Day 7: Clifton Hampden to Cholsey - 11 miles

Tuesday 11 May 2010

Once again we had very kind weather for our day’s walk, although not warm enough to dispense with our fleeces. Sadly my wardrobe is taking on the appearance of a Cotswold Outdoor store.

The walk was pretty uneventful until we reached the beautiful village of Shillingfold. Being metrophiles we were desperate for a cappuccino by about 11.30am but even my trusty iPhone app couldn’t find a handy Starbucks or Costa.

Luckily as we walked up a lane from the river we came across a sign advertising teas and at that moment a very nice lady appeared and offered to provide us with refreshment even though she wasn’t really open. So we spent a very pleasant 30 mins at a table in her front garden throwing a slimy rubber bone for her dog with a very welcome pot of coffee.

She told us stories of Edward VII and his mistress Lillie Langtree staying at the beautiful house on the river bank, Shillingford Court, which I clearly cannot repeat here, as I am still expecting my knighthood. On the corner of the house is a cast iron plaque which records the flood level of 1809. This was so high that even on tiptoes we would both have been completely submerged

Anyway we pushed on to Benson where we managed to track down The Three Horse Shoes which provided us with a very welcome lunch and a pint of local bitter. Steve seemed to slow down a bit after lunch but I’ve found a sharp stick encourages him!

The unusual church steeple of Wallingford appeared in due course across the meadows as we approached the town and this also led us to the remains of the castle. Unfortunately Wallingford declared for the King in the Civil War and Cromwell took his revenge on the castle. Still the stone was probably put to good use by the local inhabitants. We did manage to find an excellent cappuccino in town which gave us the afternoon kick to complete the the final 3 miles.

So that’s another 11 miles which means we’ve done about 80 miles and now only 104 miles to go to reach London. Stay tuned!!

Day 6 - Iffley to Clifton Hampden – 14 miles

Wednesday 28 April 2010

After a good breakfast at the Tree Hotel it was just a short walk through Iffley village to the Lock and onto the Thames Path. Iffley is a pleasant village with church built in 1170 that is apparently the finest example of Romanesque architecture in England. However, with such a long way to go we did not delay and so pressed on to the start of the day’s walk.



For the first mile or so out of Iffley the path maintains the high standard we saw through Oxford. Then quite suddenly it changes to the more normal rough tow path. This change seemed to coincide with the last of the University Rowing Clubs and the extremity of the cycling rowing coaches – funny that. But more importantly, from now on there would be no more student rowers to brighten the day!

This stretch of the Thames has more signs of industry with a criss-cross of railways, roads and power lines as we head towards Didcot Power station. However, we are walking through peaceful fields with very little noise and even fewer walkers.

The relative tranquillity enabled us to see and hear plenty of bird life. We heard Skylarks, Reed Warblers and our first Cuckoo of the year. We also saw quite a few Red Kites. Red Kites are magnificent birds with, as most readers will know, a distinctive forked tail and a wingspan of nearly two metres. They are primarily scavengers and opportunists, which probably explains why one or two always seemed to be hovering just overhead whenever we stopped.



Note: This is a library photograph as Chris was more interested in watching the kites than getting his camera out!

The Thames Path is easy to follow, except when there are diversions. In one section the path was closed for construction of a new bridge. However, beyond a sign explaining that the path was closed, diversion information was very short. We soon found what we thought was a suitable route, but the way through became a little difficult as can be seen in the photograph below.

Our first stop of the day was Abingdon and the opportunity for a decent cappuccino. Abingdon is an interesting town and there are posters proclaiming it as the oldest town in England. There are plenty of old buildings to support this claim, including the Old Gaol which is being redeveloped into complex of shops, cafes and apartments (presumably with 6’ by 4’ rooms and small, high windows).

The centre of the town is dominated by the County Hall built towards the end of the seventeenth century in the architectural style of Christopher Wren. The cellars were used as a warehouse, the lower colonnade as a market - and the upper floor as a Courtroom. The building is now the town museum.

