Wallingford Museum is now offering guided historical walks. The socially-distanced walk costs just £10 and lasts 90-120 minutes. Without pre-empting the contents of the tour, be prepared for anything from Empress Matilda to Agatha Christie, with possibly some English Civil War thrown-in as well. Wallingford is 76 miles from the source.
As part of the Thames Festival Trust, two guided tours are offered throughout September. The first takes place Mon-Fri at 10.20am and Sat-Sun at 11.10am and celebrates the work of Brunel. Starting at Embankment it includes a boat trip down the river to the Isle of Dogs with a guided tour of Brunel’s Thames Tunnel. Tickets are £14-£16.
Then, on Friday’s at 6.15pm and Sunday’s at 10.45am, there is a tour of Rotherhithe that covers the Maylower, Dickens, and Chaucer. Prices are £10.
Some way off but the Estuary Festival will take place between 22 May and 13 June, 2021. This arts festival celebrates the lives, landscapes and histories of the Thames Estuary and takes place on the river and along the 83 miles of South Essex and North Kent coastline.
Hammersmith Bridge (160 miles from source) is completely closed due to safety concerns following the recent heatwave. The bridge was already closed to traffic due to remedial works. Now even pedestrians and cyclists cannot cross. Worse still, boats cannot cross under the bridge! Diversions are in place for Thames Path walkers. Our route alert page has been updated to reflect this.
The Earth Trust had published a list of plants to look out for in August. The Earth Trust is based in Long Wittenham, just off the Thames Path near Dorchester (70 miles from the source). The list, which can all be found on the Thames Path, include Greater Knapweed, Wild Parsnip and Hemp Agrimony.
We’ve added two new points of interest to our route planner. Sandycombe Lodge in Twickenham is the home of the former artist JMW Turner and is now a museum.
And for rail enthusiasts, we’ve added the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway. This short branch line is run by volunteers and features 1950’s carriages pulled by diesel locomotives and the occasional visiting steam train. You could, of course, make a round trip by walking from Cholsey a mile down to the river and then follow the Thames Path up the river for 3 miles to Wallingford and take the train back. Check the website for details of when they will re-open.
Points of interest can be seen on our our topological Thames Path map
As with previous newsletters we have taken a closer look at a section of the Thames Path. This time we are exploring Marsh Lock which lies just upstream from Henley.
It’s a beautiful situation as the lock lies on the right bank but the footpath is on the left bank. The footpath crosses over the weir to the lock and back again on a boardwalk thus providing fantastic views both upstream and downstream
Marsh Lock marks the start of the approach into Henley where you cannot but be impressed by the magnificent array of waterfront properties. The biggest of all is Park Place which sits high up on the opposite side of the river and which exchanged hands in 2009 for a staggering £140m million.
Finally and regretfully we have temporarily de-listed a hotel from our website due to concerns that social distancing measures were not being enforced. The safety of all our walkers is paramount.
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