Tuesday 5 June 2012

Sat 2nd June - Ewen to the Source

The shortest leg of the walk but by far the most enjoyable! Partly because we finally reached our goal after countless hours planning and three long weeks of walking, but mostly because friends joined us to walk the last few miles.

Caroline and Gwyn met us at the Wild Duck in Ewen and Caroline walked with us from there. After a short while we met a couple just starting out going the other way. They had not been to the source itself because the lady didn't like going into fields of cows! I noticed she was wearing a pair of pink trainers. I didn't have the heart to tell her about the many more fields of cows she was going to come across. Or the fact her trainers were going to disappear into the thick mud around Ewen.

We had arranged to meet Alan along the way and as planned, he had already parked near to where the Thames Path crosses over the Cirencester-Tetbury road. He walked to meet us in the field between the road and the Lyd Well (the Lyd Well is where water is said to flow all year round .. the source itself is often dry except in Winter). At the point where we met Alan the riverbed was already dry - we were able to walk in the riverbed instead of alongside it. So the predictions we had heard of flooded paths seemed to have been misplaced. After crossing the road it was a case of walking through several more fields (and one last herd of cows) before we arrived at the source itself.

So .. having finally arrived there were quite a few "Woo-hoo's" and even more photos before we set off for the Thames Head Inn and some celebration drinks. There was one funny moment on the way. A young couple had been at the source at the same time as us and had followed us up to and over the railway line. They looked puzzled and asked why there were no Thames Path signs. I explained they needed to go back to the field where the source had been and head in another direction. The guy thanked me and said he had followed me as I seemed to know where I was going! I did know exactly where I was going .. to the pub!! :) Alan had gone back to the car to get Diana and made his way to the Thames Head when we arrived on foot. Sue's husband Bill arrived soon after with a little surprise - he had Tamzin hiding in the back of the car! And a little while later Margaret's friend Karolyne also turned up with a 'recovery pack'.

A few final photos outside and then we went our separate ways and headed home (in our case, thanks to Alan & Diana who gave us a lift).

Fri 1st June - Cricklade to Ewen

We walked 10.5 miles today though the book claimed it was only going to be 8 - maybe the path/route has changed in the meantime? In retrospect, apart from the occasional fallen tree most day's walking has been relatively easy. But today, almost as soon as we had left the outskirts of Cricklade, we had some boggy ground to negotiate and a flooded path to cross - then a very over-friendly horse to deal with who followed us for 50 metres or more no more than six inches away. The paths through the Cotswold Water Park were flat and easy to use - a far cry from the overgrown ones of a couple of days ago. We stopped in Ashton Keynes for drinks and the White Hart passed the elderflower test - then had lunch on a bench by the memorial. The remainder of the walk became harder going as some parts began to become overgrown. And as we approached Ewen itself, the ground underfoot changed. It became very boggy in places, then we found ourselves having to negotiate a flooded path - only a few inches of water but enough to make you pick your way more carefully. However, there was a way through via the woods alongside so we didn't have to turn back. The path cleared for a short while but we were then faced with huge puddles of water and thick mud barring our way. We got past by walking along the side hanging onto the fence - the man living nearby told us we were lucky .. last week it had been under a foot of water.

The river has now narrowed to as little as 10 feet across but still seems to be 3-4 feet deep. We are unsure what tomorrow holds - we don't know if the path will be muddy or flooded like people have been telling us along the way. However, even if we have to paddle the last part we're determined to get there. And it will be so nice to finish and get home so we don't have to live out of a rucksack anymore! :)

Thu 31st May - Lechlade to Cricklade

Another day, another 9 miles under our belts and the total mileage now stands at 173 miles. For the first time in days we had grey clouds and a stiff breeze this morning. It was quite novel feeling cold and by the end of the walk I even had to put my fleece on!

We have just over 15 miles to go now but today's walk started with a bus ride. The path follows the river out of Lechlade but because of problems with access it has been diverted and uses the A361 for a mile. Its a fast road with narrow verges so signs tell you (if you hadn't already guessed yourself) that the sensible option is to get a bus or taxi to Upper Inglesham where the path heads back towards the river.

The river did not meander as much as yesterday and once were past the initial stages where some small diversions took us away, we stayed close to the riverbank. We had to negotiate yet another field of cows - it was only when we were halfway across we noticed a bull amongst them! Once again the pub we had picked for our rest stop was closed so we had lunch on a lonely stretch of riverbank near Water Eaton. This was one of the most remote stretches we had seen and we hardly saw anyone all day. As before with remote stretches, the ground underfoot was rough and the path was very overgrown in places.

The river has narrowed considerably and in places, it was only 10 metres wide - we have left behind the pleasure boats and narrow boats and even the amount of wildlife has decreased. By the time we reached Cricklade, the river was down to as little as 5 metres wide and even less in some places.

We were speaking after today's walk about our expectations before the walk. I said I had expected to finish but wasn't sure as there was always the chance I might injure myself .. Margaret on the other hand, said she was convinced she would not finish. We both agreed we had no idea beforehand what to expect and just wanted to experience the river. Sue said she had been sure she would finish - apart from anything else, she wanted to prove her doctor's prediction wrong that she wouldn't last a week.

