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The Thames at Culham |
We have now entered the twilight zone: that period between the peaks of May/June and September when fewer people set off. This period coincides with the British school holidays which leads us to three possible explanations for the downturn:
i) Holidays are more expensive at this time – a misconception in our case!
ii) Cannot get the time off and/or on grand-parenting duties
iii) It’s too hot
Well, the weather has been hot. In fact, we’ve had two heat waves, both within term time, where temperatures rose well into the 30 degrees celsius, breaking records along the way. This has been a challenge for our walkers, many opting to leave early morning. We didn’t have to rescue anyone although we came very close on one occasion.
The hot weather has left the earth bone dry. This has resulted in wildfires across many parts of Britain. The south of England has been relatively unaffected although there have been field fires.
The other problem is that the soil has been baked and is now very hard. Once the rains come (they will at some point!), water will run straight off and cause flash floods. The Thames Path flood alerts page on our website has been very quiet this year!
One final point on all the trails: they’re starting to get overgrown. So, consider bringing long trousers, a walking stick and even a pair of secateurs!
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Dry landscape between The Ridgeway and the Thames |
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Other Thames Path News
We have a new edition of the Thames Path Passport in print. This has 44 stamping stations listed. A further station has since been added (so not listed in the book) which is Shiplake Shop and Post Office. Unfortunately Buscot Tea Room has closed so we’re still on 44!
A dramatic rescue was required at Temple Lock where a paraglider collided with a telephone line and ended up in the lock.The victim would have drowned but for the efforts of the lock-keeper and a teenager in a boat. The full story can be seen here.
The Thames Path Relay, marking the 30th anniversary of the Thames Path, concluded at Woolwich. There were quite a number of people who walked the final stretch – considerably more than the section we led from Newbridge to Eynsham a couple of weeks earlier. There were refreshments afterwards at Woolwich Works which happens to be the last stamping station on the Thames Path. We spoke with Wendy Tobitt, Chair of the Thames Path Partnership, about the exact point in Woolwich where the Thames Path ends as there’s no marker – a cause of both confusion and disappointment. She explained that the official end is at the Woolwich Foot Tunnel as this is the official crossing point for the King Charles III Coastal Path. The Thames Path ends at the point that the Coastal Path begins – although many of the signs continue to mention the Thames Path well beyond this point.
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| Claire of Thames Path National Trail and our own Richard holding the Relay Baton at Eynsham Lock after a short walk from Newbridge. |
Thames Path Walkers Facebook Group
For some time we’ve been moderating a Facebook Group called Thames Path Walkers which allows people to ask questions (of us and each other) and to share experiences. Confusingly there is a separate Facebook Group called Thames Path Walk which does much the same thing. Thames Path Walk is a public group meaning all posts and comments are visible to any Facebook user. Many users are in both.
We have decided to refocus Thames Path Walkers Facebook Group by providing more news: diversion and flood reports, passport news, hospitality changes; in fact, some of which we would store for a month and include in this newsletter. To further differentiate it, we are renaming the Group as Walk the Thames Community Hub.
We will continue to apply a strict non-promotional rule to the group. And, on joining, we do have some questions that need to be answered. These are not onerous but are intended to protect the group members. So, if joining, do please answer all the questions.The Facebook Group can be found here.
As mentioned in our opening paragraph, all trails are getting overgrown. Our own Peter has been hard at work co-ordinating volunteers on the St James’ Way and doing some work himself. The photo below was taken on the section of the trail which runs alongside a golf course west of Basingstoke.
Ridgeway News
Last weekend was the Race to the Stones, a 100km walk/run from Lewknor to Avebury along The Ridgeway. The race is held annually and, for anyone interested, the record is 7 hours 42 minutes with a cut-off time of 30 hours. Tthat’s an average minimum speed of 2 miles per hour. Next year’s race will be held on July 11. Hopefully they won’t suffer the same heat as this year.
In these hot conditions, it’s useful to know that there are occasional water taps along The Ridgeway, especially on the western section where the Trail runs for 30 miles without a single village. Two new ones have been installed: one as you approach Sparsholt; the other is at the Aston Rowant Reserve Centre. Next year we plan to put all water points onto our day planner: a topographical map of facilities along the route including distances.
Finally we came across a very useful signboard at the car park close to the end of the Trail. It shows how four trails make the mighty Great Chalk Way, a 400 mile walk from Dorset to Norfolk. The component trails, running from west to east, are the Wessex Ridgeway, The Ridgeway, the Icknield Way and Peddars Way, the latter also being a National Trail. Part of the Wessex Ridgeway can be swapped for the Cranborne Droves Way and the Sarsen Way.
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The Great Chalk Way route along with its components |
Kennet and Avon Canal/Great West Way
June saw a busy schedule for both the Kennet and Avon Canal (walked westwards from Reading to Bristol) and the longer Great West Way which is walked from Bristol to London via Reading. In fact, we bumped into two parties at Pewsey Wharf, each going in opposite directions.
This is the first year we’ve run the Great West Way and only the second year for the Kennet & Avon Canal so we’re pleased with this progress.
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Dun Mill Lock on the Kennet & Avon Canal |
And finally....
As we’re a little quieter than normal we’ve been spending time collecting reviews. If you would like to leave a review, you can either do this directly on our two Facebook pages (Walk the Thames and Walking.Holiday). Alternatively you can email us and we will place the review on our website. We’d love to hear from you, even if you’re just a newsletter reader of a passport holder.
That’s all folks. See you on the trail!
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