Chris & Steve's Thames Path Walk

Day 16: Tower Bridge to the Thames Barrier - 10.5 miles

2010-10-07T16:51:00.027+01:00

Monday 4 October 2010

After a delay of a few weeks due to injury (always a risk with well honed athletes) and holidays, we began the final push to the Barrier. The day started with light rain and a walk from London Bridge station to the home of my cousin Claudine near Tower Bridge for coffee and croissants. So it was a little later than usual that we set of on the south bank past the Design Museum and the network of converted Victorian dockland buildings.

As we entered Bermondsey we came across the life sized statue of a Doctor Salter and his daughter. Neither of us had heard of Dr Salter, who it seems was a local benefactor in the 1920s, but he provided a good opportunity for a couple of photos.

Through Rotherhithe the path goes through tall warehouses before opening up around St Mary’s Church. The church was completed in 1716 and designed by John James, an associate of Sir Christopher Wren.

The church has connections with the Pilgrim Fathers, as the Mayflower sailed from Rotherhithe in 1620 and Christopher Jones, Master of the Ship, is buried in the churchyard. Just across from the church there is an eighteenth century school with two carved figures of schoolchildren on the wall.

A little further on is the engine house built by Brunel to drain the Thames Tunnel. The building is now a small museum dedicated to Brunel and the tunnel is part of London Underground.

The area has numerous examples of interesting industrial heritage, particularly some of the bridges around the docks. It was therefore something of a surprise to come across the Surrey Docks Farm in such a built up area. This is a working farm that is open to the public and even has a small cafe. It was a little too soon to stop after our earlier coffee so we pressed on through Deptford towards Greenwich.

Just before Greenwich there is a waterfront statue to Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia who came to Deptford to learn about shipbuilding in 1698. It is a rather elaborate statue, but provided a photo opportunity for your intrepid walkers.

The waterfront at Greenwich, as readers will know, is dominated by the Royal Naval College, built from 1696 as a hospital for seamen and now forms part of the National Maritime Museum. Unfortunately we could not see much of the building as it was being used as a film set for Pirates of the Caribbean 4 due out next year, so the photo below is one from the internet. We failed to spot Penelope Cruz so instead went for lunch.

Lunch today was at the Trafalgar Tavern just along from the Naval College. The pub was built in 1837 on the site of an older establishment and occupies a great spot overlooking the river. Immediately outside is a statue of Nelson. Apparently, the pub was known for its whitebait suppers, with distinguished diners such as Charles Dickens, William Thackeray and Wilkie Collins arriving by river. The wedding breakfast scene in Our Mutual Friend is set by Dickens in the pub. We continued with this tradition and lunched on whitebait and an excellent Cornish Ale.

Beyond Greenwich the path goes through a much more industrial area and there are many diversions around various building works. We even got lost at one point and wandered into a construction site. There is not really very much to report on this section of the river until we reached the Millennium Dome, now known as the O2. This iconic structure has worn well and surrounding waterfront provides great views of the river a Canary Wharf beyond.

Not long after the O2 we got our first sight of the Thames Barrier. We were hoping to see the stainless steel hoods of the barrier glinting in the sun, but as the day remained grey the view was a little different, albeit still impressive.

Just after the Barrier and on the way to the visitor centre there is a mural on the wall showing the entire length of the Thames from the source in Kemble to the Barrier. The total distance is 184 miles and the drop in height 105 metres. Thankfully for us we were walking down hill.

We were met at the end of our walk by Neil and Cynthia, friends of Chris and sponsors of our efforts, and Gill who represented Woking Hospice and the purpose of our fundraising. Neil and Cynthia kindly provided champagne and cake to mark the completion of 16 days of walking (mostly using Nordic poles) and completion of the Thames Path.

By way of a footnote, you may have noticed over the last 7 months, by the difference in writing styles, that this blog has been a co-operative effort and that Steve and I have taken it in turns to write the text.

I have personally thoroughly enjoyed walking the Thames Path and never would have anticipated 18 months ago that I would have either attempted it or achieved it. I would also like to add that it has been the greatest of pleasures to walk these 184 miles with Steve who has been the most entertaining and forgiving of companions and has put up with many of my jokes, 'interesting' facts and aches and pains.

We would also like to thank all of you generous people out there who have supported us by donating to Woking Hospice. People in this community will have a more comfortable time in the depths of their illnesses due to your kindness.

So time for us both to hang up our boots and take a well earned rest! Bye for now.

Chris Hacking and Steve Hickford - 8 October 2010.

