Day Eight - Marlow to Windsor

Day Eight I woke a little later this morning to afford myself a well deserved lie in. I had breakfast with husband and wife Ann and Geoff who were up from Jersey for the birth of their grandson. We had a nice chat about the walk and their golf trip and about the last time I had been to jersey. Elizabeth castle and the german underground hospital which there were telling me had been improved and was really good.  I settled my bill and made my exit before I talked with them past lunchtime. It was a walk back into  Marlow town centre before I could rejoin the Thames path. The going was much cooler today and trees shaded the path. The trees were bright green and I look high up the bank of the Thames to see  Cliveden looking down on me and the winding Thames. The Stanley Spencer gallery was along in the next village after passing through a small graveyard and between two white Tudor style buildings which made up the church houses.  A great deal of the Thames path now had huge houses with lawns stretching down to the river edge and showing off as much as possible. One posh house had very grand gardens and even had its own miniature railway complete with train station.  I was making good progress in the day until I arrived at the oath into Eton that was. I arrived at a large Olympic sign informing me that  Eton rowing lake was being used as an Olympic venue and they had therefore put a Thames detour in place! Arrgh a long gravel path round a freshly cut expanse of grass with nothing to see but a security fence. I was relieved when I finally got pack on the right path.  A few more bridges and there it was without any warning, Windsor Castle came into sight as if from nowhere. A truly impressive sight and a welcome relief to know it was only a few more miles to go. I hobbled up the hill into Windsor town and sat outside in a lovely cafe for a late lunch and cuppa. After a bit of shopping to buy myself an olympic pin badge I headed back to the river to walk the last four miles into Old Windsor and to find my hotel for the night.  The hotel was a last minute bargain and in fairness it was very good apart from one fact. I was arriving hot, sweaty, tired and dirty from a fifteen mile walk. I had walked into the hotel estate and the other guests were in smart cars and posh clothes. I made it round to reception which was hidden round a few corners. The lady at the front desk was asking for my car reg but I informed her I had walked to the hotel. "where from" she asked, and you can imagine her reaction when I said oh Marlow fifteen miles away! She proceeded to hand me a map, yes a map, of the hotel and said "I'm sorry it's a bit more walking". She was not kidding. My room was a good 1/4 mile from reception and I got lost twice! Not a hotel to have a drink in the bar. You may never find the way back to bed.  I had my evening meal in the hotel restaurant and the quality was excellent and really quite well priced. I had salmon in feilo and then a wonderful take on Blackforest gateaux yummy!

Day Seven - Reading to Marlow

Day seven Today colin had left me to go off back to manchester to be one of the 2012 olympic torch bearers. I therefore walked to the tube station and headed across londom and caight my train to Reading from Paddington. I reached Reading and headed down to the river. It was still early enough in the morning to be cook and to pace out, so I quickly completed three miles and reached Sonning bridge.  Crossing the river here I came within toughing distance of a Hearon stood on the side of the river fishing. I can't believe how close I could get creeping up on it before it thought best to dash off as I did indeed look pretty scary. Shiplake collage was next round the corner and having hoofed it for five miles I took a ten minute stop here in a bit of welcome shade and on a very rare bench. In the end I was there thirty minutes as one of the collage leacturers was on her lunch and so joined me on my shady bench to have a chat about everything from the Thames to her son in the rowing team. Tempting though it was to stop longer I had many miles ahead. A little further up the river and I was into the village. I popped into a traditional corner shop, that despite it's small interior housed everything from fork handles to four candles. I settled for a few bottles of drink and pushed on. Henley on Thames soon came into view around 1pm and since the lady had recommended the rowing and river museum I took her advice and called in for a look and to appreciate the air conditioning.  I had a go at rowing and realised how difficult it was to keep in time and they had a special exhibition featuring a Wind in the Willows walk through story with models which was actually really good.  Half a mike and I was in the centre of Henley amidst bunting and flags in full force. I bought a sandwich and sat along the river with the swans. There were people busy erecting tents and pile driving stakes into the thames for the Regatta in a few weeks. A couple of swans were having a MAJOR domestic over heavens only knows what. I watched unable to do anything but marvel at how persistent they both were trying to drown each other, bite each other and tangle their necks up. In the end one finally escaped and jumped out of the river bruised and spent the next few minutes trying to get it's wing back in place and preen itself.  Rowing was the order of the next mile with several boats cruising up the river and then racing back down much faster than I could walk.  Hurley lock came into sight and since I was only a few miles off the end of the day I treated myself to a huge mug of tea. Alas I saw cakes also do had a large slab of zingy lemon cake and tested in the shade along the lock side.    Marlow bridge was my final destination. I also think it might be my current favourite with it's criss cross white iron work and church. My hotel was through the town centre and up hill of cause. In the end  it was another mile but the welcome at Granny Ann's was warm and the room brilliant. I ate most of the free food in the room which was the most extensive I've experienced in a b&b. I had my evening meal in town. 

