Off we go… But coffee first… I’m guessing there are no minus 30°C days here. It’s a good thing they painted this tiny traffic circle (roundabout) at the intersection to manage the traffic. Actually, I did not see one vehicle actually use it. It’s as if it doesn’t exist. By this time we had walked just over 3 km (1 km to the train, then 2 km to the trailhead. Ken’s knee began acting up and he was debating whether he could walk the remaining 12 km into Windsor. As soon as the boys sat, the geese and ducks came running…but we had nothing for them.Joseph kindly helped us across 4 lanes of busy traffic when we were blocked by construction. Maidenhead Bridge, designed by Brunel, I believe (he of Clifton Suspension Bridge fame). Ken still sitting on the bench. Walking? Or not walking? The knee was quite troublesome for most of the day. At one point I had decided to hobble to a taxi but while I was talking about it to Terry and working out logistics, it smartened up and with caution I did make it to end of the day. However from now on we have to stratigize how to minimize wear and tear on that old joint. It’s a good thing the trail is pretty level and largely flat. A fence of pink petunias. This whole stretch is millionaires row, according to a local we met. These are ultralight sun umbrellas, black on the inside and reflective silver outside. They work amazingly well at reducing the temperature and there were a couple of days in France when they saved our lives…heatwave and nothing open to get a drink. Except you can get potable water in cemeteries in France. I wish I could have gotten closer to these dahlias but they were on the other side of the lock. Ken takes on lock keeper duty yet again. Don’t press all the buttons at once, Ken, hoping one of them might work. You remember what happened the last time. Went well. This ivy has completely taken over. A magnificent ash. Magnificent enough that he’s been given an identification number. 0022I thought this was aan empty derelict old building. But it’s a very old Church of St Mary of Magdalene (Boveney) that is very slowly being restored by a charity group called “Friends of Friendless Churches”. I had to donate. This was bordering the path on both sides and smells almost like jasmine. Old man’s beard, a type of clematis.Ken wondered if he could drag this chair with him so he would always have a place to sit. This bench looks…um…comfortable. But how can you sit on such a happy face? Happy pup chasing sticks in the stream. Stunning portraits. Is this really graffiti? We had been walking in trees almost the entirety of the day when we suddenly popped out into an open field and saw this. Windsor Castle. Wow. Castle schmastle. Ken’s heading for the pub. The Waterman’s Arms. Been here since 1670. We spent quite a bit of time talking with Paul about… History, politics, you name it. You learn so much chatting with friendly locals. Luna–MaeIt wasn’t won by Ken.Bulbous body and a tiny Brain. Sort of happens the end of every day. (Note that Ken wrote this, not Terry) I have no words. Please don’t ask. Crossing the Thames from Eton to get to our accommodation.An old Ferrari parked across the narrow street. It’s a 1980s vintage Dino 308gt4 that the guys uses on nice days, according to the neighbour owner. Hard to conceive of a guy who owns one of these that doesn’t have a garage but maybe it’s close enough to the guards to scare people off!
We are quite close to Heathrow so there are planes constantly taking off. They finally stopped after midnight for several hours – maybe Charles needs his sleep? But then at 2:00 am I am woken by guys yelling and I thought it was some team or some such from Eton blowing off steam (the McDonald’s across the street is open until 3:00 am – in case Charles gets the midnight munchies?) but it turns out it was the King’s Guard, practicing their match. Apparently they do it in the middle of the night when there are no tourists about…except perhaps the ones they wake up.
Let’s go find food. Really? A McDonald’s right across the street from the castle.?These look like the stupid shiny ball art (Talus Dome) in Edmonton on the Whitemud. Although the Edmonton is huge in comparison. By this time I was pretty cranky as we’d walked in circles looking for the Waitrose grocery. It was in the middle of a shopping area but Google maps assumed everything was on one level when there were probably four. At one point it told me to walk through a train.I finally met some Scouts along here and of course it was the one time I did not have my Lac La Biche Scout badges on me. Sigh. I really really wanted one of these guys! Ken said no. He is mean. There were elephants everywhere. Some of them were being auctioned off for charity. Arrow slit.Amphibious bus…cruise the city then cruise the Thames. Can you ever have too many swans? Yes, yes, you can. Plus one Canadian for good measure. Firethorn bush
Today was a lazy day. Spent a bit of time wandering the outskirts of the castle. Apparently the king was in residence. But I wasn’t invited for high tea. I just knew I should have bought a hat!
