'Tisn't over till it's over

We're nearly at the end of July, over 7 weeks since we finished the walk, and I still haven't posted my last post - don't worry, I didn't rush off to the Caribbean to spend all the money I raised for Arts Together and BCRT, it's just that I've always found it difficult to draw a line under things I do.

The first 3 weeks went by in a sleepy haze. I was restless and unfocused and slept like a log each night. The last month has been predictably flat as I gradually got back into some sort of a routine, but punctuated by moments of exhilaration as memories came back of people and places along the way. It took a while to get all the sponsorship money in and I was delighted and humbled by the generosity of friends and family who contributed to the final total of £960 - far more than I dared to hope for. My most moving moment (among many) was when Helen and Ian presented me with an exceedingly generous cheque which included a legacy from Toby to be used for a charity of their choice. It still chokes me up to think that they chose to use it to celebrate my achievement!

So what do I make of it all? Firstly I was convinced I would barely scrape through the first week - yet I never once thought of giving up once I had begun - perhaps it has taught me that I am physically fitter and mentally stronger than I believed. More importantly the act of plodding on day after day, through beautiful scenery but in some very uncomfortable conditions brought an incredible sense of peace, which is still with me. Mary, my wise friend, called it something like 'meditation through movement', which sums up the experience perfectly. I was for the first time living 'mindfully' and in the present, with no headspace to think about the past or to worry about what might be ahead of us. I hope I will never lose the memory of that sense of oneness with my surroundings and with my companions, Sue and Mel enhanced by the spontaneous kindness of strangers along the way.

In a sense the walk mimicked the course of my life which started in London and the southeast and brought me here to the Cotswolds (very reluctantly) in the 1980's. Arriving back in the Water Parks I realised that I had truly come home and had finally left the southeast behind emotionally. So perhaps that's why it's so difficult to draw the line - walking the Thames Path was a wonderful experience but one which didn't end, just opened up new opportunities, new bridges to cross.
When we arrived back at the Thames Head it struck me how far I had travelled in my life since 2000, my lowest point, when I was faced with reinventing myself as a single person. Apart from Ed, everyone in the welcome party was part of my new life - and what a rich and rewarding life it has turned out to be!

Acknowledgements

To Toby who inspired me with his courage, intelligence and passion for fundraising
To Helen and all the family and friends who supported me and sent words of encouragement along the way (especially the mantra from Thomas the Tank Engine)
To Sue without whose determination, enthusiasm and commitment Mel and I would probably never have got round to doing the walk
And to Mel who organised most of our accommodation, read the maps more accurately than I could, lifted my rucksack and above all made me laugh

The Chicken has Landed

The final legg was so easy and there was only one boggy patch near to where the river emerged from underground - at least a mile from the source which was dry as a bone. it was a particularly joyful ending as we were joined by our dear friends Caroline (who lent me some very fancy wellies) and Alan. We dutifully took photos to record the event then wandered down to the Thames Head where we were joined by Diana, Gwyn, Ed, Bill and Tamzin and Karolyne, Asghar and Trevor from Arts Together which was a lovely surprise. We toasted our success and Karolyne presented me with a 'recovery pack' including a plant (joyous orange flowers typical of Arts Together), foot soak and foot creams, soft furry boottees for my tender toes and of course chocolate!

It was weird to arrive home and to be honest I am still sorting out in my head what it has all meant to me. Certainly it was the greatest physical challenge I've ever attempted and I was convinced I wouldn't make it past the first week. Yet once we were on our way I didn't long to be home and certainly never thought of giving up. Helen pointed out that we've both inherited our mother's stubborn streak and it certainly helped.
Still pondering .....

So near

Day 20 - Cricklade to Ewen. At last we are in Ewen, footsore and exhausted and I can still hardly believe that we're nearly home. It has been so exciting to arrive in the water parks and to feel 'at home'. I've walked here alone and with friends so many times that it was like returning to meet an old friend. The river is flowing fast and is much wider than it usually is at this time of year and the water is so perfectly clear that for the first time in this whole journey I actually wanted to touch it and even paddle. Most of the path here is clearly marked and easy walking. There are lots of flag irises, the dog roses are coming into flower and at last we've left behind the rapeseed corridors which have been so uncomfortable to walk through. The reports of flooded fields are all too true though and we arrived here with very wet and muddy feet from boggy water meadows on the outskirts of Ewen. Goodness knows what the fields will be like on the way to the source tomorrow, but remembering the video we saw all that time ago in London showing people wading above their knees in water round here just a month ago,I'm not too worried. Although the weather in the last couple of weeks has been unpleasantly hot for walking, it has at least dried out the ground most of the way, so we're unlikely to have more than wet feet to contend with. Tomorrow we will be back to reality and our own bed. What I've really missed has been friends and family. There's a lot of catching up to do!