Day 15: Putney to Tower Bridge, London - 10 miles

2010-09-05T23:36:00.029+01:00

Tuesday 24 August 2010

So we started this penultimate stage with a spring in our step and a bright sky. There is a choice of river banks for this section but we chose the south bank as it seemed to follow the river more closely. Putney High Street was noisy and busy as we stepped down on to the relative calm of the Thames path.

This stretch of the river from Putney to Battersea has seen the most amazing quantity of development, mostly residential over the last 10 years and so the riverside walk is generally paved and generously wide.

There are also some lovely green areas, which seemed very peaceful until we were overtaken by a marauding group of young jogging mums, complete with cross country pushchairs and children. Luckily a mounted policeman rode through to keep them in check.

It was interesting to find traces of old London in places, such as the outfall of the River Wandle, which is one of the largest watercourses which run into the Thames in London. Sadly though, it created an air of neglect between the gleaming new tower blocks of apartments.

These 2 views demonstrate the extent of development, but it was good to see that they had incorporated a tidal nature reserve as part of the landscaping.

There are still many old boats and barges moored along the banks reminding us that this used to be a working river. To an extent it still is, as there a few waste transfer stations which transport London's refuse down to the estuary on huge, blunt barges, which are chained together and towed by busy little tugs.

There is one modern architectural point of interest along this stretch after passing the heliport, which is a residential block designed by Sir Norman Foster. It seems me to take some design reference from Gaudi's Barcelona, but one thing is sure - the duplex penthouses looked amazing.

Across the river we saw the entrance to the Grand Union canal with its huge locks and Chelsea Harbour marina and the disused Lots Road power station. The ornate Albert Bridge signaled that we were entering Battersea park. Albert bridge sports a sign ordering all troops to break step when they cross. Needless to say we couldn't wait to see if soldiers were crossing today!

I hadn't realised how big and grand Battersea Park is. We paused a while at the Peace Pagoda to shelter from a nasty rainstorm which blew up out of nowhere and whistled towards the City.

The forlorn hulk of Battersea power station forced us to cross the river at Chelsea Bridge as there is currently no riverside path across the site. It is sad that this iconic building has seen off at least 3 well intentioned developers and may be destined never to become a thriving destination. I hope it does at some time.

We had a modest lunch at the Grosvenor, before crossing back to the south bank over Vauxhall Bridge.

So finally we reached my most hated building in London, the Vauxhall Cross residential scheme. I'm sure it has made pots of money for the developer and possibly for the architect too, but it really is a terrible blot on the river.

But having ranted and railed at the ugliness of that building as we crossed the river, the sun broke through the clouds and our spirits lifted as we finally saw the architypel view of London known around the planet.....the Houses of Parliament. Designed by Charles Barry in 1835 it has become a symbol for the nation. This is what I had walked over 170 miles to see!

It was getting rather busy as we passed the London Eye - a far cry from the lonely wet and windy field at the source. Anyway it was time for afternoon tea and we rested for a while on the terrace of the Festival Hall looking slightly out of place in our walking gear amongst the hordes of tourists.

The South Bank is now a thriving entertainment area, but is also a great vantage point to view the many famous buildings on the north bank and to appreciate what a grand vista the Thames provides.

The Millenium bridge still makes me marvel at how slender it is. It has opened up a wonderful view of St Pauls and engineered a new connection to the Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre.

One final new building before we reached our destination, The GLA building. I like it but as you can see Steve wasn't so sure.

Finally journey's end for the day, Tower Bridge. 174 miles completed. The bridge looked magnificent in the late afternoon sunshine. We carried on to a wine bar and met up with a few friends plus my elder son Simon for drinks. Steve left early to get home (lightweight!) Whilst I later regretted staying late as I didn't get home till about 11pm. What a long day.

So the next section will be the end of our quest. The path ends at the Thames Barrier. More next time.

Day 14: Teddington to Putney - 11 ½ miles

2010-08-17T16:32:00.021+01:00

Monday 16 August

This is the first time we have travelled to the start point of our day’s walk by train. The thought of driving to Putney and trying to find all-day parking was just too stressful for us old chaps. The journey worked out well and we were soon on the path and leaving Teddington Lock behind.

Not long after starting we met up with Susan and Richard, an architect ex-colleague of Chris’s who now operate a dog walking business in Teddington (www.thedogsquad.co.uk). From what I could see, architecture must be much easier and less stressful than looking after 7 dogs, and I could not manage to get all of them into the picture below.

We left the dogs and stretched out towards Richmond, passing Ham House along the way. Just below the bustling town of Richmond is Petersham Meadows where cattle still graze in water-meadows that are regularly allowed to flood. The cattle certainly looked healthy and clearly smelt the apple in my rucksack.

After such a close encounter with the local wildlife we were ready for a cappuccino and found a good one in a cafe under the arches of Richmond Bridge.

