Starting in Streatley today and walking to Wallingford brought back some memories.
Soon after starting out we passed Pierrepoint Cafe. This was where Alan and I finished a bike ride from Chiseldon quite a few years ago. It had been a damp, drizzly day and we had got a bit muddy. We were desperate for a cup of tea but didn't want to make a mess so went inside and waited on the doormat. I seem to recall it was a Sunday and everyone else in the cafe was dressed up and we attracted quite a lot of attention. Anyway, we got our take-away teas in double-quick time and I imagine they were relieved we hadn't wandered in all over their nice clean floor!
Another memory was of the last time I attempted the Ridgeway. I had to give up at Streatley the time before due to an enormous blister on the sole of my left foot. I remembered how disappointed I was then and how pleased I was today to be able to carry on.
And I remembered walking the Thames Path last year. It was almost a year to the day (24 May 2012) when we were walking on the west bank of the Thames between Goring and Wallingford. Now we were walking on the east bank following the Ridgeway as the two paths run parallel to each other for around 5 miles.
The character of the Ridgeway has changed. We have left behind the wide open countryside we encountered earlier. Today we passed through the suburbs of Goring and some small villages (South Stoke and North Stoke). But we are now in a much more wooded environment and with the riverside walking, have been passing by reed beds as well.
In South Stoke we stopped at the Pike and Perch for a break. We had to wait for them to open and then the landlord was in a meeting with the brewery area manager. His wife served us but as the bar wasn't her 'end' (she seems to run the restaurant 'end') she didn't know the price of the drinks or even where to switch on the lights. The landlord's meeting ended by the time we had finished our drinks and I was able to pay so we could continue on our way.
In North Stoke the path goes through the churchyard. We stopped off to look inside as they have medieval (14th C.) wall paintings of biblical scenes such as the Last Supper. They are obviously very faded but what is interesting is that the characters in the paintings are English and dressed in the manner and costume of the day.
The Ridgeway Path turns east about a mile from Wallingford which is where we are staying tonight. So we left it at that point and kept heading north until we reached the outskirts of town. The final memory of the day was connected to the George Hotel where we are staying. As we entered the courtyard we remembered that this was where we stopped at the end of the day's walk last year. It had been unbearably hot then and long, cold drinks were the order of the day.
Tomorrow we have one of the longest stretches of walking (13mls) and the weather forecast isn't looking very favourable with rain promised. We are just hoping they have either got it wrong or are exaggerating how much rain is promised to fall just to cover themselves!
NB: Just over 8 miles walking today which brought up the overall mileage to 52.5 miles. We may be past the halfway point (35 miles to go) but we have some tough walking ahead of us.
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