It really is disconcerting when you’ve been walking through sheep fields and cow pastures and wooded areas to all of a sudden being in a crowded tourist town like Oxford or Windsor. I think I prefer the quiet trails.
Back to walking tomorrow, last day with full packs and then we have a base in London that we’ll travel back and forth too.
Both Ken and Peter took rest days today so Terry decided to walk by herself. But it was a very long day. I carted our very heavy sopping wet to the laundromat to rewash it and dry it. That was 3.57 km return. Then I walked to the bus stop with Peter (1.3 km). Peter continued shopping and I took the bus over to Marlow. In the end, a total of 21.8 km walked.
Today was the first time I have ever walked by myself for a day, in all of the pilgrimages I have ever done. It was different, not having to worry about holding others up, taking pictures but…admittedly, sometimes you see things that you would like to share with someone.
Ken’s thoughts: I have done this in the past but echo what Terry says. Better to share the experience. Bounce back tomorrow together!
What is this car, Ken? Early 50s Chevy pickup a long way from home says Ken. Those are serious chimneys!Huge houses along the river now.Common hop. So very very true. Snow berry.How fun are 9 dogs playing in the water, none on leashes. I’m a sucker for church bells. Just chilling in the lavender. I guess I wasn’t completely alone today! Just me and the girls. On previous pilgrimages, people would set up “donativo”. Food or drink and you would pay what you thought was fair. This household set up a robotic chocolate chip cookie dispenser. I had just chowed down on one so I didn’t get one but another walker tried…and eventually got her cookie… For £2. It refused to give her a bag. A little human boy went and got her one. This would make Scott happy… He hates having to dodge horse hooey on the trail. Blue-winged teal. Oyster fungus. Taking the train back to Henley.The two straight lines are the bus and train rides, not included in the total.
Ken’s knee decided to take a rest day so Peter and I walked without it…without the rest of Ken which is attached to the knee. A 1.3 km walk to the bus stop, a 20 minute bus ride careening down a very narrow road, slam on the brakes so hard that my trekking poles went flying when we met the bus going the other way, and a walk to the river and an ice cream truck…
It ended up being a very hot day ( at least for me) at 27°C and there wasn’t a lot of shade today except for the beginning. Plus it was marked as a 13 km day but once you tack on the detour and walk to bus, it was almost 20 km.
Ken: I didn’t have a beer. Terry: there is literally an empty beer bottle beside your bed. Ken is distracted by an old Pontiac Fiero. Thinks it’s a 1988 and looks like it hasn’t run in 20 years. Too bad. Terry: No. Which one did Peter choose?The biggest one. Ken had a smiley face. Terry had oatmeal. Yay. Okay. And a jelly doughnut. At home we have a gull who knocks on the A&W door looking for fries. Rose of Sharon The start of the diversion, which I only found out about when Peter and I stopped at the ice cream truck before setting out. A notice was posted on a near by garbage bin that a bridge was out. We would have walked a long way for nothing. Too scary to go in here because… Very difficult to read but it says “Orcs be in the Shire”. Made it through with no orcs to be seen. Darn! Yay. Back to the Thames. So close to the towns and we’re still walking through sheep poop. Hard to see but a family had their kids swimming just beyond this sign. The ice cream truck also sold duck food. It’s the only way I make new friends here. 🦆 Milk man just dropped these off at the village store. Banana milkshake time. Funny fish they find in this river. Yellow Lily pads just coming into bloom. I wonder if he was visiting the poo bin. Good timing to have the dog wander into the photo. The village shop set out water and toys for any interested pups. I’m assuming they operate the “poo bin” as well. Ken says this is a very handsome sheep. Deer park? Maybe we’ll see some? White deer. Tons of them. Culham Court. Current owner is Swiss-Brit billionaire who bought it for more than $70 Million! They take great pains to block you from taking photos. Time for chips and a pint at the Flower Pot Hotel. 5 km to go. I love the pink speckled on this white rose. Random post box. Slow down. Peacocks crossing. And here they are. Well, more Guinea fowl than peacocks but still…the sign didn’t lie. The gulls have a little black spot behind their eyes. I would live here except I would have to clean it and I am lazy. Followed this fencing for a long time.The Henley regatta is apparently “THE” regatta. Established in 1839 and is part of the British social season of which I am not a part. Because I didn’t buy one of those hats I saw in Wallingford. If I had a hat I am sure I would have been invited. Setting up for a big “Rewind” festival this weekend. Music of the 1980s.We fished this huge balloon out of the Thames. But no garbage nearby so I shoved it under the festival fence thinking someone would pick it up. I didn’t want it blowing back into the river. Bad enough there are shiny pink sparkles still floating. A one legged magpie. For sale. Hmmmm. Well, la-de-da and pooh-pooh to you. I didn’t want to join anyway. I don’t have a hat. Ken was waiting for us, soaking his feet with the minnows in the Thames , but I didn’t get a picture. This was only the second church I’ve been in, both of them St Mary’s. I finally found a candle to light for my dear friend Mary Ann.