nothing

One morning when we were still in London we met a rather self-important man who said he had driven down from Lechlade that morning. It has stuck in my mind that he referred to the Thames as a 'nothing river'. True there are no mountains, waterfalls or tidal surges endangering our progress. There's no major industry that i could see dependent on its waters and it's no longer a major transport route. However, having now reached Lechlade, I really think that the undramatic tranquil meadows we have been walking through provide nothing perfectly. And sometimes nothing is all I need. No kingfishers yet but we did hear a cuckoo and see and hear a curlew. Heard today that the area round the source is still flooded, so anyone walking with us on Saturday will need wellies

Day 17 - Bablock Hythe to Tadpole Bridge. Best night's sleep since we left Windsor! Hard going today. Still walking through wide water meadows, but now the lush grass is growing over the path which impedes the walking poles (?? Will I ever be able to walk straight without poles again?) the weather has been muggy all day with brief bursts of breeze which has been quite exhausting. Much of the river's edge has been colonised by shoulder high cow parsley and oilseed rape and there's a long stretch walking through high dock leaves. Where they've scythed the high grass it's fallen on the path making it impossible to see where the dips and potholes are. still no otters, but we did surprise a red deer and saw lapwings and rabbits in the distance. Generally fewer water fowl, though we did pass a large colony of geese and goslings, eyeing us very suspiciously. The river is narrowing and the meanders are smaller. Beautiful countryside, peaceful and remote

Day 16- Oxford to Bablock Hythe. As we left Oxford the flood plain was wide and flat. With blue skies and a light breeze it was the perfect sort of day to walk through southern England. The yellow flag irises are just coming out and the water meadows were full of early summer wild flowers of every colour. In places we walked through fields of cows with their calves and i was glad to cower between my friends, very grateful for Sue's tendency to make friends with anything furry.  I scoured the opposite banks for kingfishers, otters and water voles, but no joy so far. Easy walking. we have now left Midsomer Murder country and are in the land of Morse. (small swoon) apparently we walked through woodland where they used to film bodies being dug up. Glad Sue didn't tell me till we had passed that bit. The afternoon was less easy going, the last couple of miles being away from the river through fields where the sun blazed down and the air was motionless. Several fields of unshorn ewes and their lambs trying to find shade and I was thankful that at least I wasn't a sheep in an overgrown jumper in all that heat. The chiffchaffs never stop chiffchaffing. Such a little bird and so much noise!

Bridges I have crossed

Week 3. Miracles happen -we are still going. Only about 50miles left to do. Arrived in Oxford this afternoon and were met by Alan and Diana who brought changes of clothing - what luxury! We just spent a delightful evening at the Trout Inn with them. Delicious food and lovely company - what a treat after several hot and uncomfortable days. While walking Mel and I have been reflecting on the fantastic variety of bridges we have crossed and passed under. Some of them monuments to Industry and Empire, some severely practical steel girders bolted together and carrying intercity trains or taking us over the boiling waters at weirs. Some however have been a fascinating combination of practicality and beautifully crafted materials - timber, bricks, stone, steel - aesthetically very pleasing yet totally crucial to the social and practical needs of their localities. Fascinating! Thinking ahead we will be reaching the source of the Thames next Saturday, June 2nd, and are hoping that friends will join us for the last 4 miles from the village of Ewen. We will leave the Wild Duck Inn at about 10am reaching the source around midday. Then we will go on to the Thames Head pub for a celebratory drink at about 12.30 or 1.00pm. Everyone is welcome.

