Friday 8 July 2022
We start this week much drier than we finished off last week's walk in the same field!
Next to the Ferryman Inn which this is where the Romans forded The Thames. There was a crossing there for about 1000 years, a 3-vehicle ferry closed in 1965, there have been passenger revivals in 1981 and 1992 with a 12-seat boat.
We knew it was going to be mega-hot today, so we set off much earlier in the morning and decided to stop at lunchtime. It was just over 7 miles til lunch, so we'd planned a morning stop for snacks and were being collected when it would be the main heat of the day. In fact, our day went from 18.5 to 26.5 degrees very rapidly.
These sheep definitely had the right idea in the shade and couldn't believe it when they saw us and had to move away from the gate.
There were so many sheep across the next few fields, we were away from the riverside at this point due to a caravan park owning the riverfront section there.
If it hadn't have been a mega hot day, we would have gone left here towards the village of Stanton Harcourt, it's 0.9 miles away from the Thames Path, it has a pub called The Harcourt Arms which does food 12-2.30pm, there are thatched cottages, church, manor house and a 17th century parsonage with a church and chapel.
We were re-united with the river and plenty of boats
This cute little pup jumped off his boat to come and say Hi
Kissing gates galore on this section of fields and giant thistle heads
We arrived at Pinkhill Lock, which was once known as Pinckle Lock, it dates from 1791
Again, another lock beautifully kept with gorgeous flowers
Past some sweet smelling honeysuckle (Susan confirmed her smell has returned post Covid) and in to some much needed shade, each time we found shade, it was hat off, let head breathe, scrunchie out of hair, swish hair, glug water, put ourselves back together refreshed and into the bright sun and heat. There was no cloud cover today, just incredibly bright blue skies.
This beautiful bridge is Swinford Bridge, the first of two remaining privately owned toll bridges on the Thames, the other is at Whitchurch. It was built and paid for by the Earl of Abingdon in about 1765 (for about £10,000) along with the ferry and a ford and is governed by it's own Act of Parliament.
Free to pedestrians, but 5p for cars!
The bridge left the ownership of the Abingdon family in 2009 (£1m+) and is still privately owned. There is a pub called The Talbot if you leave the path and walk over the bridge, it's an oldie, it opened in 1774.
Shade and Rest? Yes please!
If I hadn't had an uncomfortable rucsac on my back I could easily have stopped there for a while.
We had reached our 5 miles to Oxford point and stopped at Eynsham Lock for a rest.
Eynsham Lock had plenty of benches, shade and most importantly LOOS!
Met the lovely lock volunteer, a lady who is also walking the Thames Path in sections with her friend, they have made it as far as Windsor so far.
I knew Susan was excited about her snack, but she hadn't told me what it was until she regally pulled it out of her rucsac and declared it a "marmalade sandwich"!
Definitely the snack of Jubilee Year!
But bears like salmon too, and I had a really good salad that had mixed itself nicely over the miles we'd been walking in my rucsac.
Susan's eyes were on it today, and she spotted 3 herons vs my 0.
Can you spot the one here on the riverside watching the swan serenely float past?
It was around here we could hear traffic, and this is where the B4044 crosses the river, very strange to see lorries after miles and miles of just fields.
We walked alongside the river with really high foliage reeds, grasses and flower for some time with Wytham Woods on our right hand side. This is a 600 acre estate bequeathed to Oxford University in the 1940s by a man called Colonel Raymond Ffennell, who owned the Wytham Estate.
Along from here the River Evenlode, a Cotswold stream that has travelled close to Stow on the Wold and Charlbury, joins the River Thames
It even inspired a poem:
He was born in 1870 Paris and during the Franco-Prussian war was sent to England with his sister.
We did think today, that the River is now the widest we've seen it.
Next a road we know so well, the A34!
Very busy as usual, but lovely and shady underneath despite the heat...
Past King's Lock, we had really started to slow down at this point, it was just soooooo hot and we knew we must nearly be at Godstow Bridge for our lunch.
We made it after 7.76 miles, which was 19,799 steps, it had taken us 3 hours and 47 minutes but we were so so happy to have walked some miles today despite the heat.
Godstow Bridge, Godstow means 'God's Place' and there are nearby Abbey ruins. It was founded in 1133, described as like a finishing school for the nobilitie's daughters. The Trout across the river was first built in 1138 as a Hospice.
The Environment Agency are replacing the Weir that has been there since 1937, it will include a new fish pass (salmon and coarse fish will be able to travel upstream) and a new access walkway, it will also move 2 metres downsteam to allow debris to be removed.
In the olden days, the bridge (where I took the photo from) was used to catch eels, as they were used for food and to sell, eel nets were made from willow and there are still some steel hooks on the bridge where they once hung.
I restored my energy with good old chicken and chips whilst Susan opted for the healthy halloumi salad bowl.
We stepped outside and could see ahead to where the river will be taking us next, it won't be long before we reach Oxford ...
People, traffic, buildings, it's going to feel so different!
Below is our favourite Tree of the Day, so incredibly shady, a massive chestnut tree, we were contemplating just hanging from hammocks from it if we could find some!
We also identified this flower with the plant app, as it was something we hadn't noticed before
Apparently it's a Chicory Flower, a beautiful blue/purple shade.
They petals are edible in salads and the petals, leaves and root are used for many ailments, it's a common non-invasive weed.
Until next time, keep cool in the heatwave.
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