After our healthy dose of caffeine we were off with a spring in our step for the three miles to the village of Culham and lunch. Culham may boast a Science Centre that is UK home for fusion research, but it is very short on pubs. Our Ordnance Survey map showed a pub just off the Path, but this was closed and in the process of being converted into a house. We looked in vain for another, and were just about to continue walking when a local (actually, a Geordie) gave us directions to the nearby Wagon & Horses. Unsurprisingly, given the shortage of local hostelries, this was quite busy and the “all you can eat” Thai buffet was popular. After our full breakfast we were not up to the buffet and instead opted for a sandwich and a pint of Oxford Gold.

Culham was 11 miles from our start point, and even after a late lunch, the day was still young. We therefore decided to press on a further 3 miles to the village of Clifton Hampden. We ended the day’s walk sitting outside the Plough Inn (no drinks as it was shut for the afternoon) whilst we waited for a taxi back the Tree Hotel. In total we had walked 14 miles and the ride back in the taxi was very welcome.

We have now covered 67 miles and are more than a third of the way to the Thames Barrier.

At this point we would like to thank all those people who have donated to the appeal in aid of Woking Hospice. We have exceeded our initial target and currently total just over £2000. We have now increased the target to £3000 and hope to reach this by the time we get to the Thames Barrier!

Day 5 - Bablock Hythe to Iffley - 11 miles

Tuesday 27 April 2010

Day 5 of our trek nearly didn’t happen according to plan. Iceland blowing itself to pieces caused an extended stay in Spain. I was staying with my friends Judith & Philip and they very kindly looked after me for the extra 4 days. My delayed trip home was only painful in the wallet area!

Our journey started by riding a bus from our base at the Tree Hotel at Iffley into central Oxford. We managed to find a minicab to take us to the start at the Ferryman Inn, but only due to some back seat navigating through the country lanes thanks to Google maps on my phone.

It was the best day we have had so far for walking. Sun, blue skies and a gentle breeze. The best thing about this walk is how peaceful it is - the sound of birds rather than of cars and planes - other than the RAF buzzing us with their transport planes. Steve seems to know most of the birds but keeps pointing out skylarks to me which aren’t there!

The first landmark was Pinkhill Lock. These locks along the Thames are manned and are beautifully maintained. They are even electrically operated so no physical effort is required - despite the fact that we already look a bit hot!

The journey was fairly uneventful. The river looking strong and wide now and crossed by the pretty Swinford Bridge, built in 1770 and still charges a 5 pence toll to unsuspecting motorists.

We were happily crossing a big field when we saw a herd of cows clearly trying to head us off from getting to the stile into the next field. As we sped up, so did they until we both converged at the same spot. Fortunately my experience with cattle (my brother-in-law's a farmer you know) saved the day and they backed down!

But lunch was beckoning. We were heading for the Trout at Godstow. Tummies rumbling the Trout came into view from Godstow bridge. It looked like a scene from Morse, with tables and umbrellas set out along the river bank. When we entered though it was clear that it was probably a bit chi-chi for Morse and we looked a bit out of place in our walking gear and rucksacks amongst the glitterati of Oxford! Still we had a good lunch.

Resuming the journey, before long it was clear that we were nearing Oxford. Suddenly we were engulfed by young people jogging and cycling and the river was full of very red-faced rowers being shouted at by trainers with megaphones in motorboats. We turned a corner and the dreaming spires came magically into view across the water meadows.

The colleges must own the land along the river as the state of the banks and the path dramatically improved in quality and we had to keep our eyes peeled for cyclists zooming up from behind. This was a little difficult as most of the rowing boats seemed to have female crews! Still I managed to keep Steve’s mind on the job.

We detoured into the centre of Oxford for a afternoon tea, and enjoyed cakes, scones and a pot of tea at Patisserie Valerie - well we deserve the occasional treat!

Suitably refreshed I succeeded in getting us lost whilst trying to get us back to the right side of the river to rejoin the path. Steve got a bit anxious for a while but my unshakable sense of direction managed to get us back on track, and soon the tower of Iffley church came into view and journey’s end at the Tree Hotel.

After a quick shower and a doze we decide we could only muster the energy to dine in the hotel and after a very good Indo-fusion meal we recharged the batteries for the following day