On Friday last week we launched our updated version of our route planning website. This has built in topographical maps which allow users to see all the en-route facilities relevant to a Thames Path walker. Aside from distances and accommodation, these include public transport, pubs, cafes and restaurants, grocery shops, and points of interest. These all have pop-up boxes for more information. You can also filter the maps to only show pages with accommodation. We have had a number of users come onto our site over the weekend and are actively using these maps. A help function and feedback form is also available.
The end of lock-down for the hospitality business is now scheduled for Saturday July 4. We have started contacting our accommodation partners to confirm their readiness for re-opening.
Museums are also, thankfully, re-opening. The Cutty Sark will re-open from July 20. For details of all Royal Museums Greenwich (including the Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory), please visit their website.
The Cutty Sark pub will re-open on the same day! Other pubs re-opening include the Swan at Streatley (July 4) and the White Swan at Twickenham.
In other lockdown news, Courtney Buses, who operate around Maidenhead, have announced that normal service will be resumed from July 6.
The National Trail office has reported that high winds have brought down trees in the Waterhay area of the Cotswold Water Park (we think downstream of the car park near the bird hide) and blocking the Path.
The Isis Bridge which links the Thames Path on the right bank to Oxford will be closed all week due to ongoing works on the other side of the river. You can instead cross by the Gasworks Bridge (upstream) or Folly Bridge (downstream).
And a reminder of the dangers of open-water swimming: two men died this week at Cookham. One got into difficulty swimming in the Thames; the other died trying to save him. It might be tempting but…
This week was National Insect Week. Insects are an important part of the eco-system of the Thames. Here’s a link to some insects that you might look out for on the Thames Path. Pictured below is a refuge for insects near Shifford Lock, close to Newbridge.
We’ve featured the Illuminated River project before in our blogs. This is a multi-year and multi-million £ project to illuminate the bridges of London. The project is featured in a documentary series on Channel 4 entitled Lighting The Thames and is well worth seeing. Available on All4.
The Golden Hinde, a replica moored on the Thames Path between Southwark Bridge and London Bridge, has launched a series of Podcasts which recalls life on board the first English ship to circumnavigate the globe.
And finally some mudlarking. A mudlark is someone who scavenges in river mud for items of value, a term used especially to describe those who scavenged this way in London during the late 18th and 19th centuries. Mudlarking is alive and well in the 21st century. Only this week, a mourning ring was discovered dated 1664. And just yesterday a Tudor glazed floor tile was found, probably from Placentia Palace which was demolished in 1660 to make way for, what is now the Naval Museum at Greenwich. Because the Thames is tidal, it’s possible to pop down to the shoreline. You can visit the Thames Explorer Trust website for more information and also for organised trips. Another resource is Mudlarking by Lara Maiklem which is available through Amazon.
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