So the third day of this block of walking along the Thames Path and we are back at Lechlade for our start. Out of the town, over the bridge and then under and we are on our way. Back into Wiltshire for a short while. This stretch of the river as well as now being navigable is where the locks start and we will pass 6 today. The swans are out to greet us on this sunny morning as we look back at Halfpenny Bridge.
Very quickly we get to St John’s Lock and the Trout Inn, we had just come this way in the car not long before! Old Father Thames resides here but no activity on the lock yet.
The River Cole joins the Thames here, forming a border between Wiltshire and Oxfordshire, so we set foot in our home county. Not for long though, we soon cross back to the north bank and spend a last bit of time in Gloucestershire! It’s quite strange walking on the other side of the river quite close to the road that you came along to get to the start of the walk. A completely different perspective on a parking spot by the river that I’ve driven by so many times – perhaps next time I’ll stop and spend a while enjoying the river. I often remember the very wet winter when I had a slightly surreal journey along the road with the Thames flowing in all the fields and the road like a causeway through the middle!
Some cattle in some of these fields and the second lock of the day – Buscot. The river really does wriggle a lot at this point. One of the predominant flowering plants along this stretch in Himalayan Balsum – Policeman’s Helmets – an invasive species which grows very vigorously, but does make an attractive edge to the river bank.
Other flowers along the way today – water mint and purple loosestrife.
Having seen swans at the beginning of the walk it was not long before we found this family of quite mature cygnets.
Our path has run very close to Kelmscott Manor and a deviation to visit would have been good. This was once the home of William Morris and having closed during the pandemic it has recently been revitalised – a skilled craftsman his many designs which subtly depict nature are still very popular. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Morris
The third of our locks is met quickly Grafton – not close to the village of the same name but joined by a track and easily accessible via this small roadway. These moorings were obviously popular and regularly used by their owners. Pot plants and decking as well as the picnic tables!
The river is gentle and does meander a lot and is not very busy at this point in our journey. Our next landmark is Radcot bridge which is apparently the oldest bridge over the River Thames. Built in around 1200 it was damaged in a battle in 1387 between two sides quite possibly disputing lands, this at the time formed a border between what was to become Oxfordshire and Berkshire, until that is when on 1st April 1974 this area became part of Oxfordshire. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Radcot_Bridge
We are making good headway along our route, not meeting many people, we had seen the young couple once again the day before armed with sticks against the cows ! But so far today we hadn’t met either them or the German group. so next Radcot lock and we stop for something to eat. That’s four of the six today but all very quiet considering it is the weekend. We are back on the south bank again and will stay here for a while. We spot another family of swans, this time with six almost fully grown cygnets- quite an accomplishment.
Before we set off we meet up with the young couple who have overlapped our paths. They are American law graduates who are exploring this part of England before returning to start work. They still have their sticks and are finding it difficult to grasp that in England you can walk through a field of livestock, in fact they are finding the whole footpaths and ease off access very unusual! They are heading for Tadpole Bridge, not to far away and then a very short section the next day before going eventually to Oxford. Their luggage is being transported to various hostelries along the way.
Shortly after the lock we come to ‘Old Man’s Bridge’, a high wooden bridge which again linked Oxfordshire and Berkshire, Bampton is to the north. Richard and I had crossed this bridge on our way from Bampton , during a walk earlier in the year. This is an area crisscrossed with brooks but although possibly very wet for much of the year it may have been an important route for the movement of sheep during the ‘hay day’ of Cotswold sheep farming.
Richard and I muse over the fact that somewhere along this stretch we had to turn back because of a quagmire which Steve the SPR leader insisted on finding a way through! The river really does wriggle here and it’s much easier to walk in a straight line than pedantically follow it’s banks.
Next is Rushey’s Lock and we at last see some action, although most of these locks do have lock keepers, they all seem to have this weekend off. We have to cross the weir at this point and we are back on the north bank. Not too long and we are at Tadpole Bridge but alas no time to stop at the pub!
For a short while after the bridge we have a very different terrain.,Quite a squeaky route between the Willows. I have been following a Facebook group called Ridgeways and Ancient Trackways and a thought occurs to me that although this isn’t a conventional ancient route it would have been walked by many people in the past guiding their horses along the river. Fiona had researched the night before that salt used to be transported from Droitwich and then carried from Lechlade to London along the river. We are not that far from Cirencester an extremely important Roman town.
So if we only consider the transportation of salt and cheese plus wool my musings that many would have trod our path before us are probably very correct!
The river has widened a little but has much overhanging foliage. A vast empty flat landscape to our left but a few highlights.
We’ve just reached ‘Ten foot Bridge’ , obviously much wider than that so a bit of a strange name. We are taking a little break, Fiona has just finished exploring the bridge and we hear a large blast on the horn of a boat. We are on a bend and a very wide boat has come under the bridge rather quickly much to the dismay of the one coming in the other direction! And he managed to hit one of the posts and then his co pilot at the front of the boat had to duck away from the branches at the side of the river!!
We now have Chimney Meadows beside us, an area of significant scientific interest with a large area of unspoilt grassland but with several water courses. A hide by the side of the path indicates for those patient enough that this would be a worthwhile spot.
Our next significant section is along Shifford Lock cut, a very straight area created to cut of a huge loop of river. About half way along and where we left the river on our Bampton walk we cross yet again and then pass over a weir. Strangely our path doesn’t actually go through lock number six although we are aware of it’s presence. We still have quite a long way to go until we reach our final destination for the day but it is not unpleasant and there has been some variety. The reeds along the river are magnificent in places.
We walk through one field with a flock of several hundred sheep and large lambs. They really are struggling to find anything to eat and we discuss the effects this will have on the late finishing of the lambs, the state of the ewes for next years lambing and the very sad state of the fields.
We’ve noticed some very big poplar trees just after the lock and wonder how long they have been growing, wonderful specimens.
Our journey has nearly ended ‘New Bridge comes into sight. Not so new though! We do settle down for a drink this time- well earned in the warm weather and after 29 kilometres.
Our story for the day does not however quite end here. Whilst taking refreshment the group we now know to be Germans arrived at the pub – ‘The Rose Revived’. There were 7 in total and the mum went in first whilst we chatted. Much distress she had booked beds for the night – only 6 had been available but she had assured herself that somehow they’d find her an extra bed. No such luck.
Quick discussion between ourselves – Richard in particular said he would sort it out – took phone numbers and assured them he’d be back. He had several thoughts. In the end the father stayed the night at his place and we returned him when we set off the next day!
Marion's 50 Walk Challenge 