Day Five - Abingdon to Wallingford

Day Five 13.5 miles was all we had to do today. Easy peasy and Colin had set the pace determined we finished by 3pm to have time to visit national trust property. We set of at 9:30 and headed east into the bright morning sunshine.   Abingdon was our starting point and  we bought sandwiches before we left and took photos of the very impressive county hall at the centre of the town. Out across the sports ground we soon reached Culham lock and Sutton bridge. Some big open expanse of nothing and then we reached Day's Lock built in 1789 and now the main gauging point for the flow of water on the river. But more important just a little further from here was little Wittenham and the home of the annual world Pooh Sticks championships!  I need to get myself down for this.  Shillingford bridge the final bridge of the day before we arrived in Wallingford and just in time. Poor Colin had dragged his feet the last three miles in determined effort to get to the end with a brave face. As his reward we headed off to Basildon Park in an air conditioned car. Basildon is an impressive Georgian mansion extensively restored for twenty five years. We parked in the shade and decided upon a nice ice lolly to walk up to the house with. Then we had tea and cake and once those priorities were complete we actually looked at the house. A true example of make do and mend from war time. Also the most insane collection of shells I have ever seen in one room. It was like a room grotto, tacky but incredible. We were too exhausted for the gardens but sat on a bench looking down over the thames and to the path we would walk/hobble tomorrow.  Our evening meal was in the Old Post Office restaurant in Wallingford. Food was amazing! Power Cut when trying to pay was not. Also it was entertaining to watch the table next to use have a twenty minute argument about a béarnaise sauce! From hear it was quickly off to the hotel as we were faking asleep. Of cause we found time for rocky road and Eaton mess before that.   

Day Three - Kelmscott to Bablock Hythe

Day Three We had decided it better to try and set off a little earlier since another 17+ miles lay ahead. We had a early breakfast and were the only guests doing so and as a result had the pick of lots of breakfast items. Dropping the cars off at the start and end of the day took us a good hour so we were glad to be on our way when we left the car in a lay-by in Radcot and near the Swan hotel. We decided we couldn't use their car park all day.  The walk out of Radcot was as pretty un eventful. Fields and fields of green grass and rape crops a plenty. As usual in the baking sun.   We walked through Radcot lock which was remarkably similar to all the other locks. The next interesting place was Tadpole bridge. One of the more attractive of the 200+ bridges that cross the Thames.  Chimney meadows nature reserve came and went and around 1pm we arrived at Newbridge, named so because of its bridge which is not new, but infact built in 1250 by monks after two other bridges had been built by order of the king. We chose the pub on the north of the river, The Rose Revived, to have our lunch. There were two pubs here but since the second, The  Maybush was closed, it wasn't a tough decission. The queue for food was LONG. It was really really LONG! I sought out a table in the busy beer garden in dappled willow tree shade, whilst poor Colin stood in a hot pub for half an hour. Even after that, we had to wait another forty minutes for our actual chicken club to arrive. Fortunatelly it was worth the wait and the ambiance was relaxing. A little too relaxing. It was hard to get going again after two hours and with 8 miles to go. Bablock  Hythe was our next destination and would have been our stopping point but we decided to push on to Swinford to try and take some miles off the next day.  Swinford is the location of one of the two remaining toll bridges on the Thames. The Penny toll bridge charges an astronomical 5p for a car and watching the poor teenager frantically collecting them from two lanes of traffic was exhausting enough for us to walk the last few steps to the car.  As we left we drove over the bridge back to the hotel, and collected a receipt for novelty value. We wondered how much they actually make in a year charging just that. The house attached and the bridge sold for a million pounds in 2009 so it must be a bit of an earner. 

