Stage 1 - The Source to Cricklade - May 14th
Stage 1 of my 2023 challenge to walk 232 miles along the River Thames in aid of Royal Papworth Hospital Charity
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My 2023 Walks
One of my ambitions had always been to see water flowing at the source, since it has always been completely dry each time I've been there. When I first walked the trail in 2020, the river had completely dried up before Ewen, a good 3 miles away from the source. Additionally, I thought I should visit Seven Springs near Cheltenham to see for myself the springs at the source of the river Churn that many people believe is the true, ultimate source of the Thames. The Churn is a tributary of the Thames and flows into the Thames at Cricklade. Seven Springs is further from the mouth of the Thames than Trewsbury Mead. On top of this the springs at the site flow throughout the year, unlike those at Trewsbury Mead that are only seasonal. The arguments have been raging for many years. In fact, there are those who believe there is yet another contender to the crown. I choose to remain on the fence. The one thing that is certain is that the Thames Path National Trail begins (or ends) at Trewsbury Mead!
I got really lucky in January 2023, when more in hope than anything else I decided to jump in the car and drive the 100 miles to the source to see if there was any water there. We’d had a lot of rain in the weeks before so I was really hoping I wasn’t wasting my time and money. Again, more in hope I brought my wellies with me. En-route to the source I stopped at the lay-by at Seven Springs to see the springs for myself. Walking down a few stone steps in the lay-by there was the water flowing and a notice from the local parish council proudly proclaiming that this was the ultimate source of the Thames.
Seven Springs
The Wet Source
Returning to my car I continued to Trewsbury Road in Coates. I put my wellies on and headed off along the footpath that leads to the source. I soon got quite excited because there was a real stream of water flowing towards the famous stone. It was quite deep in places. This is great I thought. The Cotswold aquifiers were clearly full to overflowing! On reaching the stone and Thames Path fingerpost I had a ‘Wow!’ moment. Not only was it wet but water was clearly gurgling from one of the springs and looking down towards Kemble was a proper river.
After taking loads of photos I began a walk down and in the Thames to the bridge over the A429 at Kemble. I was thinking to myself all the way how lucky I was because more often than not there is no river here. The only way to celebrate my luck properly was to walk the short distance to The Thames Head pub for a pint and a piece of cake.
A week later I returned, this time getting the train to Kemble. I’d brought my drone the first time but it was too windy to fly on that occasion. This time the winds had died down and I was able to capture the Thames from above. The following YouTube video is the result best viewed in 4K (2160p).
Source to Sea Challenge
For my 2023 challenge I decided I would raise funds for the Royal Papworth Hospital Charity.
The charity exists to support the ground-breaking work of Royal Papworth Hospital. With increasing pressures on the NHS, the charity plays a vital role in ensuring that the hospital continues to provide the highest standards of care by investing in staff development, improving the hospital environment for its patients and supporting research into new ways of treating heart and lung disease. Its patients, their families and the staff are at the heart of everything they do and this is all made possible by the generosity of its supporters.
I started my challenge to get from the Source to Grain in 14 or fewer stages on May 14th. However, after just 4 stages and after reaching Abingdon, a foot injury forced me to stop for 2 months. I resumed on July 17th and at the end of the 14th stage on August 22nd I finally arrived at Grain.
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