Saturday, 3 October 2015

Thames Path

Lechlade → Newbridge

old-father-thames.jpg Distance: 16.36 miles
Ascent: 41 metres
Duration: 5 hours 7 minutes

The lonely river
« Not walked | Not walked »

It's been too long! We really meant to walk the entire Thames Path over the course of one year, but here we are eight years later having hardly started. Time to rectify that!

The stretch from Lechlade to Newbridge is perhaps the most remote, and the least well served by public transport so its logistical difficulties have hung over us somewhat. Curiously it wasn't until last night that we realised that the problem could be solved by staying with a friend overnight just a few miles from Newbridge.

So this write-up comes while we wait for the bus in the garden of the Rose Revived, a charming pub that no doubt is packed to the rafters in the height of summer but today provides a wonderfully relaxing spot to look back over the walk.

radcot-bridge.jpgToday's stretch of Thames is quite unlike the legs we know so well. Whereas the Thames between Windsor and Marlow feels somewhat rural, it never escapes from the expensive houses, posh shops and boatyards that occur every mile or so. Here though, the river is really out in the countryside. Vast fields stretch away from the banks, doubling as lush grazing and a flood plain. Brambles have been left unharvested, and wild flowers are in abundance.

But the signs that this is an important waterway are already present in the occasional bridge and the navigation channels and locks.

The river will transform itself as we head further downstream. If we don't wait another eight years it'll be fascinating to see the changes.

Posted by pab at 16:36 | Comments will be back one day. Please email me instead!