We have not received confirmation yet that the Path at Shifford Lock has re-opened. Contractors working for the Environment Agency were scheduled to remove fallen trees last week The alternative route is to cross the river at Tenfoot Bridge and follow the path to Duxford and then follow the “natural Thames” rather than Shifford Cut. Full details on our Facebook Group
Elsewhere conditions remain relatively dry although the Path is quite muddy in places. The days are now very short. But there have been some beautiful colours this week as can be seen in the picture below.
If you are aware of any issues with the Path do join our Facebook Group and let us know.
We’ve written before about the plight of the now-defunct Reading Gaol, where Oscar Wilde was imprisoned and wrote his famous ballad. The building is up for sale by the Ministry of Justice and there have been calls for the building to be sold to the council so that it can become an arts centre.
The building’s heritage hit the national news when Banksy delivered a painting of Wilde escaping down the wall with a typewriter in his hands. The original stencil used to paint on the prison walls is housed in the Bristol Museum and has now been pledged to the “people of Reading on the understanding that all the proceeds from its sale are used to secure the purchase of the Gaol and convert it into an arts centre”
Wide-Eyed London, who offer walking tours, are holding a virtual walk of Festive Lights and Christmas Stories. To be held on 19 December at 6pm. Click here to book.
Reminders:
Goring Gap Wildlife are hosting a series of owl photography workshops throughout November and December. The workshops are held in a private garden near Didcot, Oxfordshire and feature Barn, Tawny, Long-Earred and Little Owls.
A new exhibition at the Stanley Spencer Gallery opened on November 4 entitled “Mind and Mortality, Stanley Spencer’s Final Portraits”. It focuses on some of his work as the artist approached the end of his life in 1959.
Danesfield House is laying on some Christmas opera followed by a 2 course supper. Expect music from Carmen, Marriage of Figaro, Magic Flute and the Mikado. This takes place on December 11 and 12. Tickets available here.
Henley Choral Society will be hosting a Christmas Concert on December 11 at St Mary’s Church. The concert will feature carols and a performance of Handel’s Zadok the Priest. Tickets available here.
On 6 January 2022 an interactive digital reconstruction of Alexander Pope‘s villa and grotto will be held at The Exchange, Twickenham. A Virtual Arcadia has been created by Paul Richens of the University of Westminster and commissioned by Pope’s Grotto Preservation Trust. You can see a trailer on Youtube. Tickets available here.
Christmas has started at Kew Gardens where a series of illuminated trails will lead you to food and drink stalls. The gardens are open from 4pm to 10pm.
Hogarth’s House at Chiswick has re-opened. It closed temporarily due to a power supply issue. The celebrated artist’s home, which lies a few minutes from the Thames Path, is open from noon until 5pm Tuesday to Sunday. An exhibition of Hogarth’s work has opened at Tate Britain. The gallery is passed if walking on the left bank of the Thames just past Chelsea.
The Museum of London Docklands, part of the Museum of London, has a new exhibition entitled London: Port City, exploring how the port shaped the city, its people, places and language. The exhibition is free and runs until May 2022. The museum can be found close to Canary Wharf on the left bank of the Thames.
Webinars are Back!
We’ve just published our season of webinars. These will be held at the slightly later time of 8pm on Tuesday’s. We think this time slot just about allows our friends in Australia to join (7am).
We will have one session per week. One session is an overview of the Thames Path and this is repeated every two weeks. On the intervening week we will have a session which takes a closer look at each of four sections of the Path: Source to Oxford; Oxford to Reading; Reading to Staines; and Staines to the Thames Barrier. So eight webinars in total. Each webinar lasts no more than one hour.
The webinars, which run on Zoom, are all are absolutely free. However, if you find them to be informative and you wish to contribute to the running costs, there is a Donate button which will take you to Paypal. Note: you don’t need a Paypal account to donate – any payment card will work.
The first is on January 18 and they run until March 8. You must register if you wish to attend.