Hot and horrible

Day 12 Goring to Wallingford and day 13 Wallingford to Dorchester. We are all suffering quite badly from the heat. These were 2 of our shortest walks - 7 and 5 miles - rest days - but we are feeling very tired and when we got to Dorchester today I slept for 2 hours and only woke when Mel started to get ready for supper. There have been long diversions along busy roads - not at all pleasant. Yesterday we walked through shoulder high nettles and cow parsley which seemed to trap the heat and the smell of the cp was quite overwhelming but thankfully today we have passed through more open grass meadows with the grasses doing their own Mexican waves as the breeze caught them. Today we walked over a weir on a sort of metal walkway with the water churning below us which I found quite exhilarating on a very enervating day and we did stop for a naughty Danish pastry at a riverside cafe which raised my spirits a bit as did the first poppies I have seen this year. We saw the first little shoals of fish today in the river which is pretty swollen still, but the paths are mostly very dry with cracking mud, which suggests its not long since they were a quagmire and bodes well for the later parts of our journey. We met a couple who had left Edinburgh in March and were touring the country on foot, visiting family. Well there's an idea for my next adventure! The b&b last night was very luxurious and tonight we are staying in an old coaching inn, evidently used by the caste of Midsomer Murders. Meanwhile the red kites circle overhead waiting for one of us to drop, I suspect (or have I been watching too much TV?)

Per Ardua ad Goring

Day 11 Reading to Goring was a real test of stamina. We spent the previous evening with new friend Pauline, drinking chilled wine in her lovely garden and eating a super supper with vegetables. You can't imagine how much I have been craving fresh veg. A brief window into civilised life!  But then back to hard reality! Leaving Reading the path was very attractive and well maintained. Some stunning  scenery followed but also some very steep climbs and descents during 2 major diversions away from the river. All on the hottest day so far. For me who usually spends sunny days in a darkened room with a cold compress over my steaming brow it was not the happiest day - BUT I did it and arrived very tired and sweaty in Goring where we stayed at a lovely little pub, except that our little room must have been at least 100 degrees f overnight and we sweltered! It's a very special time of year to be walking. The fields are full of buttercups, plantains, clover and dandelions ready to blow. Every day we are seeing lots of fluffy things in and out of the water, but we were amused to see a convoy of geese with 2 adults at each end and at least 16 babies in between, swimming along today. Just like any nursery outing. We saw jays too which are fairly rare where we live, and some beautiful brick and flint buildings. Sitting beside a flint church having our lunch it struck me what patience those craftsmen had as they laboriously fitted those odd shaped flints into place. And always the scent of the water. 

Factor 30

Day 10 - Henley to Reading. 9 miles. Henley was so beautiful this morning. Definitely on my list of places to return to. The walk began with another stretch of glorious scenery and clear blue skies. People we met congratulated us on having such wonderful weather but to be honest it was a bit hot to be walking and carrying the weight of a small donkey on my back! I love the local building materials - red brick and tiles, flint and timber I've bee reminded that this is Three Men in a Boat country, and profoundly wish I'd remembered to re-read the book before we started the walk. We had a delightful long lunch break at Sonning and met one of Mel's online running friends, Alice, who provided yummy cake, and I got my first donation today from 2 lovely ladies on the path who promised to look up the Arts Together website when they got home. The last legg into Reading was surprisingly lovely - like a green corridor cutting through the town. Interesting to see buildings from the back which I had previously only viewed from the train. Tomorrow is one of our longer days - 11 miles. I'll be sloshing on plenty of factor 30 again and praying for some shade

Sublime

Day 9 Marlow to Henley. I read last night that we are in Kenneth Graham country and remembering the sublime moment in Wind in the Willows when the animals see the god Pan, I know exactly where Graham was coming from. The valley has widened out, there have been fewer houses and particularly fine views looking downstream as the river meanders through the Chilterns. A gentle, peaceful walk with lots of time just to 'be'. Sue being a follower of St Francis chats to every animal she meets which means they are less likely to sniff and slobber over me, which is a bonus. Lots of water birds today and the birdsong generally has been glorious but so many red kites wheeling around overhead - resembling vultures too closely for my liking. Major panic when Sue lost her phone this morning - but Mel sprang into action, calling her number every few minutes and it was eventually found by a couple who had been alerted by a cyclist. Huge relief all round as our phones are truly our lifelines at the moment. Unfortunately it's getting a little too warm for walking and our feet are quite sore. Hope it doesn't get too much warmer!

On a high

Sunday - week 2! Glorious day's walking from Maidenhead to Marlow. Suddenly I know this is why I am doing it! Beautiful and varied scenery, fewer houses, but still very affluent, peaceful with swooping terns, swifts and swallows everywhere. The trees are all more or less in full leaf now in a wonderful variety of colours and textures. Baby ducks, cygnets and goslings doing cute things just like they should. We stopped in Cookham for coffee ( first of the day as the b&b stuff was undrinkable)Like nectar! Interesting how different b&bs make their economies. Last night's was very comfortable with a super shower, but clearly the owners weren't coffee drinkers. What a pretty village Cookham was with splendidly ageing bricks and tiles. I love red bricks! Ed came last night and brought clean clothes - bless him, I never thought before what a luxury clean trousers are. Now we are safely in Marlow there's time to reflect on the fact that we've actually started week 2. When we were planning this walk I thought I would be delighted if I managed a week and very surprised if I managed 2 weeks. Am preparing myself for a surprise! Thanks to everyone who has sent kind messages and pledges of support. They really mean a lot to me!