Shortly after resuming our walk we saw Richmond Lock and the very ornate footbridge. The structure was built in 1894 to maintain a navigable depth of water upstream of Richmond. For about two hours each side of high tide the sluice gates are raised into the footbridge structure to allow river traffic to pass through. For the rest of the tidal cycle the sluice gates are closed, and boats must use the lock alongside.

After Richmond lock we were in open countryside on our side of the Thames as we went past the Old Deer Park. The other bank, however, is much more developed with some fine period houses, particularly around Old Isleworth. The photo below shows buildings around The London Apprentice (a hostelry of my youth) and one of the lodges to Syon Park, a bit further downstream.

The contrast in the two banks of the Thames continued until we reached Kew Bridge. On our side we went past Kew Gardens and the rear of Kew Palace. The Palace was originally the home of a rich merchant and then became a royal home of George III and members of his family.

On the other bank we could see the once busy Brentford Docks, where traffic from the Grand Union Canal and the Thames met. After all this history we were ready for lunch and so pressed on to our planned stop at the Greyhound on Kew Green for a pint of London Pride and a good range of sandwiches.

Starting after lunch is always difficult, but after substantial sandwiches, it was even more so. Still, we managed to get going and set out for Putney. Beyond Kew the riverside is very built up and we came across the old Mortlake Brewery. The main building has been redeveloped, but there are still signs of the past with a cobbled quay and rail tracks to the river. Nearby we spotted a marker for the end of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race and another photo opportunity.

We passed under Chiswick Bridge and went on to Barnes, which is always regarded as a London village. We were not certain about being a village, and the houses fronting the river had more of a ‘seaside’ feel. Two of the houses had blue plaques informing us of the earlier residence of Gustav Holst and the founder of the Royal Ballet School.

The end of our walk was Putney Bridge. After more than 11 miles and what turned out to be a hot day, we were ready for some tea and found an excellent cafe in St Mary’s Church adjacent to Putney Bridge.

I had a look around the church (Chris could not move from the sofa) and found out that during the Civil War Putney was for a time the headquarters of Cromwell’s army. In 1647 meetings of the Army Council were held in the church, including discussions on the future government that were subsequently published as the “Putney Debates”

We ended the day carrying our poles up Putney high street (it being too crowded for Nordic walking and we might get more strange looks than normal) and getting the train back home.

Next stop Tower Bridge and then just one more stage to reach the Thames Barrier. So please help us reach our £3000 target!

Day 13: Shepperton to Teddington - 11 miles

2010-08-10T19:26:00.016+01:00

Tuesday 3 August 2010

We were delighted to have a guest walker with us for this stretch. Our friend John joined us on the day, fresh from his day job in Hungary. It was another fine day, allowing us to travel light - in John’s case just his sunglasses and credit card! For this stage we started on the Weybridge side of Shepperton Ferry, choosing not to wake up the ferryman at this hour of the morning.

The first part of our journey took us along the Desborough Cut. The Cut is named after Lord Desborough, the longest serving chairman of the Thames Conservancy and was completed in 1935. It bypasses a long loop of the river to the north with a straight navigable channel.

Our first stop was predictably for a coffee at the noisy Walton Bridge. There was a ferry at this point of the river from the 1400’s and the latest bridge (the 5th bridge) was constructed in 1999 as a temporary structure alongside the previous bridge. I guess these days ‘temporary’ is a euphemism for ‘permanent’. It’s a shame its so ugly.

At Sunbury John regaled us with stories of his youth and what he did growing up in this area - none of it repeatable - without money changing hands anyway! This area is dominated by huge reservoirs with banks much higher than the river. These are the ones you can see below when taking off from Heathrow.

We found time to take this photo of us approaching the old Hurst Park racecourse. The racecourse was last used in 1963, despite the suffragettes burning down park of the Royal Box in 1913. I will leave it up to you to decide who is most like, Compo, Clegg or Foggy!

Across the river was the slender tower of Hampton church dating from 1831, and Garrick’s Ait. David Garrick, the actor, had a domed temple built here, opposite his villa and even had the statue modeled on himself. The temple is visible between the river and the Hampton Court to Sunbury main road.

This part of the river is lined with a veritable traffic jam of weird and wonderful houseboats of all shapes and sizes. It must be strange to live so close to the water.

Lunch was beckoning as we reached Hampton Court bridge and after a fruitless trek across the river to The Cardinal Wolsey, which we found to be in the throes of a refurbishment, we finally settled down to a very pleasant meal at Blubeckers. We managed to stretch lunch out much longer than normal, probably down to John’s ‘bon-viveur’ influence, but eventually we staggered on past the wonderful Hampton Court Palace. It is not difficult to imagine that 600 years ago King Henry V would have been dropped off at this very spot by the royal barge to visit his country seat!

