We took 14 seater local bus from Goring Station to Wallingford and picked up our walk where we left off the day before. Today’s target is Dorchester. As we are relocating digs we are carrying more weight, ie toothbrushes, clothes, iPads and the like. Crossing at Benson Lock weir. Great photo opportunities abound, but we have to press on. First sheep seen since starting the Thames Path last year. Dorchester has many sites featuring in « Midsomer Murders ». Good to be in this seat of intellectual rigour and higher learning. Friday- rest day. We did a bit of sight seeing of the Oxford monuments. Bridge of Sighs. The Radcliffe Camera, here seen without Inspecor Lewis chasing his suspects.
Planning for an early getaway we had breakfast delivered to our room the previous night. We were able to hit the road at 6:55 am - a record for us. No boats come this far and very quickly we see the Thames much reduced in size but still a healthy looking clear stream. Bridge at Cricklade: At the end here the river passes under someone’s garden wall: This is the only section we have seen with stepping stones. We made some navigational errors today and strayed a bit from the true path, but righted the wrong after consulting the compass, maps, guidebook, and gnashing of teeth. We put the mistake down to excavation works and missing signposts etc. The wide section here is one of many lakes formed from sand and gravel extraction. Some seem to be reserved for fishing. They are close to but appear not to be directly connected to the river. We eventually found the official plaque marking the « Source ». The pile of rubble surrounds a hole from whence the mighty Thames flows, but not today...
Left Cape Town for London Heathrow via Johannesburg. Our flight from Cape Town was delayed and we had to run to make the connection. Our suitcases didn’t make it on to the overnight flight to London and we had to wait till Monday evening to greet them at our accommodation in Maidenhead. So as not to delay start of our walk along the Thames Path from Staines (where we left off last year). I opted to walk in my shiny new Florsheims. It was ok, the walking is easy and flat. We got as far as Windsor by lunchtime intending to do a tour of the castle. No jet lag after the long flight as only 1 hr time difference. We passed through Runnymede. A castle tour was not possible because of some fancy Knights of the Garter ceremony. We then continued to our abode at Maidenhead pleased to see Alison’s suitcase had arrive. Mine was about to be driven off by delivery guy who had dropped off wrong case, but we managed to get it sorted out before he shot off. On Tuesday we walked to Marlow wearing t...
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