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?)