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