There were lots of visitors walking along the river skirting the grounds of Hampton Court and our next destination Kingston - don’t they have jobs to go to? But before we reached Kingston I had arranged for us to call in on my longtime friend Carole, who very kindly gave us tea and biscuits and made us very welcome.

Duly refreshed we crossed Kingston Bridge and walked though the pleasant public gardens towards Teddington. There are some lovely properties here on the Hampton Wick bank with gardens reaching down to the waterside.

But we needed to push on to Teddington Lock and journey’s end. Teddington Lock is the highest tidal point on the Thames. The lock was originally constructed in 1811 and is a vast construction. In 1940 Teddington Lock was an assembly point for an enormous flotilla of small ships to be used in the evacuation of Dunkirk. I am constantly reminded how much history this river has to offer.

So we crossed back to the north bank by the footbridge to the site of the old Thames Television studios, where The Benny Hill Show, Opportunity Knocks and This is Your Life were all regularly recorded. The studios originated at the turn of the last century when a local house owner allowed filmmakers to use his greenhouse as a studio. It still produces tv programmes independently such as My Family and Harry Hill’s TV Burp.

At the end of a long hot day John’s wife kindly collected us on her drive home from work, whilst Steve and I dozed in the back seat.

Next time we walk from Teddington to Putney and hope to meet up with my friends Richard and Susan and a dozen dogs!

Day 12: Windsor to Shepperton - 14 miles

2010-08-02T22:47:00.018+01:00

Thursday 29 July

This stretch of the Thames Path (and the next one) are really home territory for both of us. We started from the centre of Windsor on a bright clear morning that was ideal for walking. But, both being ex boy scouts I was prepared with a fleece and a waterproof, thankfully neither of which were used.

The route took us out into the public part of Home Park, but soon we had to cross the river at Victoria Bridge and go along the road through Datchet, before crossing again at Albert Bridge. These bridges were built in the 1850s to create a private riverside park for Queen Victoria; a situation that has not changed with our current Queen, despite the inconvenience to walker of the Thames path.

After leaving Windsor, the next notable point on route is Runnymede and the gatehouses designed by Lutyens on either side of the road. The gatehouses are owned by the National Trust who let one for an independently run tea room. We were eagerly anticipating our morning cappuccino by this time, but were disappointed. The tea room is more of a ‘greasy spoon’ serving all-day breakfasts and the coffee was dreadful.

As readers will know, Runnymede is the site where King John sealed the Magna Carter in 1215. We could see the memorial that was funded by the American Bar Society in 1957, but as both of us had visited before, we pressed on towards lunch.

Our lunch stop was the Swan Hotel in Staines. This hotel/pub enjoys a great position overlooking the river, but unfortunately the food did not match the location. The beer, however, was better – Fullers Seafarers’ Ale. It seems that Fullers donate £5 for every barrel sold to the charity Seafarers UK, so we did our bit for another good cause.

Barely refreshed we crossed over Staines Bridge, stopping to view a rather strange statue we concluded was a Heron. Being none the wiser about the statue we struck out towards Laleham and Chertsey.

It was just after Chertsey Bridge that we were stopped by a lady asking if our Nordic poles were as good as she had heard. We regularly get strange looks walking with poles (Chris more than me) but this was the first genuine enquiry, so we gave her a brief run down on the benefits of poles and left a convert.

The stretch of the river after Staines is characterised on one bank by ribbon development of bungalows, some clearly dating from the pre-planning period judging by the incongruity of styles. Another feature of this stretch of river is the number and variety of Houseboats.

Captain Pugwash would have felt at home on the white boat, and the other would not have looked out of place on an airfield.

Our walk for the day finished at Shepperton Lock near the ferry that will take us to the other bank at the start of the section to Teddington.

Day 11: Little Marlow to Windsor - 13 miles

2010-07-24T17:16:00.014+01:00

Thursday 15 July 2010

So we set out from the car park in Little Marlow into a bit of a dull cloudy morning. The weather improved slowly and was getting brighter as we reached Cookham.

Cookham is a pleasant little village. Its claim to fame is that Sir Stanley Spencer RA, the celebrated 20 century artist was born in Cookham and is buried in the churchyard. There is a gallery of his works in the village.

Unfortunately as we were off to an early start the gallery wasn’t open but here is a link to the Gallery’s website - http://stanleyspencer.org.uk/

After the detour into Cookham we reached the river once again opposite the Clivedon estate, well known for the Profumo & Christine Keeler affair in the 60’s.

Sadly, the house is not visible from the river, just some riverside chalets, which Steve tells me can be rented - Steve has always led a much richer life than me!

