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.