Half a block down the street is a Shell station station, which includes a cash machine, a Subway, a bakery, general store and, yay, our favourite outdoor laundromat. So we headed off and threw our laundry in for a 40 minute spin. Ken hung out there but when I showed up 30 minutes later the machine had stopped… The whole thing had gone dead. Unfortunately our clothes were sopping wet as there was still water in drum. Customer service? Ten to five Monday through Friday. Hoping a few things will dry by morning. And we’ll have to find a Laundromat in the morning. Oh well. Ken will have to borrow a pair of Peter’s socks.
Ken started out before us as I took Peter back to see the Lego triceratops but it was already gone. Back on the trail, walking through parks, along the Thames past derelict boats piled with trash (another man’s treasure?), through fields and woods – a huge diversity of tracks today. Peter trailed behind collecting empty snail shells for diorama idea that he has.
Kens thoughts: pretty good start to a day with well timed food breaks. however, not all of it stayed with me. Must have been the peppers. Kind of took the omph out of me so s
I sort of staggered to the finish. We’ll see if the old bod bounces back again tomorrow. Otherwise just like Terry describes it, getting more urban as we go especially with the aquatic tent towns and the overflowing bins in Reading not to mention the pretty much constant drone from Heathrow. Those who can afford it have riverfront property and I would imagine the public trail is a chronic annoyance but too bad. The river traffic very busy today, and according to the last lock keeper the upcoming bank holiday weekend will certainly bring them out in droves for one last blast of summer. Should be interesting to witness.
Full English for 5 pounds. They do have yummy bacon here! That’s not a smiley face, Ken! An accidental smile in Ken’s coffee must be a good omen for the day. Oh, don’t worry. We will! The truck of Ken’s dreams.We had a 1951 Air stream at one time. This whole stretch of the Thames going through Reading is filled with abandoned boats and piles of stuff…its like a homeless encampment with boats instead of tents. But some of the boats do have owners who look after their boats. They could have shortened this sign by just saying “No Fun Allowed”. Another gentleman feeding the birds. It’s a thoughtful gesture except the gate does not appear to go, anywhere? Padron peppers. Ken was happy not to have to share with Scott and Antonio. In Spain it was a Russian roulette game, because once in a while you would get a burning hot pepper. Not this time though. Peter loves his “pints”…of Coke Zero. The boys leaving me behind. Common Hawthorn Hairy WillowherbPeter’s way back in the middle of this picture. We are about 50 km from Heathrow Airport and were serenaded all afternoon by the sound of low flying jets taking off. What have these trees seen in their centuries old lifetimes? If they could only talk. It was recommended on the, Thames River Facebook page to take the train from Shiplake to Henley and not walk the diversion route (a detour because a bridge is out). Apparently the diversion is very long and unappealing road walking. So we took the 5 minute train ride in the two-coach train. It’s £3.61 but because we are a “group” we get a discount and it was £7 for the three of us. Coming into Henley, the stunning Imperial Hotel. But… We have booked two rooms in a 4 room flat with shared bath.
We’ve decided to start using a home base for a few days so that we can walk without the backpacks. They aren’t overly heavy but it is so much more pleasant without them. We will walk, then train back to Henley. For the next two days.
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.
Kens thoughts: After a fairly raucous evening in Wallingford (not by our tired triumpherate, I’m afraid) but by every citizen in town, plus every vehicle passing by, it seemed to settle down quickly at 2300 hrs. Very civilized indeed. So the sleep was better than we thought it would be and we really felt we were ready for the 18 kms to Pangbourne. However, the distance seemed to take forever. We all felt it. By the time we hit the riverside pub (The Beetle and Wedge) and were told they were a cook down and had a huge party coming in so we couldn’t actually order any food, it took a bit of heart out of us. After trudging to the next lock and sitting at a banned picnic table (because it was under hazard branches don’t ya know). Actually, we didn’t care about that as we have been walking under ancient trees for 7 days so by that logic the whole trail should be banned. ) we were hoping the next pub would give us the lift and fuel we needed but it turned out to be really hard to find (Ken was a bit brain dead by this time, admittedly. ) so we strategized. The options were another 6 kms through hilly ground, or a 4 minute train ride. Guess what we did?