Anyway the conditions on the river must have been pretty rough along this stretch recently as we came across a few boats that were pretending to be submersibles. I thought the blue tarpaulin was a bit superfluous though.

Boulter Lock signified that we had reached the outskirts of Maidenhead. I of course was on the look out for the nearest Costa Coffee for my mid-morning cappuchino, but Steve told me it was a big detour from our route to get into the centre of town, so I had to make do with a bog standard white coffee from a roadside cafe. The sacrifices I make on this journey!

Talking of sacrifices, I had persuaded Steve to detour from the designated Thames Path so that we could have lunch at Heston Blumenthal’s pub the Hinds Head in Bray. Bray is a lovely little village and seems to have a remarkable number of well known restaurants for such a small place, including the Fat Duck and the Waterside of course.

So it turned out that lunch in the Hinds Head was of course the most expensive lunch we have had on this trip so far - by far. Still the calves liver was delicious and certainly sustained us well for the remaining 5 miles of the afternoon.

There is no river crossing at Bray so in order to get back onto the Thames Path we needed a bridge of course. I had done a bit of research but there were a few anxious moments as the looked-for bridge took a good while to materialise (thank you Google satellite view - great relief all round). Not long after the footbridge we met a Dutch couple who asked for directions (little did they know!). They had cycled from Holland via Dover and asked us if they were on the right track for Ireland! I suggested that Heathrow may be more convenient but they were to determined to cycle there via Wales - amazing.

In no time at all - thanks to the excellent lunch probably - Windsor appeared on the horizon. The view of the castle across the water meadows is magnificient even now and must have been stunning when it it was new.

So journey’s end. Next time we should reach Shepperton and the closest to home before we strike out for London.

Day 10: Henley to Little Marlow – 12 miles

2010-06-26T23:06:00.011+01:00

Wednesday 16 June 2010

We started from Henley with the preparations for the Regatta well underway.

The generally quiet town was a hive of activity as marquees were being erected and the grounds prepared. The grass immediately outside the marquees was in excellent condition with no moss and hardly a weed. Very different to our respective lawns at home – it must be the constant watering.

The river at Henley is very straight and ideal for rowing. The course is just over a mile long with an impressive temporary pavilion at the end. There were a few teams practicing on the course and most seemed to comprise identikit females –American students, late teens and blonde ponytails. There was no sign of any local teams; they were probably practicing in the pub. Near the start of the course is Temple Island. This was built as a fishing lodge and the cupola contains the statue of a naked woman. Quite how this helps with the fishing is not known, but she certainly has a good view of the rowing.

A little further downstream is the large mansion built in the 1850s for W H Smith the bookseller.

Insert photos of Temple Island and White House

This stretch of the river is classic Thames valley – open meadows and interesting buildings. A particularly interesting building is Medmenham Abbey. Founded as a monastery in 1200, it fell into ruin following the Dissolution of the Monastries and in the late 18th century was bought by Sir Francis Dashwood. Sir Francis incorporated the ruins into a new building used by the infamous Hell Fire Club. Apparently, the activities at Medmenham gained some notoriety so the Hell Fire club eventually moved to a more secluded site at West Wycombe caves.

Putting thoughts of the Hell Fire Club behind us we headed for lunch at Ye Olde Bell in Hurley. Hurley is a very picturesque village with many old building. Probably very few are older that the Bell, which claims to date from 1135. Inside things had been updated somewhat, but there are still old oak settles and stone floors. Lunch was very good and the Rebellion IPA even better.

Suitably fortified we were back on the path and soon across the river from Bisham Abbey, now the international sports centre. Just down river from the sports centre is Bisham church which, unusually, sits right on the riverbank. The tower is Norman and dates from around 1175. The rest of the building is mainly Victorian. Sadly, there was no way to get across the river, so we were unable to explore further this lovely spot.

Not long after Bisham we came into Marlow. We knew we were getting near to civilisation with the increasing numbers of ‘strollers’ enjoying the sunshine. The view of the river coming into Marlow is another classic with the suspension bridge designed by Tierney Clark, the engineer who designed Hammersmith Bridge in London.

We approached Marlow through the riverside park and looked a little out of place with Nordic poles and a purposeful stride. Despite some strange looks we ventured into the town for tea and scones – it being over an hour since lunch.

From Marlow to the next lock there is no towpath and originally barges had to be hauled on a long towline while horses were led through the town. The Thames Path follows the same rather tortuous route known locally as Seven Corner Alley. We didn't count the corners, but there were certainly lots of them before we were back onto the towpath and the final couple of miles to Little Marlow and the end of our walk for the day.