Wed 30th May - Tadpole Bridge to Lechlade

Today my legs felt better - I've no idea why as we had to walk further than yesterday when they were feeling sore - so I'm not complaining .. just grateful! The walking today was much easier - much flatter ground to cross and more clearly defined paths to follow.

The Trout Inn did themselves no favours today. When someone did turn up yesterday they were very apologetic. First we were offered free drinks but I said we just wanted to get to our room. Then they offered us 2 glasses of champagne with our dinner - after we had already got ourselves a drink. I suggested something off the bill would be more useful, meaning a refund of the room rate for the inconvenience of sitting in the garden for two hours. When I went to pay the bill this morning I queried the total - I was told they had knocked off the price of our drinks from last night! Big deal! We'll be writing to them when we are back home pointing out how cheaper, better value establishments we have stayed in along the way have showed us a lot more care in how they look after their customers. Let's just say the words in the Trout Inn's guest booklet describing how they will look after you during your stay, bear little relation to what actually happens.

During today's walk it was noticeable that the river is continuing to narrow. And as we approached Lechlade it meandered much more than before. We were lucky with the weather again - it had been sunny and hot again but it rained while we had our lunch in Kelmscott. We put on our waterproofs before setting off - this was of course the cue for the sun to come out once more. Later in the afternoon we passed St John's Lock where the statue of Old Father Thames resides. The statue used to be at the source but was moved to St Johns some years ago. The final mile or two found us walking back on ourselves at times as the meanders became more and more pronounced.

Now we are into home territory we have mixed feelings. We only have 25 miles walking left and what seemed a big challenge at the start now becomes more and more possible. But after almost three weeks we have had enough walking and it will be so nice to be at home and rest. There are just two more long walks left (to Cricklade, then Ewen) and then its the short walk to the source itself. However, we met some ladies today who told us it was still flooded at the source. So now we wonder whether we may be paddling the last few hundred yards.

Tue 29th May - Bablock Hythe to Tadpole Bridge

This walking is becoming seriously hard work. The cumulative effect of so many day's constant walking is taking it's toll on me. Even before our lunch stop today my quads were aching. By the time we reached Tadpole Bridge they were very sore and it was an effort to climb the steps up from the path to the road to cross the bridge to the pub.

The ground we walked on today was hard work - in places it was fairly flat but for long stretches it was very uneven. As we have reached these more remote parts of the path we have found they are not as well used. As well as being uneven, the path was overgrown in places and occasionally, there was no obvious path to follow. Also, like yesterday, we had to divert across a number of fields from time to time. But most of today's walking was along the riverbank so navigation was not an issue most of the time.

We had a couple of first's today - the first stile we have had to negotiate in 142 miles of walking - and we saw our first deer (it was spooked when we walked past a hedge and bounded off across a field). We have seen plenty of gees on our travel - today we saw what we christened meer-geese. Your first sight of them is of a pair of eyes and a beak peering over the long grass. They follow you as you walk along and as you come closer, they move off silently towards the river. It became more obvious why as we got closer - they had a large number of goslings they were protecting.

The Trout Inn at Tadpole Bridge are closed between 3pm and 6pm and were supposed to have left me a key. But there was no sign of it when we got there just after 4pm. We had to wait in the garden until 5:40pm before a very apologetic lady arrived brandishing our room key.

Mon 28th May - Oxford to Bablock Hythe

The hotel last night was very comfortable - so nice to have a little luxury on the way. A taxi ride back into Oxford and having met Sue at Osney Bridge we set off with the sun shining yet again. Within minutes we were walking through meadows with cows grazing and coming to the river to drink - hard to believe you are so close to the city centre. We passed Godstow Abbey .. the Trout Inn (venue for last night's dinner with Alan & Diana) was closed so we pressed on. Under the A34 (with it's constant traffic noise) and soon after we reached King's Lock which is the most northerly point of the river. Some more meadow walking after that and then for a change, some light rain. Unfortunately, it didn't last long and the sun soon came out again. :( The path skirts along the edge of Great Wytham Wood for a while then after a short diversion along the road you are back to riverside walking. Well, until you get to Pinkhill Lock that is. Because there is no ferry at Bablock Hythe, the path does a long diversion away from the river at this point. You cross a large number of fields using paths, bridleways and sometimes making your own path, with only occasional glimpses of the river or it's tributaries. Navigation was challenging at times on this part but I must have managed to translate the guide book and maps properly because eventually we came to the road leading to Bablock Hythe and back to the river.

Friday 1 June 2012

Almost there ..

We reached Ewen this afternoon - tomorrow we will be walking the final few miles to the Source. It will be great to finally reach our goal. But to be honest, I am feeling the cumulative effects of this last three weeks of constant walking and am looking forward to getting back to our home comforts and to having a few days rest. I've not been able to post any blogs for the last few days as wifi coverage has not been available where we have been staying. When we have had wifi, I have been so worn out I've not had the energy to post anything. I haven't had time this evening either but wanted to post a quick update of where we were. I've been jotting down some thoughts in a notebook in the meantime so once we are home I will attempt to update this blog with details of this last week's walking.