Well, we’ve made it to August Bank Holiday. But we still have our busiest month to go: September, which is always a popular month to walk in. The weather is generally still good – although we may see rains creeping in towards the end of the month; and with kids going back to school, it’s often quieter. This year, we think there has been an added factor: for many booking trips earlier in the year, September was the furthest along the Covid recovery road. We’ll be very busy this month so, if we’re late with the newsletter, please forgive us.
Contined dry weather has left the Path in good condition.
Work has started work on the notorious stretch of Path between Radley and Abingdon where boardwalks will be installed. The Path is passable with care but hopefully will be easier to negotiate when the rains eventually arrive.
The National Trust at Runnymede has launched an outdoor audio guide. Simply scan the QR code and you can hear an explanation of the various sites just off the Thames Path.
The fish pass at Mapledurham seems to be taking shape. Pictured below is the grand entrance back into the Thames for the fish upstream of Mapledurham Lock.
We can say for certain that Reading Festival has started: we can hear it whilst writing this newsletter! The Path is unaffected except at night, although you will be walking down a narrow path between a temporary wall and the river. There is also a temporary bridge just past Tilehurst which takes revellers to an additional camping site across the river
As reported previously:
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.
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.
Hospitality
We received glowing reports this week of some walkers staying at Bisham Abbey. This former home of Anne of Cleves is now one of 3 National Sports Centres and offers rooms to non-elite athletes complete with use of gym and swimming pool. The gym should not be necessary following a long day’s walk but a swim is a definite plus. Reasonable prices make this an interesting alternative to Marlow, which can be very expensive. If walking downstream, you can walk directly to the hotel on footpaths and quiet lanes by staying on the right bank instead of crossing over the bridge at Temple Lock. You can then walk into Marlow and rejoin the Path there.
The hospitality staffing crisis has reached Lechlade: the Swan is unfortunately without a chef at present. This is a problem throughout hotels and pubs. Do please be sympathetic. These are challenging times for hotels.
Now here’s a real find: the Mitre at Oxford. It’s part of Lincoln College and situated in the “old town” on Turl Street, just off Broad Street, and conveniently situated next to a whisky shop! Affordable student rooms available during the holidays – although the website has not released dates for next year yet.
Art, History and Architecture
We’re all intrigued by the beachcombing experience of tidal Thames foreshore – also known as “mudlarking”. But please note that you need to hold a permit to do any kind of searching, scraping or digging. Permits cost £90 and can be applied for here.
Kelmscott Manor, former home for William Morris, is still under renovation. The works have been ongoing since last year. The house is scheduled to re-open in April 2022 although we have heard that there may be a “soft opening” later in the year. Practical completion was supposed to have been completed by August 20 but there still seems a lot to do as we discovered this week when we took a wrong turn out of Kelmscott.
And finally…
We had a lovely couple this week who took a rest day to go to a football match. They then picked up some Christmas decorations in Lechlade which we held for them until the end of their walk. Now that’s how we work with our guests.
That’s all folks. Mind how you go!
Ready to book?