Forgot to mention that yesterday we had to cross an extremely busy highway. There is no polite stopping for pedestrians here. So we waited for a couple to join us and Ken led the charge en masses into the road, forcing the cars to stop. We actually met the couple again today (while Ken went in circles looking for the pub).
Excuse me, sir. Do you have any Gray Poupin? Our hotel window was the same level as the top deck of the double decker bus. The complete and unabridged Oxford definition of Ken. Full stop. Can’t start walking without a coffee.The dog culture here is strong. I’ve only seen three cats in two weeks.A hat shop!!! Do you think orange and green are this season’s colours?These sunflowers were huge.Where’s your mama?Oxford rowing club…Moo.Stairs? It’s supposed to be flat. Stairs are not permitted.Strange rock. Looks like the concretions in southern Alberta. A cat completely ignoring the nice lady who wants to pet it.These rose hips are huge.What is Ken eating?A Scotch egg. Blech!He doesn’t seem to mind his doggo life jacket. 5 boats in the lock. Because of the drought the locks have restricted hours and some are restricted to the number of times they are allowed to fill and release.We walked under a railway bridge.I love the little stinking pile of poop on this sign! The author of Alice was also a preacher?So excited to find a pilgrim stamp in this church!Um? Peter said they were good.Lamborghini makes an SUV??? And in lime green? I wants!!!I’ve never seen a storefront with “and daughter”, especially in this country. Its always Joe and Sons. Good to see.What? This would be over $10,000 Cdn!!! What is the definition of “luxury”?Ken sure does love his 2CVs!Why don’t we have these flavours?!? Kenneth Graham, who wrote The Wind in the Willows, lived here in Pangbourne.Everyone was pretty tired and hot. So…walk 6 more kms…or take a 4 minute train ride?
After gathering up the laundry which was hung to dry anywhere and everywhere there was a space for it to dry, with Ken frying himself an egg for breakfast, and doing a quick tidy, we headed out the door for what was supposed to be a 22 km walk. Sadly the path was on the other side of the river… So we had to walk back to the bridge, even though we could see the trail across the river.
We have seen very few cats on this trip. France and Spain had so many strays that I used to carry cat food. In Italy there were strays but most appeared to be looked after. Peter was worried about this cat but a guy walking by said she was there every day and later I saw it sitting with someone. Super friendly if a little thin. We later saw these two from across the river. The two swans as seen from the other side of the river. We had to walk two kilometres back over the bridge as the path was on the other side of the river… To reach the street we had stayed on. Annoying.There’s a few fishermen to be seen through the day. White pinnacle asterMeadow crane’s billNothing motivates you to walk faster than the over whelming scent of “eau de manure” wafting from this farmer’s field. I pay good money for this ivy at home and here it grows like a weed everywhere. Lots of doggoes today, half of which seemed to called Polly or Molly. I missed the photo opportunity of chaos when 3 dogs met at a T Intersection of the trail at the same time. While waiting for Ken at a lock, I noticed this gentleman trying to take his boat through the deep lock by himself, which is tricky. I asked if he could use some help which he gratefully accepted (even after I told him I have been accused of being terrible rope crew). Ken helped by pushing the buttons to open and close the slices and gates. Or rather, Ken didn’t help because he kept pushing buttons and screwing up the lock system. This young guy (obviously living in his small boat) came over to help. He was really interested in Canadian music (Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot) and our wildlife. Paul kindly offered us a ride to the next lock, which we gratefully accepted. There is a heron in the middle of this picture. Cows in the water. Moo. Not sure what the Smurf hat was alll about but the guy in the pirate hat said “sorry to be a pain but please don’t film as they are all minors”. I said no worries, only a couple of pictures from the back. Apparently one of the best pubs on the Thames. I had picked up this line and rolled it up as it can be devastating to wildlife. Dogs rule here! Thatched roof. Rich peoples. Not so rich peoples. Hard to tell in this photo but the farmer put his electric fence right on top of parts of the trail. Grrr. They have cut off the top of the tree and it is sending out new shoots. The guy on the right is adjusting his knee brace. Huge wasp nest in the ground in the middle of the trail. No one was stung thankfully. No defib today! Just a chance to rest the knee and the butt. More bad swan parenting. Moochers, all of them. These two trees were being choked by vines. So the vines are cut off from their roots and the vines above the cut die. But you can see the vines growing up again. Seems late for young calves. Mom. Moo. This pillbox was beautifully painted and poignant. We haven’t seen many in the last few days. There were more nearer to the Source.In the Town Arms, our home for the night.
