Henley by Train: Your Easy Guide to the Branch Line

Henley-on-Thames feels like a place you need a car for, but the train is honestly the easiest way in. There is no parking to hunt for, no queues on the A4130, and you step off the train a short stroll from the market square and the river. This guide is for day trippers coming from London, visitors arriving for the Regatta or the Festival, and anyone in Reading or the Thames Valley planning a first trip. One change of trains is all it takes.

The route, step by step

Henley sits at the end of a short branch line, and every journey here follows the same simple pattern.

• Start at London Paddington. Fast GWR trains run west towards Reading and Didcot Parkway, and they call at Twyford along the way.
• Or ride the Elizabeth line. Elizabeth line trains from Paddington, Tottenham Court Road and Farringdon also call at Twyford on their way to Reading, which is handy if you are starting in the City or the West End. They take a little longer than the fast GWR trains, but they run often and the change at Twyford is exactly the same.
• Change at Twyford. Follow the signs for the Henley branch line platform. The connection is a short walk within the same station, and the branch trains are timed around the main line services.
• Ride the branch line to Henley. The train calls at Wargrave and Shiplake, then rolls into Henley-on-Thames, the end of the line. Coming from Reading instead? Change at Twyford in the same way, it is only a few minutes down the line.

How long it takes

The branch line leg is the relaxing part. The run from Twyford to Henley takes about 12 minutes, passing through Wargrave and Shiplake on the way. Trains run every 30 minutes, seven days a week, so a missed connection rarely costs you long.

From London Paddington, allow roughly an hour door to door platform. The fastest combinations come in a little under that, and Elizabeth line journeys take a little over, depending on how the change at Twyford falls. Coming from Reading, the whole trip is usually around half an hour including the change. Check your exact trains before you travel on the National Rail journey planner, because weekend timetables can differ from weekdays.

Tickets and saving money

A few simple habits keep the fare down on this route.

• Travel off-peak if you can. Off-Peak tickets are priced for the quieter trains, so a mid-morning start and a return after the evening rush will usually beat a peak time return. Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays are off-peak all day.
• Use a Railcard if you have one. GWR points out that a Railcard can take up to a third off ticket prices, and there are cards for under 30s, over 60s, couples travelling together and more. If you make this trip a few times a year, the card quickly pays for itself.
• Buy one ticket for the whole journey. Book from Paddington, or wherever you start, through to Henley-on-Thames. The ticket covers the change at Twyford, so there is no need to buy the branch line leg separately.
• Collect at Twyford or Henley. If you buy in advance, the ticket machines at both stations can print your tickets. You can compare times and fares and book ahead at GWR.

At Henley station

Henley station is small, friendly and simple to use. It has a single platform, because every train here starts or finishes its journey, so there is no way to get on a train going the wrong way.

Facilities, according to National Rail, include:

• Step-free access throughout. The station is rated step-free category A, with level access between the entrance and the platform and no lifts to worry about.
• A ticket office and machines. The office is staffed in the mornings, Monday to Friday from 6am to 1pm and Saturday from 7am to 1pm, and it is closed on Sundays. Machines are there when the office is not.
• Toilets, including accessible toilets and baby changing, though National Rail notes they are only available during station opening hours.
• Parking and cycles. There is a 280 space car park, a drop-off point and a taxi rank outside, plus sheltered cycle storage for 68 bikes and cycle hire nearby.

The best part is the location. The station sits just south of the town centre, about five minutes on foot from the market square up Duke Street, and around ten minutes from the river and Henley Bridge. There is no need for a bus or taxi unless your bags say otherwise.

Good to know

• Regatta week is special. During Henley Royal Regatta each July, GWR runs a special timetable with extra and longer trains, and not every train stops at Shiplake and Wargrave. Book ahead and expect the trains to be busy, sociable and full of boaters.
• Check for engineering works. Weekend works on the main line can mean buses replace trains between Twyford and Henley, or a longer wait for a connection. A quick look at GWR or National Rail before you set off saves surprises.
• The last trains matter. Branch line services wind down earlier than main line ones, so check your return before that final drink by the river.

That is all there is to it. One change, one pretty branch line, and you are in Henley. If you are planning a visit, take a look at What's On before you come, and if you would like guides like this plus the week's news in your inbox every Thursday, subscribe free to the Henley Brief.

Header photo: Matt Buck, CC BY-SA, via Wikimedia Commons.