Perhaps I should say a few words about why we are walking again… And why start in Bristol?
Ken and I started long distance walking in 2019 on the 800 km Camino de Santiago. On the plane home, Ken looked over at me and with a stern look told me to never ask him to on another walk. Then the Camino you tube videos started… In 2022 and 2023 we walked from London to Rome on the Via Francigena, and in 2025 from London to Dover on the Francigena Britannica, then Reims to St Jean Pied de Port on the Via Campaniensis and Voie de Vezelay, and onto the Camino de Finisterre. We’ve clocked over 4000 km on our tired feet. These routes are historically religious pilgrimages, over a thousand years old. For us, the drive to walk became addictive. It held spirituality, adventure, culture, history, nature – an excellent way to immerse yourself in a country.
I’ll let Ken explain why we are doing the Thames River Path. Ok, Ken here, it just seemed to to me that these walks kept us a bit younger than we are, as hard and painful as they may be, so I idly suggested last winter that maybe a shorter easier walk that would actually tie into what we have already done might be in order for this year. Thinking about it, it seemed that walking the Thames path from the Source all the way into London would be nice and flat, nice and shady and should have a nice supply of pubs along the way. It is also a cool way to follow the growth and richness of a country as the River itself grows from a trickle to a major artery.
First a few photos from our first day.
What’s a trip without an emergency run to the eye doctor on the morning of your flight?!? Peter had gotten something in his eye a few days earlier, our Lac La Biche eye doctor was away, so we went to the local clinic where I held the light and the doctor used a magnifying glass. Hmmmm. Peter went off to his Anime convention for the weekend but the eye was still bothering him Monday before we flew. Luckily the Edmonton eye doctor we used to go to took him right away… And more luckily, there was nothing in his eye. Just residual irritation. Grateful that strike had ended by the time we flew.
Back to walking in Bristol’s floating harbour.
I think they are trying to get their ducks in a row? These people have built a duck ladder. For my Scouting buddies. A Scouting handbook, written by Lord Baden Powell’s son in 1943 (revised edition).The SS Great Britain. First propeller driven iron ship, designed by Brunel. She had a lengthy history as a luxury passenger ship in 18, then hauled cargo.. And was finally scuttled in 1937 in the Falkland Islands. In 1970 she was rescued and returned to her home town of Bristol where she was originally built. They even used the same dry dock!The bottom half of the ship is as it was found. You can walk around it under a glass floor that makes it look like you are under water. For a mere 10 pounds you too could crawl up to the lookout. Ken declined to climb for some odd reason.Moo. They had a little box you could open to enjoy the smells of the barnyard. We walked across this bridge on Wednesday… And on Thursday it looked like this. It buckled during some routine maintenance. Or maybe Ken was one Ken too many. The famous Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by Brunel in the early 1800s. An engineering marvel. Hakari Hanazono, Karane Inda, & Shizuka Yoshimoto have joined Peter on this hike. River Avon. It is tidal, which is why there is actually water in it, despite the drought in the UK. Flying over England all you could see were brown fields. No one has flowers. They haven’t had rain in weeks and this week the temperatures were in the upper 30s.Crossing the bridge, Ken happened to hear a young couple in conversation. The guy was saying that in life you see what you want to see. If you choose to see good people you’ll see good people everywhere and vice versa. Ken, being Ken, gurgled in a creepy voice, “I see dead people” which caused the guy to laugh, the girl to walk faster, and Terry to slap her forehead in despair. The picture shows Ken still being quite proud. Waiting for the bus with the girls. The artist Banksy began his life of street art here in Bristol. This one is titled “well hung lover”. We received an emergency alert on our phones regarding danger of wildfire and a ban on barbecues and the like. In the meanwhile, the road crew was out… Having a BBQ? Fixing the pot holes in the cobblestone? Where is Ken with his air tankers?!?
Tomorrow we walk. Will we see any water? Stay tuned.
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