Newsletter March 28, 2024

 Easter is just around the corner. It’s a little early this year and it’s just as well that we don’t have anyone walking over the holiday weekend because, as you will see in the route news section below, the path continues to be challenging in places. March is usually our busiest month for taking bookings and this year has been no exception. So we’ve not had as much time to get out and about as we would like.  But our Facebook community has been very helpful filling in the pockets of information.

We mentioned in our last newsletter that the present Marsh Lock diversion near Henley would be coming to an end at the end of March as the landowner, frustrated by the Environment Agency’s lack of progress in fixing what is now a two year issue, has withdrawn his support. So a new diversion is in place and details can be seen below.

The weather forecast continues to predict heavy showers. But these are interspersed with sunny spells which bring some welcome warmth after the long winter.

Thames Path Route News

There are flood alerts in place from Cricklade to Abingdon.But that does not mean that the Path is completely inaccessible. Some stretches will be passable and some not. We were up at Bablock Hythe ten days ago and, whilst there was a lot of standing water, it was passable. Take a look at our Route Alerts page where we list those places that we suspect or know are a problem.

From Abingdon onwards, there are patches of water but there shouldn’t be anything more than ankle deep.

One thing you can be sure of is that it will be very muddy at the moment.

One small piece of good news is that the footbridges around Chelsea Harbour and the bridge going over the entrance to the docks at Canary Wharf have both been opened.

Slightly beyond the end of the Thames Path but which may affect those carrying on along the estuary is the closure of the Gravesend to Tilbury ferry from the end of this month. Kent County Council are looking for someone to take over the route.

Now about Marsh Lock Henley. For those unaware, as you approach Henley walking downstream, the Path follows a wooden boardwalk across from the left bank to the other side of the river where the lock is situated, and then back to the left bank depositing you conveniently in the gardens leading up to Henley town centre. The first half of that boardwalk was closed in 2022 due to safety concerns. Local landowners allowed a temporary diversion across their land. But two years on with no progress made on the boardwalk they have understandably lost patience and withdrawn their permission. So walkers will have to find a new way around.

The National Trails office have posted a new diversion which is shown below. It’s exactly what we expected. The route does involve some road walking but these are quiet country lanes. The diversion adds an extra 1.0 miles to the walk.

Another alternative you might consider is to take the train from Shiplake to Henley. The Path goes straight past Shiplake station. Trains run every 30 minutes.

The diversion at Benson is set to be in place for a long time, at least for the duration of this year and probably well into 2024. This diversion is in place because the bridge over the weir is deemed to be unsafe. A boat service ferries walkers across the river to Benson Lock thus avoiding the diversion. The ferry has been unable to operate since the start of the year due to river conditions. There are updates posted on their Facebook page.

A diversion was put in place in June at Temple Lock, just past Hurley. Once again, the bridge has been deemed to be unsafe. So, instead of crossing the river onto the left bank and walking into Marlow, you must follow paths, lanes and then a road on the right bank through Bisham and into Marlow.  It’s possible to cross the river at Hambleden Lock and follow paths on the left bank through Medmenham and all the way to Marlow. It’s a little convoluted but avoids walking on the road through Bisham.

Phase II of the work on Teddington Footbridge is due to start in March. The footbridge will be closed on two weekends during the next six months. We don’t yet know which weekends this will happen although they have ruled out Easter weekend and Early May Bank Holiday weekend. The bridge is regularly used by commuters and schoolchildren – hence the need for a weekend closure. We’ll try and keep an eye out for this.

Further details of all these diversions can be seen on our website. We try to keep this page current so, in the absence of a newsletter, please refer to this.

Hospitality

Some rather sad news is that the Narrowboat in Reading is to close. This is a popular hotel with walkers, situated on the Kennet Canal and on the route of our Reading detour. It was a former warehouse of biscuit makers Huntley and Palmer. Some may remember it by its former name, Bel and the Dragon. It seems that, being on the edge of town, it suffered from lack of passing footfall, not helped by the closure of an important access road. It seems last year’s change in name was not enough. The Fuller’s establishment will now become a training centre for chefs.

Another venue to close, albeit temporarily, is the Head of the River in Oxford which is closed for renovation. They re-open in early May for food and drink. However they remain closed until late June for accommodation. Quite how this “shabby-chic” hotel will look after refurbishment we can’t imagine.

We have rebooked all affected walkers on a package with us.

Finally, the City Pub Group has been taken over by Youngs Brewery. City Pub Group is a small chain but with three popular hotels on the Thames Path: Market House in Reading, the Bridge at Barnes, and Aragon House close to Putney Bridge. Youngs, themselves, operate a number of good quality inns including the Bridge at Chertsey, the Coach and Horses at Kew, and the Brewers Inn at Wandsworth.

