Newsletter July, 2025

The Ridgeway near East Ilsley

School’s out for summer!

That means, for whatever reason, we get a bit of a break. Which also means we have some time to tell you what’s been happening since our last newsletter.

Fortunately there’ve been no major crises: no unexpected path closures, no fuel shortages, no flooding, no further hotel closures. In fact it’s all gone rather smoothly. Early July brought some uncomfortably hot weather with many walkers setting out early in the morning. Some hotels rose to the occasion, offering “to-go” breakfasts for those leaving at 6am.

The oddest challenge we’re had to deal with has been the mystery of the locking suitcases. To explain, a walker rang us up to say that the zips on their suitcase had been moved into the lock position and they didn’t know the code – having never set it. This, which we’ve never heard of, happened not just once but twice in a month: both times on The Ridgeway albeit at different hotels. We finally ruled out the possibility of the zips being accidentally dislodged; and a conspiracy theory that someone was going around Oxfordshire locking bags for fun; and settled for some well-meaning hotel staff locking the case. So, the moral is, if you have a suitcase that has a built-in lock, then try and find the code. And, if you don’t have the code, tape over the locks!

This quiet interlude between the peaks of May/June and then September also allows us to catch up on 2026 enquiries which have started to come in. So, if you’ve contacted us about 2026, expect to hear from us soon!

A party setting off from a very dry Source!

Thames Path Route News

There are two new diversions to report, one of which, so far, has not really been a diversion. Just downstream of Folly Bridge in Oxford work is underway to repair the riverbank. It was supposed to require a diversion. Our last visit showed minimal work with minimal impact. So it seems we got away with that one!

The other is between Castle Eaton and Hannington Bridge where two bridges across ditches are being repaired. The diversion is well signposted and requires no additional mileage.

We’re a little disappointed with the lack of communication on the Richmond diversion, which, we thought, was nearing completion. Perhaps it is but it would be nice to hear something.

We reported in our last newsletter about missing signs on the Shiplake to Henley diversion. We have alerted this to the National Trails office and offered to place signs for them, an offer they couldn’t refuse! We’re now just waiting to hear when we can collect the signs.

A number of walkers have had their days disrupted by the presence of cows blocking gates. Whilst it’s tempting to grumble at farmers, we have to remember we’re crossing their land and this is their livelihood. Fencing off the Path solves a problem but, in winter, a narrow path becomes a quagmire. All we can suggest is patience. After all, cows graze which means they will move. Alternatively someone may come along who is more inclined to move the bovines along.

As always, all of these are listed our route alerts page on the website. A question was asked on social media as to how up-to-date the content is. Well, we keep it as up-to-date as best we can given that this is a free service and we have limited resources. Some confusion arose over the fact that we include flood alerts on the page, of which there have been none for some months. We leave these on as it’s much quicker to update the status rather than create a new one – explained on the page. But all have status updates saying “all clear”. Nonetheless we plan to split the alerts into two pages: one for flooding and one for diversions. Watch out for that soon – we hope!

Long-standing diversions:

Sandford: A bridge over a tributary is deemed unsafe and has been temporarily closed whilst investigations are made. In the meantime, the Path has been diverted along Route 5 cycle path which runs alongside the railway. The Path is rejoined just past Sandford Lock.

Abingdon: As you approach Abingdon in a downstream direction, the Path switches from the right bank to the left bank via a walkway across the weir. Due to corrosion, this walkway has been closed and the Path re-routed via Abingdon town centre.

The diversion to avoid the closed boardwalk at Marsh Lock Henley now 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! 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.

The diversion at Temple Bridge is still in place following its closure. The diversion makes use of the lane running from Temple to Bisham and then a road with a pavement into Marlow

And damage to a bridge over a tributary 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 replaces about 0.6 miles of the route with minimal added distance. The diversion is set to be in place until 2026. The signage for this diversion is not that obvious.

Between Richmond and Kew a section of the embankment has collapsed into the river. There is no way around meaning that section of the Path is temporarily closed. We advise you to follow the left bank through Isleworth and Brentford. However, development work is ongoing at the Grand Union Canal in Brentford with the Path being blocked. This can be avoided by skipping the walk along the canal and following Brentford High Street instead.

For a full list please see our route alerts page on the website.

The “diversion” downstream of Folly Bridge, Oxford

Other Thames Path News

A decision has been taken, sadly, to close the River and Rowing Museum in Henley. It’s last day will be September 21. It seems that the cost of running the building was just too much for a “specialist museum in a small town”.

If walking between Goring and Pangbourne, you will pass Ferry Cottage where Oscar Wilde once resided. The house, which has long looked a little sad, seems to be having a makeover. He also lived in Reading Gaol, a few miles down river. That is also the subject of a makeover having been recently purchased by a Chinese businessman who wants to convert it into an art gallery and hotel.

The Runnymede Hotel has finished its works. For much of last year you could not access the riverfront. That is all now finished with the tow path running right past its terraces.

The tow path at the Runnymede Hotel

Camino Ingles/St James’ Way

We were invited to a meeting of the tourist offices of all the councils along the St James’ Way to explain more about this new walk. It was surprising how little the route is known outside of Reading. As of mid-July, 345 pilgrims had registered this year at Reading Town Hall. On the basis of 1 in 3 pilgrims registering, that makes 1,000 so far; so, probably 2,000 for the year.

Alongside the River Itchen, Saint James’ Way

Kennet and Avon Canal Walk

We were fortunate to experience the Kennet and Avon Canal from a slightly different perspective: a narrow boat. Admittedly the trip wasn’t long, starting in Aldermaston and heading 2.5 miles towards Reading and back again. Three takeaways:

1. It’s quicker to walk! We were told that you should count on 3 miles per hour plus 20 minutes per lock. We went through 3 locks and 2 swing bridges each way. There was little time for the crew to to rest.

2. It’s a great feeling to stop the traffic as you operate a swing bridge.

3. How green it is! Having completed our fieldwork in winter it was lovely to see the canal-side bushes alive, despite being just a few miles from Reading.

View from a boat: on the Kennet and Avon Canal

Ridgeway News

East Ilsley is a popular place to stop on The Ridgeway due to the scarcity of nearby accommodation. It’s nine miles from Letcombe Regis and a further seven miles to Goring and Streatley. Previously known for hosting the largest sheep fair in the south of England it’s now a small village with no shops but, remarkably, two inns: the Swan, and the Crown and Horns, neither of which previously matched the standard of accommodation found elsewhere on The Ridgeway.

Some good news however is that the Crown and Horns is under new management and the initial signs are highly encouraging. Breakfast, albeit continental, is back on.

For those walking the eastern half of the Ridgeway you will get a close up view of the HS2 construction. For those readers outside the UK, HS2 is the highly controversial high speed railway from London to Birmingham. It passes through the Chilterns via a 10 mile tunnel exiting at Wendover on The Ridgeway. Immediately after the Chiltern Tunnel, the railway will pass through Wendover Green Tunnel, a “shallow tunnel built on the surface before being buried, with trees, plants, and shrubs planted on top to blend into the landscape”. Both the ChilternTunnel exit and the Wendover Green Tunnel can be seem from the temporary road bridge, which The Ridgeway crosses.

View of HS2’s Wendover Green Tunnel from The Ridgeway

And finally…

This week we said farewell to a party of three from Arkansas, USA. Two of them, being poetry addicts, recited all 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets every day during their walk from Source to Woolwich.

How do you mentally pass the time whilst walking? We’d love to hear from you.

Walking.Holiday