Day 9: Tilehurst to Henley - 12 miles

2010-06-14T12:10:00.016+01:00

Monday 7 June 2010

The day started brightly as we parked in the station car park at Tilehurst. We felt a bit like commuters again! We had decided to use nordic poles once more as it definitely makes the walking easier, plus during the week my friend Joanna gave me a copy of Metro newspaper with a double page spread extolling the virtues of nordic pole walking and promoting it as the next trendy outdoor activity. Once again we find ourselves ahead of the curve!

Anyway it was a very pleasant early morning walk along the river. There are lots of flotillas of ducklings, goslings and cygnets on the river at the moment, all bobbing along following mum or dad and trying not to get left behind.

The first landmark we came to was Caversham bridge, which looked very impressive. We don’t use the poles once we hit a town as we are expecting some bright spark to shout “Oi mate, where’s your skis?” Caversham was an opportunity for a caffeine stop to give us the drive to get on towards lunch.

Sonning is a lovely, typically English riverside village, where Sir Terence Rattigan, the dramatist, lived for a period.

Lunch today was a very pleasant rest sitting in the sunny outdoor courtyard of the historic Bull Inn at Sonning.

It’s always a bit of a struggle to get going again after lunch, so we had a quick look around St Andrews church which originally dates back to Saxon times, but the current building was largely rebuilt in 1852. Adjoining the church is Deanery Garden, one of Sir Edwin Lutyen's best-known country houses built at the turn of the century.

There are some fabulous properties along this stretch of the Thames and you can get quite close to one which has a sit on and ride type model steam railway in the grounds and this amazing scaled recreation of St Moritz railway station!

So from Shiplake it was a fairly easy stroll into Henley and back to the hustle and bustle of boats and people and then home for a shower and a doze!

Day 8 Cholsey to Tilehurst – 12 miles

2010-06-02T23:09:00.011+01:00

Tuesday 1 June

Unfortunately, the first day of ‘Flaming June’ turned out to be very wet. Not to be deterred, we put on full waterproof kit and were soon underway on this leg of the Thames path that will take us half way towards the Thames Barrier.

For the first time on this walk we decided to use Nordic Poles. For the uninitiated, Nordic walking is like cross country skiing, but without the skis, (and the snow), and is a great form of exercise. Rather than a long explanation, the photograph below of us in action should give some idea of what we mean. Chris has only just learnt to Nordic walk (he is not too bad a normal walking) so his technique is still developing.

Not long after starting we came across a very strange looking house overlooking the Thames. Chris, being an architect (retired, but still paying his ARB subscription) immediately recognised the house as being designed by John Outram. It was built in 1999 for an Egyptologist as a modern interpretation of an Egyptian house. However, from my perspective (not being an architect) it looked more like a juke box.

One of the advantages of Nordic walking is that it is faster and we had soon reached Goring. The rain had not stopped and we were very pleased to find that Goring is just the place to have an upmarket coffee shop, found by asking a local, as Chris’s iPhone app had no information at all. The owners did not seem to mind two wet travellers with muddy boots and provided good cappuccino and scones.

Not long after Goring the Path moved away from the river and went steeply uphill through woodland. We had not expected this on the Thames Path and were thankful that we were using Nordic poles, which make hill climbing much easier on old knees.

Our lunch stop was planned for The Greyhound at Whitchurch. Unfortunately we found that the pub had just changed owners and they were not offering food as yet. We therefore fell back onto plan B and went to the Ferry Boat Inn just down the road. Here we enjoyed a good lunch accompanied by a pint of London Pride.

Post lunch we came across a sign apparently marking half way between the source of the Thames and the Thames Barrier. We had been alerted to this sign by someone at the pub, but were expecting something a little more fitting of such an important milestone. As you can see from the photo below, Chris does his best to add gravitas to the occasion, but not with much success.

After lunch the rain finally stopped and we could enjoy the scenery of this wooded and very green section of the Thames valley. The boat traffic also increased with the improving weather and with it the activity at the locks.

The post lunch section was quite short and we soon reached Tilehurst. We have now covered 92 miles and are half way on our route to the Thames Barrier. And, as my grandfather used to say “the best is yet to come”

Day 7: Clifton Hampden to Cholsey - 11 miles

2010-05-15T19:28:00.009+01:00

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

2010-05-02T12:15:00.009+01:00

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

2010-05-02T11:44:00.017+01:00

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

Day 4: Trout Bridge to Ferry Inn – 8 miles

2010-04-25T13:04:00.005+01:00

Sunday 11 April

After a couple of week’s gap due to holidays and other pressures of retirement we were back on the trail. This section was quite short mainly due to the lack of convenient pubs further down the path.

