastures is visitable on a circuit if you’re scavenging for evening peace and quiet. It’s a decent spot: open water views, good sightlines, and the option to commandeer a plastic boat or pedalo if you need to make a quick exit across the lake. Locals say the islands are off-limits. Makes you wonder what’s really out there. The pontoon looks inviting, but stepping on it feels… wrong. Like there might be a claymore wired just past the “no entry” sign. Still, the view over the lake as the sun drops is solid. Serene, even. Main hazard here isn’t infected—it’s wildfowl. Geese, ducks, maybe mutant swans. Droppings everywhere. Biohazard levels questionable. Footwear strongly advised. Some paths could do with a daily pressure wash—or a visit from a hazmat team. Still, if you’re passing through and need a place to breathe, this spot does the job. Just keep your back to the water. And don’t feed the birds.

Now do breakfast (sausage, bacon, scrambled egg, hash brown) wrap for £7.00. Unfortunately, I didn't see it until I'd ordered my bacon and sausage bap!!! Did get a staff (20%) discount on bulk buying (16) pies, though!!

Path can be very muddy after rain

Path can be extremely muddy after rain

Unfortunately, closed for refurbishment but the Cozy Nook café is about 50m up Station Road (on the same side).

A great little café, even cozier when seven damp cyclists entered (followed by two more)!!