Hospitality News
A list of the 13 cosiest pubs in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire was published this week by the website Muddy Stilletos. Three of these are just a little off the Thames Path being the Kings Head at Little Marlow (“dark beams, roaring fires and leather banquettes”); the Bear Inn (” a hidden gem for locals since 1242 – it’s tucked away in an unassuming location just off the high street”); and Jacob’s Inn at Wolvercote (“stylish, buzzing pub is ideal for families, friends or walkers”).
None of these three are obvious ports of call. Jacob’s Inn, 500m from the Path at Wolvercote, tends to get beaten by the Trout, which is just across Godstow Bridge. The Bear Inn is hidden away on Alfred Street close to Christ Church college. The Kings Head at Marlow is almost a mile from the river between Marlow and Bourne End. The Spade Oak is much closer to the Path.
Staying with “off-piste” pubs, the Plowden Arms at Shiplake has been purchased. The pub has been closed for some years. The pub is just 500m from the boathouse at Shiplake College. The route will take you past the church of St Peter and St Paul where Alfred Lord Tennyson married the vicar’s daughter.
A Closer Look: Godstow Bridge to Swinford Bridge (3.6 miles)
It had been a while since we were last on this section of the Path, typically walked in a downstream direction from Newbridge or Bablock Hythe into Oxford. We parked at Wolvercote and walked upstream with the plan of walking back through Wytham Woods.
The car park at Wolvercote is free and is a useful launch pad for a walk around Port Meadow. There is a bus service to Oxford and two pubs: The Jacob Inn mentioned in our hospitality section above, and the Trout, sitting on an island on Godstow Bridge. The bridge houses a touching memorial to two airmen who died in a monoplane in 1912.
Turning right at Godstow Bridge to go upstream, you can see the ruins of Godstow Abbey behind you. But that’s covered elsewhere. So we headed north following the river upstream towards Kings Lock. This section of the Path is somewhat marred by the sound of the busy A34 which carries an enormous volume of lorries, as it connects the M40 with Southampton. Were it not for the distant traffic noise, this section of the Path would feel quite remote. The A34 recedes into the distance only to be replaced by the A40 which runs parallel to the river about a third of a mile away.
King’s Lock marks the most northerly point of the Thames. It’s been heading north-easterly since Northmoor and then turns sharply south heading towards Oxford. There is a small information centre here, environmentally constructed from straw with foundations from disused tractor tyres.
As we were heading upstream, we changed direction by 90 degrees to head towards Swinford Bridge. The silhouette of Wytham Woods, rising to a height of around 500 feet, is to our left. As you approach Swinford Bridge, you enter the woods which extend down to touch the river for a short time.
Wytham Woods is a designated site of special scientific interest owned by Oxford University and extends to more than 400 hectares. It is renowned for its diverse ecology. We had hoped to walk back to Wolvercote through the woods, accessing them from the Thames Path. However, that is not possible. Access is only permitted from the two car parks on the opposite side of the woods: at Wytham and at Botley. Furthermore, you must apply for a permit to enter – although the process is not particularly cumbersome. So, as a detour, it’s not very practical.
Thwarted but determined not to return to Wolvercote the same way, we followed the Oxford Greenbelt Way which skirts the edge of the woods. The Greenbelt Way is a 50 mile circular footpath around the edge of Oxford. Whilst not particularly striking, aside from a majestic dead tree, sometimes it’s nice to get away from the river!
And finally….
Andy Spencer of Hammerton’s ferry, which operates a shuttle service across the river between Twickenham and Ham House, has started a sponsored swim. He intends to swim a mile a day for a year! He is trying to raise £10,000 for Macmillan Cancer in memory of his father, Francis, who died last year. Here’s a link to Andy’s JustGiving page.
The Hammerton ferry is a great way of getting across the river: one of just three remaining ferry services, the others being at Shepperton and Hampton. Just love the instruction on the website: “If you are Ham side please wave to be collected.”
Mind how you go.
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