Gone astray

Day 7 - Windsor to Maidenhead. I remember teaching the children not to talk to strangers - but yesterday we learnt the hard way to follow our own advice. A long section of the path was closed because they are preparing for Olympic rowing events. However we stupidly took the advice about the route from a passing runner and ended up having to turn round and retrace our steps - probably at least 3 miles - when we hit an impassible barrier. As the nice young policeman said later: "don't trust the locals". Well true confession time now - we called a taxi with the help of a trustworthy local and rode the last couple of miles into Maidenhead.

Grey day

Day 6 - Staines to Windsor, Friday - and the exhaustion really kicked in. I'd looked forward to this section as it included Runnymede and the peace memorials. But it was a dreary walk with traffic noise and pollution most of the way. The constant noise of planes going into Heathrow drowned out the screeching green parakeets, but otherwise didn't enhance the experience. Windsor was full of bunting and a community payback team was repainting the railings. What a welcome! Sadly not for us. Still it was good to get our first glimpse of the castle and to hear the choirs and bands rehearsing for the little jubilee do being put on for her majesty the next day. Fell asleep as soon as we got to our room and only woke briefly to shower and find food

Move over Famous Five

Day 5 - Walton on Thames to Staines - and we've already done over 1/4 of the distance which feels very good. When I started I thought I would do well to complete a week but maybe I'll get into week 2! As i walked today I thought of composing an illustrated tract analysing the benefits of bursting blisters as you go, but thought better of it. Will just endorse my dear friend Pat's description of Compeed as 'gin for the feet'. Last night we stayed at a super b&b called number 33 in Walton. There was a mix up over the booking and we were upgraded to a luxury room with comfy huge bed, so I had the best night's sleep of the week. Forgot to take our packed lunch when we left and the owner chased after us and met us further along the path. By then we were on the wrong side of the river and the ferry man went over and collected it for us free of charge. Aren't people lovely? Had a truly Enid Blyton moment as we ate lunch - cheese and tomato sandwiches taste so much better in the open air, though Mel pointed out that we needed lashings of ginger beer to make it authentic! Swooping terns, swerving wagtails and grebes doing that mating dance thing in the sunshine made it all very special. I'dnever seen a tree full of herons and their nests before - quite surreal! Arrived in Staines just after lunch as it was only 7miles today and got upgraded to a room with a river view and a great comfy bed at the Mercure Thames Lodge. How lucky is that?

Starbucks to the rescue

Kingston to Walton. Our stay at the Travel Lodge in Kingston was pretty grim - in fact it was so shambolic we left without prepaid breakfast which very much offended my frugal instincts. Starbucks came to the rescue and Mel and I set off in much better spirits and what a lovely area it was to walk through - suddenly more rural with interesting birds and lovly trees and flowers. Geese very protective of their offspring, swifts, cormorants and loads of ducks and swans plus some small dark birds of prey that we can't identify yet. We even missed the worst rain and hailstorm, though it would've been nice to see the glorious architecure (Hampton Court and some glorious bridges)under a blue sky.

Wet, weary and only 19 days to go

2 days in and what a contrast. Yesterday was sunny and we saw London and its river at their best. I love the smell of the river - brings back childhood memories - and the beauty of the London parks. Today it rained most of the day but I love the rain and the miles passed quickly. battersea park was peaceful, and pleasant break from the opulent tower blocks. our walking poles are attracting a lot of attention. People seem to think we are looking for snow to ski on. We met 3 women who had walked from the source and gave us advice on blisters (guaranteed anti blister socks failed on first day!)but i was alarmed to see their film of wading through the floods - water at thigh level! Note to my sponsors - this isn't a suicide mission so I reserve the right not to risk my life, no matter how good the cause is. Sue is very organised and is wearing big placards advertising her chosen charities which gets people talking. Wish I'd thought of that! On to Kingston tomorrow. 13 miles - our longest day. More rain forecast, but I'm ok with that.