Day One - Source to Cricklade

Day One We woke to blinding sunshine and a roasting room at 8am. I had called the garage to arrange collection of my now broken car. We took ourselfs to little chef for a simple but delicious breakfast and used the wi fi whilst waiting for the hire car company to find me a car for the day. By 12 noon we had collected a nippy black fiat 500 and were ready to drive to Castle Eaton to leave the car there to collect at the end of our 17.5 mile firat day. We arrived at the source of the Thames after crossing plowed fields and buttercup meadows.  It was in sight, and my what a sight. A dry shallow hollow in the ground marked by a lump of rock and a now dying oak tree. We were glad we had started here as finishing at this point could have been somewhat of a dissapointment.  After the essential photos we set of on our 184 miles. The sun was already high in the sky as by now it was 12 noon. We bumped into a pleasant couple for the midlands out for a days walk. We were warned by one of them that there was a little flooding on the path outside of Ewen. Her husband said she was exaggerating and that it wasn't 'that' bad. We bound of full of adventure. The going was easy or at least it was for me. Fields of freshly cut grass and meadows lay ahead to cause Colin untold battles with his hayfever. We soon walked through Ewan and found a pleasant shady area off the Thames. The path ahead then came clear into view. It was clear for sure,  under a foot of thames water! We stood and deliberated for about ten minutes before I think I convinced Colin we should remove our boots and wade through. I found the cool water quite liberating but I think Colin was fighting with his mind as he paddles the twenty metres. The other side of the hedge were countless water logged fields that meant serious route extensions to get round walking on the drier lumps of grass.  On from here, and after wiping Thames mud from our feet and legs, we reached Keynes country park. This area was made up from lots of diss used pits that now filled with water attached lots of wildlife and people taking a dip I'm the sun. By now we were suitably sticky from the sweat and sun cream. We walked round the nature reserve passing through every conceviable type of pollen which stuck fast to our sun cream and caused great irritation to Colin.  We arrived into Ashton Keyes around 5pm and tucked into what should have been tea but was really lunch since we were so far behind schedule. A charming lady in the village shop sold us a lemon lolly and magnum ice-cream and told us of a hidden bench in the shade at the back of the shop. From here it was a few miles into Cricklade and before long we could see the impressive tower or St. Sampson's church a little over a mile away. Our hearts lifted and then instantly plummeted again when a field later we came accross another flood. This time it was deep and so after searching for a way round we again had to de boot and wade through up to, and beyond our knees this time. We stopped in the meadow opposite and sat in disbelief that we had had to do this again. After our feet had dried we were off again so close to cricklade now we could almost touch it. of cause we came across another flooded field and being trapped again we had to take yet another longer detour to a cycle path into the town finally arriving around 7:30pm.  A quick look round Cricklade and a call in at the shop, before we set off for the last 5 miles to Castle Eaton. We asked a resident if we were likely to find a flooded path again and we set off on a promise of a dry path. Other than lots of nettles and inscect bites there wasn't much to mention of the last few miles. We just made it back before it got totally dark. As it reached 10pm light failed us and we reached the car. There was nothing to do but collect our car from the start of the day and settled for a fast food supper considering the 11pm time and the desperate need for a shower and  bed. 

A Delayed Start!

After the trauma of yesterday's accident, the realisation that his car was dead this morning kick started 'Effecient Richard' into action and by 09:30 the vehicle recovery company had instructions on when & where to deliver his broken car too and a courtesy car was organised for collection mid morning. A lazy breakfast gave chance for the clouds to clear offering the promise of a bright start to the first day of our Challenge once we had sorted the car shuffle.

The Thames Path Route

Here it is! The route. All 180 miles. Beginning to think it was a bad idea to walk it in 11 days rather than the 15 they suggest you walk it in. Two days and counting...

Countdown Please!

Well let the countdown begin. 180 miles starts this Thursday and I think we will be very tired! Looking forward to walking into London to see all the Jubilee celebrations.