We didn’t get to our hotel until 700 pm. And unfortunately it is Friday night so the pubs are hopping… Although I guess it’s not unfortunate for everyone. Just those hoping to sleep. 😴
Kens thoughts: this was a serious day for distance even with snagging a ride. Good thing the guy wasn’t in a hurry as punching one button out of sequence seems to scramble the fairly primitive brain on the lock computer. I know what’s that’s like. However, the rest of the day I was heroic and tough and even had cool drinks ordered for the slow walkers when they finally staggered into the Benson lock. Terry keeps arranging these killer days so we’ll see if the ancient body will recover overnight!
When we walked the 800 km Camino de Santiago in 2019, we were driven to walk every step. If we took a taxi one day due to fatigue, the next day we would taxi back to the spot where we picked up the taxi. For the 2200 km Via Francigena, we also had the purpose of reaching Rome…but we ended up skipping a few stages due to injury and didn’t worry about missing a stage, not when you have so far to walk in a defined timeframe. Our walk in 2025 along the Francigena Britannica, Via Campaniensis, and Via Lemovicencis was similarly broken, especially with a week long canal boat and Peter going home in the middle of the 3 month 1000km journey. Although the five day walk from Santiago to Fisterra along the Camino de Finisterre at the end was true to the path.
And so we come to this Thames River Path walk. The previous walks were pilgrimages, following ancient routes…and there seemed an underlying purpose to them. This one is…a long walk. We’ll end at Southwark Cathedral where we began our Via Francigena and our 2025 Francigena Britannica, which seems to close a circle. For Ken, the end will be the Angel Pub on the Thames, where last year we met up with the Chair of the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome and hope to do so again.
All this is to say that on this walk, we start off the day hoping to go the full distance of the stage but we aren’t feeling guilty if we fall short and have to hop on a bus or in a taxi when someone has had enough. And today…well…it’s similar to arriving at Lake Geneva in Switzerland in 2023 and having the choice of a two day steep hike through vineyards around the lake or a few hours on a paddle wheeler across the lake. I am sure Archbishop of Canterbury Sigeric, whose route we were following to Rome, had no qualms about taking the boat across either. So today was a choice between a 15 km walk or a 2 hour cruise. Which would you choose?
Leaving our B&B in the morning. Two barky bichon frise lived downstairs. Yap. Yap. Yap. Did I mention yap? Beside the local funeral home door. Waiting for the Number 3 bus to the city center. Uh oh! A book shop! This is the actual chatty little girl that Alice in Wonderland was based on. Let’s not look at the Mastercard bill when we get home. Everything is card here, even for just a bottle of water. I was feeding him the orzo from my salad. Thankfully he kept it on the down low and didn’t bring any friends. Ken is squishing my head. Plants growing on top of their garbage bins. Kissy faces will not get you out of the cage. Lots of small fishHmmmm. We are supposed to walk 15 km to Abingdon. Walk or scenic cruise. Hmmmm. Well, duh! Ken was very excited to see this boat. We have now rented canal boats 7 time in France, Italy (the Venice lagoon), and Belgium with my Venturer Scouts in 2012. Our very first rental was in France in 2005 on this style of boat (it was the Corsair). It turns out that Salter’s Steamers here in Oxford actually built the boat we had rented. Very cool, almost like coming full circle. Taking a photo of the barometer just like the one he has at home. 2 hour river cruise or 6 hours of walking. Was it cheating? Nah! The Lady Ethel, our friend who passed away in November and was sent home to be with her mother in Newfoundland last month. For Christine and Kendra. It would take a long time for you to work your way through that big of a Toblerone chocolate bar…but maybe not so long for me… White fronted geese…maybe the two white ones are snow geese? Tons of Canada geese, swans, and blue winged teals. Plus a couple of camera shy herons. Another rowing and paddle club, not associated with the 39 colleges of Oxford University. Where Salter’s Steamers work on their boats. Boaty McShed. Squish my head, will you, Ken? There is much anti-Trumpism here. Everytime we are asked if we are American, we get huuuuge apologies when we say we are Canadian.A lot of abandoned boats along the river, as well as some being lived. Heron and blue winged teals. Took these two a long time to get out of the way. Motor cross tracks in the distance. Ha ha. Hungry lock keepers! Someone at this lock has a sense of humour! Poor birds have to flap their feet like crazy to get out of the way of the boat. 1.2 km walk to our flat. Not so bad. Here we have Ken in earnest conversation with a fellow who wanted to know how far we had walked today and how tired we were. Ken was being extremely vague. I love how they post the stories behind the names or history of buildings. Terry took this snap of a mid 70s vw van sort of like the Westy her dad used to own. Not quite a proper Westy though. Nice to see blooming flowers as dry as it has been. Ended the day with a lovely few drops of rain, Hoping for more! These are suckers growing from the base of the tree…someone has been keeping them trimmed back.
