The news that one of the vaccines has been approved brings us all welcome cheer. Perhaps by the spring we will be almost back to normal? In the meantime our accommodation partners as well as pubs, restaurants and cafes have all reopened as the entire Thames Path is in Tier 2. Let’s pray that we don’t go backwards between now and the end!
The Bodleian Library in Oxford is offering a free Gregorian chanting workshop. You don’t get that every day! Described as “Sing in the comfort of your own home in this free online session suitable for complete beginners. 5.30-6.30pm, Fri 4 December.” More details here.
Not an event as such but worth mentioning that a book about the artist Paul Nash and his relationship with the Wittenham Clumps, a pair of hills near Dorchester, has just been published. Further details here.
Friends of Goring Library have organised an Advent Window Trail in the villages of Goring and Streatley. So if you are walking through here on your Thames Path make sure you check out the map of where the windows are.
On Saturday December 5, Liam Gallagher will be performing live on a barge whilst floating down the Thames, presumably somewhere in London. The concert is to be streamed and tickets may be purchased here.
We’ve launched a shop on our website. We have a few Thames Path related products including guide books, a 2021 calendar and Walk The Thames shirts. More products coming. You can also purchase gift vouchers in denominations of £5.
We also posted a blog on the River Thames in mainstream movies. From Mamma Mia 2 at Godstow, past The Eagle Has Landed at Mapledurham and Rocky Horror at Windsor, to The Long Good Friday in the Docklands, we’ve listed some of the best movies filmed on the Thames.
There have still been no flood alerts this autumn/winter aside from the occasional tidal flood alert in London. Maybe Thursday’s rain will change that.
We have found that access from the Thames Path to Dorney Lake (near Boveney Lock) is closed. As it’s not a public right of way, Eton College are within their rights to do this. But it means that Thames Path walkers can’t make the short diversion to view the lake – which is a shame.
We covered the walk from Henley to Hambledon Lock in one of our newsletters in August. So we pick up the Thames Path, without crossing the weir to the car park at Mill End, but carry on along the river bank to Ferry Lane, a sure sign that there was once a ferry which took people across the river in days of old. There is a jetty here where boats can moor whilst skipper and crew walk up the gentle incline to the Flower Pot at Aston where food and lodging can be found, but nothing else. There are no shops here.
The 1/4 mile diversion away from the river is a rewarding one and not just because of the Flower Pot. Across the road from the pub, the Path follows a lane running parallel to the Thames and through the 650-acre grounds of Culham Court, built in 1771 by Sir William Chambers. Chambers’ other notable works include the Pagoda at Kew, Somerset House, and the gilded state coach used at coronations. The current owner is Swiss financier Urs Scharzenbach who purchased it for £35m. He is somewhat of an art collector as there are a number of statues appearing in the grounds, some of which can be seen from the Path, which runs past the front of the house although it’s well shielded by bushes. Being about 50 feet above the river, we have an uninterrupted view.
About half a mile past the house, having walked through a deer park (remember to keep dogs on leads), we rejoin the meandering river which takes us to Frogmill which has a small car park. The car park is accessed from the A4130 (Henley to Hurley) via Black Boys Lane. The Black Boys pub used to offer rooms but, since the last lock-down, they never reopened.
Further on, the Path enters a large meadow. On the other side of the river can be seen Danesfield House, now serving as a hotel. The house is relatively new, dating back to around 1900, although it replaced earlier houses. It changed hands a number of times prior to World War II when it became a temporary home for boys at a boarding school in Hammersmith. It was then requisitioned by the Air Ministry for their intelligence unit. In 1977 it was sold to Carnation, the condensed milk company, who used it for their headquarters. It has been a hotel since 1991 and was the venue for George and Amal Clooney’s wedding reception.
Hurley is marked by a group of six unnamed islands emerging in the river which can cause some confusion. The Path takes you across a bridge to the largest of these where you will also find Hurley Lock and tea shop. Just past the lock another bridge returns you back to the mainland. It’s confusing because you might think you have crossed the Thames. In fact, there are two more islands between you and the left bank.
The village of Hurley, considered to be one of the prettiest in Berkshire, has two pubs (The Olde Bell and and The Rising Sun), the Crazy Fox bed and breakfast, a car park and bus services to Maidenhead and Henley. So it’s a natural break point and we will end our journey here. If you want to visit the village there is a path leading to your right from the first bridge.
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