We started at The Swan Hotel at Trout Bridge, but were unable to leave one car as the car park was roped off. On our return at the end of the walk we saw that this was due to a meeting of the local Ferrari owners club and the car park was adorned with some very exotic machinery. Without any hint of envy we decided to stick with walking boots and enjoy the fresh air!

This section of the Thames continued the theme of open countryside with very little in the way of habitation. However the river is now getting quite large and meanders at lot more. There are also a

few more pleasure cruisers who were invariably going at a faster pace than us, but we caught them up at the locks. Being Sunday we also saw a few more walkers, but no other hardy souls making the long trek to the Thames Barrier.

About two thirds of the way we came across two pubs either side of the river at a bridge. Being too early for lunch but still in need of refreshment we thought of coffee. The first pub was shut, but the second enticed us with a black board offering with a full range of coffees. Unfortunately, our hopes of a good cup of coffee were dashed as the machine was broken. We were offered instant coffee, but declined and continued on our way.

Our end point for the day was The Ferry Inn adjacent to the river. The pub was aptly named as there used to be a ferry, but no more. We saw some rather forlorn walkers who reached the river on the other side and were expecting a ferry. They obviously had a very old map.

The Ferryman Inn provided a reasonable lunch and kept a good range of beers. We opted for Wadsworth 6x. Talking with some of the locals we mentioned the problems of the coffee machine at our intermediate stop. It seems that that the machine had not been working for some time, although we were given the impression that it had just broken down. Repairs are clearly at the same pace as the river – slow.

The next stage should see us getting to Oxford and we are looking forward to walking into the City.

Day 3: Lechlade to Trout Bridge – 10 miles

2010-03-19T14:33:00.011Z

Thursday 18 March

TO DONATE - for Woking Hospice please click here at JustGiving

The day did not start well. Barely 10 miles into our journey to Lechlade we were stuck on the motorway due to an accident. We left at the next exit and through a combination of analogue navigation (map), sat nav and luck we managed to find an alternate route. The net result was that we were over an hour late in starting our walk. But at least the weather was good with some sunshine.

We soon left the dreaming spire of Lechlade and started down the Thames. It definitely is ‘down’ as Lechlade is 60m above sea level. This stretch of the Thames is very much in open countryside. There are no villages in sight and very little habitation. The view is broken up by a series of war time pill boxes at roughly half mile intervals along the bank. The majority of these are in good condition and would have proved very useful if an invasion force came up the Thames, albeit slowly.

The walking on this section is easy and we were able to keep up a good pace, although the path changes bank quite frequently. The first stopping point was Buscot lock. This is the furthest upstream lock on the Thames and is marked by a statue of ‘Old father Thames’ - a perfect photo opportunity for your intrepid walkers.

We passed another lock near Kelmscott Manor, the summer home of William Morris and the Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. This one offered ice creams, but no cappuccino so we pressed on to lunch. Our stop was at the Swan Hotel, an isolated establishment at the junction of the Thames and a minor road. For the few customers around they offered a good selection of food, including a variety of homemade pies. But best of all there was Ruddles County on tap. This was nostalgic for both of us as we remembered the third pint bottles of Ruddles from our youth. Those were the days!

The bar staff at the pub were most interested in our walk being for Charity and we were soon providing consultancy advice on setting up a Just Giving website for a charity they had in mind. Strangely for two ex fee earners, we did not charge for this advice or even suggest a donation. Philanthropy lives!

Suitably fortified we set of on the last few miles for the day. Once again the scenery was uneventful, other than the regular pill boxes. We did see a couple of buzzards and heard some curlews, but not much else. The afternoon section was quite short and we soon reached the Trout Inn, our final stop for the day. We were looking forward to some afternoon tea, but the landlord locked the door just as we arrived. Our boots were not muddy, but perhaps he did not want to take the chance.

TO DONATE - for Woking Hospice please click here at JustGiving

DAY 1 & DAY 2

2010-03-07T19:10:00.015Z

DAY 1: THAMESHEAD TO CRICKLADE - 12 miles

Wednesday 3 March 2010: The start of the Thames Path is a surprisingly non-descript ring of stones in the corner of a field near Cricklade in Gloucestershire predictably called Thameshead. The source of the UK’s most famous waterway is an underground spring which luckily for us is marked by an inscribed stone and a signpost. The sign post shows 184 miles to London - gulp! It’s already 11.30am and we’re late - 12 miles to do today for the first leg of the journey. Well the saying goes ‘every journey starts with one step...‘ so off we go.

The Thames stream emerges some half a kilometre across the field and is already fast and clear but a minnow compared with the river we know in London.

The weather is cold and dry and eventually gets sunny through the day. We have all the right gear for walking - comfortable but unfashionable! - and we keep up a good pace.