We could not just walk by this historic city so we decided to take a “rest” day here. Not that it was all that restful as we spent the day exploring the city, including a boat ride on the Thames and a walking tour of the university. So many famous people studied here, including CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, 13 out of 31 British Prime Ministers. Many scenes from the Harry Potter movies and Inspector Morse TV series were filmed here. It’s difficult to grasp the concept of time in Oxford, as teaching first began here in 1096 – 1000 years ago.
Our walking tour group was about 20 people – there was actually a couple from Edmonton in the group. What are the odds?
Ken’s thoughts: oh boy, this is exciting, I was hoping to get smarter through soaking in the centuries of super concentrated brain power that have walked these streets but instead I asked our boat tour guide maybe the dumbest question he had ever been asked, judging from the look on his face. All I asked was how many tourists called the Thames by the name exactly how it is spelled rather than calling it the “tems” . He said, nobody has ever called it that. Ok. The English do have some quirks in their pronunciation all right as the kind of person (me) who would think that Magdelane College is pronounced like its spelled instead of the correct “maudlin” are just expecting things to be all too straightforward. Oh well, at least here in the world’s most prominent university town I didn’t see anything misspelled today, even on the chalked menu boards in front of cafes, so at least grammer is still observed here, unlike most places. Very incorajing!
Passion FlowerAlice in Wonderland conceived here in Oxford. Apparently Alice was the daughter of one if the Dean’s and she used to go for walks with Charles Dodson “aka Lewis Carroll”. She was apparently a chatterbox and one day told him about a dream she had about following a rabbit down a hole. And from there a children’s classic was born. Peter likes the different geese – lots of noisy Canadian geese but also white fronted geese which we get at home. Took a 45 minute boat tour with Henry. It’s a great way to hear the stories behind the city. This house cost 1.2 million pounds (about $2.5 million Cdn). These are the boat houses where each college rowing team keeps their boats. Bottom is for boats, upper is for bar or gym. Apparently the races are not about who can go fastest to win but who can create the mayhem by knocking their opponents into the water. Basically pretentious bumper boats. Met lots of amateur punters who we scattered chaotically given that their total experience on punts was probably as long as we were on our boat. Henry seemed to enjoy that. I wanna go the Alice in Wonderland shop. There are also many Harry Potter shops in addition to the traditional Oxford tourist glitz. This town is packed with tourists. Desperately trying to hide the Starbucks cup. Not cool but at least cold. Climbing hydrangeaCat grotesque. I always called these gargoyles but apparently gargoyles are water spouts and if they don’t spew water when it rains, they are called grotesques. I learn something new every day. Site where the “Oxford martyrs” were burned alive by Bloody Mary (Queen Mary) in 1555. She was the daughter of Henry the 8th but was Catholic and wanted to bring Catholicism back. So she burned heretic Protestants alive, hence her name Bloody Mary. The accused had to watch their compatriots being burned – it took about an hour for them to die. After watching the carnage, one guy decided to save himself by converting to Catholicism but later decided that wasn’t right and he unconverted himself. So he was also burnt alive… But he had a friend put gunpowder around his neck and as soon as the flames hit his head exploded and death was instantaneous, instead of an hour of agony. Peter wants to know if that counts as suicide? Luckily we are more civilized now? It’s called the Weston library after Garfield Weston (yes, the Canadian Weston family) who donated 25 million pounds, $50,000,000 (that’s millions!) to the library. I guess that’s what it costs to get your name on a building in Oxford. It houses 14 million research books which are not permitted to leave the library. School of DivinityThe first printing of the Oxford dictionary was done in this building. Oxford, the city of dreaming spires. Apparently Hitler gave orders that Oxford not be bombed as he wanted it for a capital after he conquered England. Pound sand buddy. CS Lewis came out the church doors on a snowy evening, saw snow falling in the lamplight, looked across the alley and saw the door below, with the centaur (who became Mr. Tumnus) and the lion (who became Aslan)…and thus the tales of Narnia were born.Aslan the Lion King of Narnia.Peter’s idea of heaven, made frustrating by the inability to buy any books. Indeed, it was thest manga/graphic novel/game store I’ve ever seen.Trust Ken to find another Citroen.Ken spent some time talking 2CVs with this Frenchman and had fun showing him pictures of his own little yellow Deux Chevaux.Ken’s baby 2CV. Isn’t it cute? 