Newsletter July 14, 2024

Canary Wharf from the Thames Path at Surrey Docks Farm

We’re now well and truly into summer. But it certainly doesn’t feel that way. Throughout the country garden parties and barbeques have been put on hold pending better weather. For the walker, the cooler temperatures are a welcome relief from what can be uncomfortably hot conditions.But the accompanying rain is less than welcome.

Despite the adverse weather, the path is now completely dry from start to finish. And some of the diversions have now finished. With one or two diversions it seems that locals, frustrated with the time taken to effect the repairs, have taken matters into their own hands. We see diversion signs and barriers cast to one side. And the local councils have an annoying habit of not removing the signs after the work has been completed. A case in point is the diversion at Lechlade where the tunnel under Halfpenny Bridge has been closed. For a while, agile locals scrambling over the padlocked gate; then the gate was opened but the diversion signs remained; and now the official notices have been removed whilst the diversion signs lie on the grass. A full list of diversions is set out below.

We’ve had an extraordinarily busy May and June. But we are quieter than previous years in July and August. Speaking with hoteliers, last minute bookings are down on last year presumably due to the weather. And at this point we should mention a warning to those planning on booking bag transfers at the last minute. We will only accept these if it fits with our schedule i.e. if we will be in the area anyway. And the quieter we are, the more chance there is that it won’t fit with our schedule. Which is why it’s so much better to book ahead as we always accept these.

The weir at Mapledurham

Thames Path Route News

The tunnel below Halfpenny Bridge at Lechlade is now open.You can ignore any discarded diversion signs you come across.

No sooner has one diversion ended then another one starts. Just downstream from St Johns Lock (past Lechlade) another wooden footbridge with the exotic name of Bloomer’s Hole is deemed unsafe and is to be repaired. There is a small diversion using the pre-existing Thames Path Alternative. It briefly follows the road to Kelmscott, past the caravan park on your left, taking a footpath to your right which rejoins the Thames on the left bank just across from the bridge.

At Culham there is a small diversion on account of a wooden bridge that needs attention. This is one where the diversion signs have been cast aside. We think the work has not been completed.

Benson Weir is still closed. The ferry is operating as the river is no longer red-boarded. The good news is that work is underway to repair the weir.

There is a new diversion to avoid the closed boardwalk at Marsh Lock Henley. This starts at Shiplake and takes you briefly into the Chilterns. The diversion adds an extra 1.0 miles to the walk although feedback that we’ve received is that it feels much longer! The diversion is supposed to add an extra mile. But, bear in mind that the distance from Shiplake to Henley is already 2.4 miles. So the diversion is therefore 3.4 miles in total. See also our paragraph on distances.

The diversion at Temple Bridge is still in place following its closure.

And damage to a bridge has caused a diversion from just past the Runnymede Hotel to shortly before Staines. The diversion uses the A308 (pavements) returning the walker to the riverbank just before the bridge at Staines. The diversion takes about 0.6 miles of the route with minimal added distance. The diversion is expected to last 6 months from February 2024. The signage for this diversion is not that obvious. Note that this is one of those diversions where locals have decided enough is enough and removed the barriers!

Works to Teddington Lock footbridge have now been completed.

Bloomers Hole Footbridge past St John’s Lock, Lechlade now in need of repair

Hospitality

We’re seeing a trend of small hotels – primarily pubs with rooms – opting not to serve breakfast. The latest is the Red Lion in Cricklade. One can see the rationale when there’s only a few rooms and there’s a choice of nearby cafes. Some hotels will only decide whether they’re doing breakfasts the night before once they know the numbers of breakfasts. It’s quite possible that this becomes the norm rather than the exception.

For those who are on a package with us we discount the total price using a fixed rate per person for breakfast and give a recommendation to our walkers as to where to go. This seems to work.

