Looking ahead
As enquiries have started coming in for next year, we’ve been taking a look at availability of hotels next summer. You’ll be surprised to hear that a number of hotels are already booked out for some weekends! We are guessing that these are mostly weddings, of which we can only assume there is a backlog. The wedding venue hotspots are Abingdon down to Pangbourne, and from Sonning to Cookham.
It seems timely also to give you a brief idea of what we’re planning on pricing for next year. The answer is quite simple: nothing. We plan to hold our prices for packages although we may move some hotels up (or down) a tier.
Prolonged dry weather has left the Path very dry.
There have been reports of walkers suffering burns from Giant Hogweed. This happened somewhere between Oxford and Reading – not a precise location! Giant Hogweed is a non-native invasive plant which looks a little like cow parsley. If coming into contact, it’s best to wash the affected area and do not expose the area to direct sunlight for a few days. If in doubt, seek medical advice.
The new community hydro scheme at Caversham Weir is now fully operational. It also means you can now cross the weir and access the island opposite. See cover photo.
There are no other issues to report.
Tate Britain are hosting an exhibition on Turner entitled Turner’s Modern World. The exhibition is on until September 12. The Tate can be found on the left bank as you walk from Chelsea to Westminster.
TRAD, the Thames Traditional Boat Festival, will be held this coming Bank Holiday weekend at Fawley Meadows, just past Henley. Further details here.
As reported previously:
The curator of the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham will be giving a talk on September 1 at 5.30pm about notable works from the collection. This will be a zoom webinar and registration is free,
There will be a one day course on Moths and Butterfles in Cricklade on September 11. The program includes a walk through North Meadow. More details here.
Marble Hill, near Twickenham, are hosting Arts in the Park, a series of free live performances every Sunday afternoon until September 19.
Guided walking tours of Reading Abbey are being held every Saturday at 11am. Booking details are here
Southwark Cathedral have put on an exhibition about mudlarking. The exhibition is on display until October 30.
For a list of scheduled events and festivals, see our events page.
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Hospitality
We are pleased to report that Cosenors House in Abingdon (pictured below left) has reinstated its left luggage area. There are no hotels that we know of that are not now storing bags.
Another hotel to be added to our route planner is the Chiswick Palace operated by Best Western (pictured below right). The hotel sits on Chiswick High Road and just under a half mile from the left bank of the Thames at Chiswick Brewery. Chiswick High Road is a fashionable part of London filled with independent shops and restaurants. The hotel will be graded silver.
Art, History and Architecture
It seems that archaeologists from the University of Reading have uncovered the site of a lost monastery in Cookham. The site could be the final resting place of Queen Cynethryth, who ruled Mercia after the death of her husband, King Offa. The site is in a field next to the parish church of Holy Trinity. For more information, please click here.
If anyone has driven north up the A429 to Kemble, near the source of the Thames, they will have driven past one of the most unusual sites on the Thames Path: a bunch of jumbo jets parked along the roadside. The site is the Cotswold Airport, formerly known as RAF Kemble. Once home to the Red Arrows, it is now the operating base of Air Salvage International, a leading aircraft decommissioning company. The airport was featured in a recent report on the BBC website.
That’s all folks. Mind how you go!
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