🙄 Peter got himself a Belgian chocolate and banana crepe.Bird exhibit at the Bodleian library, followed by the pet exhibit. It meowed. Looks a bit like our Jake only scruffier. The real JakeSchool of Divinity. The first “classroom” for the monks who initially began their studies here in Oxford. Probably more famous now as a film set. The infirmary for Ron and Harry in Harry Potter, plus where Professor McGonigal attempted teaching the boys how to dance.Chair made from wood from Frances Drake’s ship.All I can say is a lot of neat stuff has happened here for sure! The treats cupboard in our strange little B&B.
Just another day of walking. Spoke with a fisherman who had done his degree in Saskatoon, and later with a family relaxing in chairs outside their boat. Ken had already gone by (he walked ahead most of the day) and the dad thought we were from Switzerland. I stopped to chat. His family said he needed new glasses if he didn’t see the maple leaf 🍁. So I gave him a maple leaf key chain so he would recognize it in the future. And thanked him for removing 2 ounces from the weight of my pack.
So many sheep today, including a poor one who got separated from his herd and was by himself in the field. He was running back and forth along the fence crying… another sheep on the other side was also crying. So sad. I hope the farmer checked on them today.
Lots of yummy blackberries again today.
Ken’s thoughts: Terry is finding me quite annoying tonight so she is letting me put some stuff in the blog to distract me. So, my thoughts today ran the gamut from trepidation as we started to see how I’d feel walking to frustration as the pub we were hoping to have lunch in was closed. (Deja vu back to France) to massive triumph because I was the trail scout today and didn’t get us lost! Lead the way bravely to the second pub over a very scary narrow congested bridge and it was thankfully open although we were the only customers at the time. Nice young guy gave us bus info which saved us another 7 kms through a busy city which is never fun. However just being in Oxford has made me smarter already so a good day indeed!
Stone tiles on the roof.The Rose Revived. A 16th century Inn beside the stone bridge. This “new” bridge was built in the 13th century, one of the oldest surviving bridges over the Thames. Legend has it that Oliver Cromwell drank here during the English civil war. He put a drooping rose into a tankard of ale and the rose miraculously revived. 🥀🍺🌹Summer campers. They wouldn’t accept hitchhikers either. They allow cows to water in the River Thames. Don’t people get their drinking water from there? As bad as Alberta. Our first cattle egrets. Wish they were closer. You could make out old stone building foundations in the dry grass. When you are walking…and walking…and walking…sometimes what keeps you going for the next 6 km is the thought of the next pub and a cold drink. Closed on Tuesdays. Today was Tuesday. Grrrrrr. Lovely nicotiana. Walked through sheep fields for at least an hour. Black sheep with white faces and white socks. I sometimes have trouble understanding the English accents. At some point, you give up trying not to step on the sheep shit. 🐑 Impatiently waiting? Ken and I both opened the gates for this lady. This is known as a “kissing” gate. I think Peter is back there somewhere in this photo.Sometimes the trail goes through some strange places, like this boat repair company’s yard.I will admit to reading this private sign. Does this make me a bad person?There are times when I could happily be that dog, just sitting while someone else does the work. But I guess a bus will work! Hard to see but these duck’s bills are green. Soooo many bikes at the Oxford train station. Catching a “London cab” to avoid over an hour of walking and navigating busy streets at rush hour to find our accommodation.
