Last year, we travelled on a canal boat down part of the Oxford Canal and the Thames. In Abingdon, I discovered a book on the Thames path and the idea of walking the length of the Thames had appeal to both of us. We started at the Source near Cirencester. “Source” is a bit of a misnomer as there wasn’t a drop of water to be seen anywhere.
Although we covered about 20 kms on our first day, we were only accompanied by a dry riverbed. Some had taken the opportunity to provide the journey with a little artistry.
There is some speculation as to
the “Source”. This statue of “Father Thames” was commissioned in 1854 for the
Crystal Palace to mark the head of the Thames at Trewsbury Mead. In 1974 due to
vandalism, it was relocated to St John’s lock.
2025 proved to be (another) drought year. The first (and subsequent five) days were quite hard as they were mostly in open fields in temperatures hovering around 30+°C. With the ground dried out and cracked, walking was far from a smooth affair.
These sheep formed an unusual mob
trying to protect one another from the sun. They were all panting hard.
By contrast, these smart youngsters decided on a dip, albeit in a small pond.
It was not until day 2 that we started to see a ribbon of water and eventually our first motorboat in an idyllic location.
The main distraction from the fields
was a series of “pillboxes” which were dotted every few kilometres. By contrast
to the pharmacist boxes from which they derived their name, they came in all
sorts of shapes and sizes. Far from a standard design, it was almost as if the
builders were challenged to come up with something bespoke.
In addition to pillboxes, there was an Upper Thames Patrol (UTP) operating between Lechlade and Teddington. These waterborne units comprised several boats suitably armed to fight off any invasion. The unit’s initials and meeting places resulted in a less official name of “Up The Pub”.
Day 3 did present one unique viewing structure with a different target. Although there were good views, most life seemed to have gone to ground and sought shelter from the heat.
These yurts appeared popular.
They would have been cool at night, but during the day, a UTP meeting would
have had much more appeal.
Eventually, there was sufficient
water to warrant a more substantial bridge than the numerous small pedestrian
bridges encountered so far. This beautiful 13C example of stonework is at
Newbridge.
As with most paths, gates were a regular occurrence, although their purpose on quite a few occasions was far from clear….
Fortunately, even in the country, pubs appear regularly. The King's Arms adjoining Sandford lock (just South of Oxford) was a welcome lunch stop where the first order was a pint each of ginger beer and Dandelion and Burdock – on ice!
The range of buildings we encountered were in the most part, conventional for their time. We did encounter this Gothic and aptly named Folly House, built in 1849. Red and grey brick, battlements, wrought iron balconies, Coade stone statues in niches. Well, someone thought it looked great.
Our site at Burcot was a CL
(Certified Location) where up to 5 ‘vans can be hosted. This vast field could
have easily managed four times that number. The quiet was only interrupted by
the regular whistling of a couple of Red Kites. They were a frequent sight
throughout the walk – in contrast to when I cycled this area as a teenager and
cannot recall seeing any.
This one sat in a tree adjacent to the ‘van and ensured we had a natural alarm clock.