The river slowly gets wider as it picks up other streams and drainage ditches. It’s so peaceful away from the traffic and plane noise of the South-East. The only noise is from birds. I realise that Steve is a bit of a twitcher as he tries to convince me that we can hear skylarks. It was definitely a bird...

The walk from here to London is all downhill - that’s what the guide book says - so it should be a breeze, but after 6 miles we’re ready for lunch and the church tower of Somerford Keynes signposts our destination - the Bakers Arms. We do our best to clean the mud off our boots before polishing off chicken sandwiches and pints of Butcombe bitter. We’re very glad of the chance to sit down and rest but it’s soon time to hit the path again.

We make good progress for the rest of the day until we get to within a mile of our overnight destination Cricklade. The river is quite wide and fast now and as we cross the water meadows we find that the whole field is flooded to about 6 inches, barring our way. We try to skirt around it, but to no avail and we need to double back and continue our journey into town by an alternative route.

We spend a night in the Vale Hotel tucking into a delicious plate of sliced liver and a bottle of Merlot before watching England beat Egypt and collapsing into bed for a well earned rest.

We’ve done 12 miles today - only 172 miles to go!

DAY 2: CRICKLADE TO LECHLADE - 12 miles

Thursday 4 March 2010: Thursday dawns bright and sunny. Fortified by a ‘full English’ we stride out - admittedly a little stiffer in the calves than we were the day before. We keep forgetting to stretch our muscles! First stop is the Tesco Local to pick up some sandwiches for lunch - sadly there’s no convenient pub today. I hope this isn’t repeated in subsequent days.

Straightaway the river is wider and stronger but still crystal clear. We follow the river’s edge for miles across the fields. Thankfully the banks are well above the water level so hopefully no flooding today.

We really are away from it all. There’s nothing to hear except for the birds - and there are swans, geese, ducks and herons to see and hear. We are enjoying the sunshine and the peace but occasionally getting buzzed by an RAF transport plane on a training exercise from RAF Lyneham. We wave but they don’t acknowledge - don’t they know we’re on a mission too?

After about 4 hours we come across a flooded stretch of the path. We’re momentarily dispirited as there seems to be no way around it. We can’t go back. It’s too far and I’m not paddling through it. Eventually we spot a way though the hedge and with a bit of luck and a few scratches we scramble through and back onto the path - relieved.

No welcoming country pub today and due to lack of a suitable place to stop we end up sitting on two concrete blocks in a layby on the A361 eating our Tesco sandwiches being stared at by passing delivery drivers. How did it come to this? Retirement has it’s drawbacks!

Marginally rested we slog on up the A361 until once again we can get back to the Thames' banks and we spot the spire of the church in Lechlade beckoning the end of the second day. We trudge across the water meadows weary, but satisfied that we’ve done the first 24 miles and now only 160 mls to go.

A hot pot of tea in the Black Cat Teashop is our treat before driving home and a soothing hot bath.

So we’re on our way and already so many friends have been so generous. As I write, this our total in aid of Woking Hospice has reached £825. We’re overwhelmed by the response but urge people that haven’t yet donated to help us exceed our target.

Catch us in a couple of weeks for the next installment.

Please click here to donate at JustGiving

THAMES PATH WALK - 184 miles

2010-02-25T18:40:00.010Z

Beginning this March, Chris Hacking and Steve Hickford will be walking the Thames Path in order to raise money for Woking Hospice.

Chris and Steve have been friends for many years and, having retired at about the same time, they took up walking as a great way of exploring the countryside and keeping fit. After a series of local walks they decided to try something a little more challenging, and successfully tackled the North Downs Way, a 145 mile walk from Farnham to Dover, via Canterbury. That walk gave them a taste for more long distance walks and provided them with the enviable opportunity to sample an expansive series of local beers!

Their latest venture - and the opportunity to sample a new series of beers - is the Thames Path Walk. This walk covers 184 miles from the source of the Thames in a remote Gloucestershire meadow all the way down river to the Thames Barrier in east London. They are planning to complete the distance in about 15 stretches of 12 miles each. Given the other pressures of retirement, this will take them several months to complete, but they’ll be keeping you up to date with their progress after each stretch on this blog.

Woking Hospice provides care for terminally ill patients and their families residing in West Surrey. The Hospice provides a quiet, comfortable oasis for people aged 18 and over who have a life limiting illness. The Hospice recently suspended vital day care services due to a severe lack of funds. An emergency appeal has been raised and success so far has given hope for partial re-opening of day care services fairly soon. Your sponsorship of their walk will contribute to the essential additional funds and full re-opening of this important community service.

DONATE: Please click here to donate via their page at JustGiving.