Red Lion Cricklade, the latest pub to stop serving breakfasts

The Ridgeway

On the subject of breakfasts one popular stopover is East Ilsley. The small village, which used to host one of the largest sheep fairs in England, has two pubs: the Crown and Horns and the Swan, and no other shop. Neither serve a cooked breakfast and neither opens until lunchtime. The Swan has always provided a self-service continental breakfast. The Crown and Horns offered nothing which has taken a number of walkers by surprise – there being no food along The Ridgeway for some miles. Thankfully the Crown and Horns was taken over very recently and is also offering a self-service continental breakfast.

Doing bag transfers along The Ridgeway has allowed us to walk some of the stretches in summer – having initially walked the route in winter. What a difference the season makes. Here are some shots taken recently.

What’s On and Events

We are now at the tail end of the events. Henley Regatta has been and gone and now it’s Henley Festival which concludes this weekend.

Swan Upping starts on July 15. This ancient ritual sees The Royal Swan Uppers, who wear the scarlet uniform of His Majesty The King, travel in traditional rowing skiffs together with Swan Uppers from the Vintners’ and Dyers’ livery companies with the aim of tagging this year’s newborn swans. Remember that all swans are the property of the Crown. The boats start at Sunbury and finish at Abingdon. Here’s their timetable.

Repeated:

Fullers’ pubs are, once again, offering some summer fun. Opera in the Garden is back, this time with Carmen (Anglers, Teddington Lock August 4,5). And they are also bringing Shakespeare in the Garden with two productions. Much Ado About Nothing will be at The Pilot in Greenwich (July 22-23; September 10); the Anglers, Teddington Lock (August 18-19; September 11); and, for Ridgeway Walkers, Bel & the Dragon in Wendover on September 3. The Tempest will be at the Bull Sonning (August 21)

Seasonal exhibitions:

Abingdon Museum is hosting an exhibition dedicated to the MG motor car. This is the centenary year of the MG and the car was made in Abingdon from 1929.

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.

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

Last year’s Swan Uppers at Culham Lock

Camino Ingles/St James’ Way

This walk, because of its historical significance and its newness, is attracting quit a bit of attention from journalists. There’s already an article published in the Guardian last year. And earlier this year it was featured on the One Show. Recently Peter, who manages the Camino Ingles for us, met with a journalist who will be including the St James’ Way as the main feature in the autumn edition of Walk, the Rambler’s magazine.

For more details on the Camino Ingles, also known as the St James’ Way, look no further.

Camino Ingles pilgrims crossing the Kennet Canal on the St James’ Way

Distances

Our websites list the distances along both the National Trails that we support: the Thames Path and The Ridgeway. These distances come very close to the official distances. For the Thames Path we have 180.8 whilst the official distance is 185.2. (The official distance used to be 184 with an additional 1.2 miles being added for the extension from the Thames Barrier to Woolwich – but the sign at the Thames Barrier says 180 miles) see photo below. The Ridgeway is much closer. We come in at 85.9 whilst the official distance is 87 miles.

Many people walk with apps that track their actual distances. This year, more than ever, we’ve had feedback that the actual distance walked is much longer – especially in London. Presumably more people are using apps. This discrepancy is normal. Official distances will be measured using straight lines on OS maps. They won’t take into account small meanders in the river, backtracking to check a sign, finding somewhere to sit-down for lunch etc. And in London the Path alternates between a riverside path and the nearest road that is parallel to the river.

So don’t be surprised if you find your “app distance” is a good 15% more than the official one!

Here’s the sign saying 180 miles to the source.

And here’s the equivalent sign at the source stating 184 miles. Note that this has since been replaced to say 185.2 miles to Woolwich.

And finally…

The first ever UK Ekiden, a traditional Japanese relay race, took place on June 24 following the Thames Path from Oxford to Windsor, a distance of 76 miles. Eighteen teams competed, each with ten runners. The race was won by Oxford University with a time of 7 hours 48 minutes. The race co-incided with the state visit of the Emperor of Japan who was a student at Oxford.

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

Walking.Holiday