And for those looking to camp, some more sad news is that the Environment Agency has decided not to reinstate the campsites at their locks stating that they needed to focus on their core function of water level management and safe navigation. Prior to Covid there were a number of lock campsites operating. It was rumoured that the reason they did not re-open was that the Government Agency did not have the necessary permissions to operate.  

What’s On and Events

The University Boat Race takes place this weekend. This annual race is run between Putney Bridge and Chiswick Bridges in west London. Well worth watching to see some of the Thames Path.

Windsor Castle is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, the largest and most famous dolls’ house in the world. A special exhibition is being housed in the famous Waterloo Chamber. The exhibition runs throughout the year.

The next major event to take place on the Thames Path is the bi-annual Dorchester Festival which takes place between May 2 and May 12. The festival includes music, comedy science arts and crafts with plenty of food and drink. Accommodation during that week will be in short supply.

Pope’s Grotto, the celebrated subterranean cave that belonged to the poet Alexander Pope, is expected to re-open this year with 12 open days announced. The grotto sits on the left bank of the Thames Path as you approach Twickenham from Teddington and is found beneath Radnor House, now a school, which replaced Pope’s former home. You can book tickets here.

Seasonal exhibitions:

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is showing Bruegel to Rubens, an exhibition of Great Flemish Drawings. It runs from March 23 to June 23.

Tate Britain has an exhibition entitled Sargent and Fashion, exploring the unique work of John Singer Sargent. It runs until July 7.

Tate Modern features an exhibition dedicated to Yoko Ono. It runs until September 1.

Camino Inglés

Our Walking the Camino team was busy on the St James’ Way last weekend helping waymark the new, alternative section between Basingstoke and Dummer that bypasses the dangerous road crossings where the A30 approaches the M3. It was lovely to receive supportive warm wishes from several walkers along the trail on a beautiful, sunny spring day.

The Camino is one of the walks featured in the Reading Walks Festival which  will take place between May 11 and May 19. Aside from walks along the Thames Path, the Kennet Canal and the historic town centre, there is also a one day (12 mile) pilgrimage from the start at Reading to Mortimer. There is a further two day option. Both are led by David Sinclair, who is a  Confraternity of St James member and volunteer and has been instrumental in waymarking the route, along with our very own Peter Dunn.

The Camino Inglés is known to many as the route from A Coruna to Santiago de Compostela. Less well known is the section of the route from Reading to Southampton. Reading Abbey hosted the Hand of St James until it was ransacked under Henry VIII; Southampton was the port from where pilgrims would set sail to Spain. We are the only walking holiday company to support this walk and we are delighted to see that our first bookings have started to come through. Click here for more details.

All Saints, Dummer

We’ve added a new route on our website. This is The Ridgeway West which runs from Avebury to Goring. It’s 5 days of walking with 6 nights of accommodation. The last day is short (7.8 miles) allowing some to return home on the same day thus making it 5 nights.

A new accommodation has opened in Watlington. Well, it’s not completely new as the Fat Fox was a long established hotel. It completely closed a couple of years ago. And last year it re-opened for and food drink. They are now offering bed and breakfast accommodation. We will be revising one or two of our itineraries to take account of this.

From May 18 to June 2 the Chilterns Walking Festival takes place. There are more than 50 guided walks through this marvellous countryside. The Ridgeway follows the edge of the Chilterns.

And, finally, we’ve published a new blog entitled How Hilly is The Ridgeway? As part of that exercise we’ve added ascent to our itineraries.

London Super Sewer

This week, Thames Tideway, London’s Super Sewer, was completed. For those who have walked on the Thames Path through London you will no doubt be familar with the hallmarks of this work. At a cost of £5 billion and taking 8 years to complete it should reduce the level of discharge into the Thames. London’s drainage is quite unique in that rain water is mixed with sewage. And when there are heavy rains the system becomes overloaded resulting in discharges.

The announcement came on the same day that e coli was discovered in the Thames leading to advice from the Boat Race organisers not to jump in the river.

A wise person once said “a good walk does not have to involve a mountain”. Whilst that’s quite true it’s still nice, from time to time, to go up one. So, in our final pre-season trip, we got to the Lake District and had an adventurous day up Scafell Pike. Most of our walking is now done on gentler terrain so it was a shock to the system to be reminded of steep slopes and boulder hopping, especially when snow filled the gaps in between and you weren’t sure of the depth you were stepping into. Needless to say there was no view from the top. Nonetheless it was a good day
 

That’s all folks. See you on the Trail!

Oh, and Happy Easter!