Blog 16. Goring to Wallingford, 7 miles.  Saturday August 2nd

This morning I thought it important to keep up the momentum of the walks, as I really want to get to Abingdon by the end of the second week of August. Jen my usual driver companion is in Scotland so stuck for transport. I asked my friend Peter if he would help me. He agreed and so we set off around 10 am from Farmoor to drive to Goring. It promised to be a day of cloud and sun in equal measure. I arrived at the Thames Path just behind The Swan at Streatley and started to walk. Being on my own I am afraid the photos will be rather sparse.

This picture is the opposite side to the Thames Path at Streatley, At last I have taken a picture of the start of a walk.

It was a good tarmac path, which is really good to get going and develop an easy pace, I soon came across a rather expensive looking pad and could not resist a picture of it. I hope the owners would not object.

Onwards and still a good path for another half mile. Quite a few people walking with their dogs enjoying a cool cloudy morning. Through a gate and onto a grassy path with a meadow on my left hand side. Boats moored but preparing for a day on the river. A particular narrow boat took my fancy but no picture as the owners were busy preparing to cast off. I thought of the time I owned a boat. Rather like standing in a cold shower tearing up twenty pound notes. However there were fun times. Elizabeth enjoyed the boat and with her husband we spent a day on the river much like the boat owners I passed.

After a while I came to Cleeve lock and watched a boat going through, I suspect the crew were novices and got themselves in a tangle with their ropes. The lock keeper was shouting advice to them. Again I remembered boating gaffs and the messes we got into at various points along the Thames nearer Oxford.


After Cleeve lock it was only about another mile to Moulsford and the Beetle and Wedge Pub directly on the towpath. I stopped for a coffee and remembered in my haste to get going I had not had breakfast. So a packet of crisps was all they could offer unless I wanted to stay until lunch time. 


Moulsford was the beginning of a diversion away from the river and through the village until a good way the other side. When I returned to the Path, it was only another three miles to Wallingford. I had arranged to meet Peter at Wallingford at about 2.30 and so thought I was making good time. That was the case until the path narrowed to grassy muddy thin strips, the sort where you could easily go over on your ankles. However that was not the problem, again in the sheltered areas the going was extremely slow because of treacherous tree roots and evil nettles. In one area there was a flight of ledges to negotiate with nothing to hold on to which was slippery due to the rain. No time for dark or sad thoughts as I had to concentrate on where I was putting my feet. 

The path widened as I reached a boat yard with paddle boards and such. I came across a man on a paddle board who was practising for a fun event, wearing a plastic horse!!!   I think he was raising money for The Heart Foundation.


Getting close to Wallingford I met a couple of women from New Zealand who were spending their holiday walking the Thames, they told me the source was very muddy and 'not much cop'. The path was again dark, muddy, narrow and many tree roots, crossing fields or private land going through numerous gates. The inevitable happened, just as I was coming to the end of a nasty stretch, I looked up to see the next gate and tripped over the last obstacle on the path. I landed in nettles with nothing around for me to pull myself up. Rather ungainly I got to me knees and managed to get upright. 


Nearly at Wallingford, just a mile to go. 

When I reached Wallingford I lost the path and went through the town centre. Lots of people about enjoying the sunshine. I found the Boat House pub where I was meeting Peter who would take me to his house to collect my car and head for home. By this time the mud I had smeared over my trousers as a result of the fall had dried, I brushed off and was semi respectable to get into Peter's very smart convertible car. My next walk will be from Dorchester to Abingdon 9 miles I will let me people know ahead of time as far as possible. Oops I forgot to take a picture of the Boat House Pub. 

My confession is that I have already completed the Wallingford to Dorchester stretch with Jen's son and daughter in law from New Zealand. This account will be my next blog, just to keep the walk in its geographical sequence. 

Maureen, 


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