About 300 metres downstream of the bridge, Marlow Lock is one of the prettiest working locks on the Thames. There has been a lock here since the 1770s, and the current structure dates from 1927. On summer weekends it is busy with narrowboats and cruisers negotiating the drop, and watching the water traffic is a pleasant way to spend twenty minutes.
The weir beside the lock is dramatic when the river is running high, and a footbridge across the weir connects to the far bank. The lock keeper's garden is often immaculate. From here, the towpath continues downstream toward Cookham and Boulter's Lock — a flat, easy walk through water meadows that is one of the best stretches of the Thames Path.