Not much to say today. Usual walk along the river, past locks, always on the lookout for the next pint or snack. And walking into a big city at the end of the day.
Ken’s thoughts: a well paced day with our lunch cafe showing up at right time and an ice cream truck just as we trudged into Reading. As for the evening walk it was a bit of a revelation to me to see how easy walking is without 15lbs on your back so we strategized how we can set up a base and shuttle using other means until we get to Windsor and have our high tea with good old Charles.
Wood dove. Their loud cooing is the quintessential sound of England for me when we are walking. Huge flock of starlings chowing down on my blackberries. They were so noisy! Dogs in Operation. Hmm. Sheep dogs? Dogs conducting surgeries? Fancy schmancy.Again? An entire field but we gotta plop in the middle of an eight inch wide trail?!? I love “jacket potatoes” but I’m a sour cream and chive person. The choices here are always tuna (blech), beans, chili, or cheese. I thought I would try the cheese… But then had difficulty finding the potato underneath it.Mad Duck Cafe. I bought some duck food at the Mad Duck Cafe and made some new friends.Just some random tortillas scattered along the Path. Actually this last kilometer into Reading (before you hit the Promenade) had lots of garbage and tipping piles and people living on what looked like abandoned boats. Abandoned boats are a big problem on the Thames. It’s very expensive to remove them, so people will apparently scrape off the identifier and just walk away. The graffiti here is sooo rude 😁 There is only one hill on the Thames River Path and this is it.What the hill! (Scott will understand). Giant sequoia. A thing of beauty. Nothing quite so dispiriting as entering your destination town for the night and realizing that you have 5 km still left to go. Also a thing of beauty? My next house? Along the promenade in Reading. We sat at this promenade bench for a long time, eating ice cream and ice lollies, watching the birds and the people strolling by. Some of the gull species here are only pigeon sized. They need to be careful as I spotted a pigeon eating Merlin landing in a Willow tree across the river. This guy came to feed the birds – Caversham Wildlife Rescue SocietyAnd here I was afraid we wouldn’t see many swans!Our home for the night – Caversham Lodge. Ken was not happy as I made him take another walk around Reading to the old Abbey, the start of the Camino Ingles, and a Banksy. Aw. Too bad. Apparently there are 23 Lego dinosaurs scattered throughout the city but today was the last day. Largest lion I have ever seen. This old Monument was first erected in 1884 to commemorate those lost in the several Afghan wars Britain started (colonialism) and generally lost. There is a newer plaque for the more recent war following 9/11.Camino pilgrim shells. St James, the Saint You develop an eye for noticing these signs! Camino Ingles to Southampton, and on to A Coruña and Ferro in Spain to walk to Santiago. Reading Abbey. Built 1112…or is it 1121My heart will always follow the Camino! A Banksy. “Create Escape”. Painted on the wall of a derelict prison. Too bad I couldn’t get rid of the reflection of the building from across the street. Coo. Lest we forget.
One thought on “August 23 2026. Pangbourne to Reading. 13.25 km.”
It looks like it was a lovely walk. Maybe the swans were having a big party, nice to see so many. Good to see a picture of you 🌺 Nancy, Chuck and I had a trip to Edmonton yesterday, good to be out of the house. Keep on trucking, you are doing great 🌺
It looks like it was a lovely walk. Maybe the swans were having a big party, nice to see so many. Good to see a picture of you 🌺 Nancy, Chuck and I had a trip to Edmonton yesterday, good to be out of the house. Keep on trucking, you are doing great 🌺
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