Having completed the previous stage with no ill effects, a week later I thought I’d have a go at the next stage. I was hoping I’d be able to reach Reading but with an official distance of 18 miles this would be the longest stage so far; probably not very sensible after 2 months off with a foot injury but I had to try. To reach Reading would be very good psychologically as that would mean I’d be over halfway along the Thames Path; not halfway through my challenge of course because of the small matter of the 47 miles along the England Coast Path between Woolwich & Grain. If I got to Reading today I would no longer have any reliance on buses until the final 2 stages of the England Coast Path. This would make planning my walks that little bit easier.
In order to avoid as much traffic as possible I left my house at 06:15 and drove to Didcot Parkway station. From there I got a train to Cholsey and then a bus to Wallingford. With public transport behaving itself I was in the centre of Wallingford just after 9 o’clock. I was wearing trainers with my orthotics. It was quite sunny and not especially warm – perfect conditions for walking.
I was soon on the path and walking alongside the river which was very peaceful at this time of day apart from a few rowers. I walked under Winterbrook Bridge, an unattractive but necessary evil as it is part of the Wallingford bypass. It’s possible to cross the river at this bridge rather than walk under it to then join The Ridgeway National Trail. The Ridgeway continues to Goring on the opposite bank of the river. The Ridgeway route is more attractive than the Thames Path to Goring and it's the same distance but I decided I should really take the Thames Path and therefore continued under the bridge.
After a while the path entered Cholsey Marsh nature reserve. Much of the path through the reserve is enclosed with very tall vegetation and after all the recent rain it was quite muddy in places. My trainers weren’t the ideal footwear to be wearing! Because it’s so enclosed you don’t actually get to see much of the river. It’s one of the reasons I prefer The Ridgeway route.
However, at the end of the reserve I reached Moulsford Railway Bridge. This is a Brunel bridge that carries the Great Western Railway main line across the river. In fact it’s a pair of parallel bridges, the second one built about 50 years after the first as a result of increased traffic. The bridge is skewed at an angle of 60 degrees to the river.
After passing under the bridge the path left the river and took to the streets of Moulsford for about 0.7 miles, rejoining at the Beetle & Wedge pub. It was only 10:30 so too early for a sneaky pint! The 2 mile section from the pub into Streatley was really pleasant with views in the distance of the North Wessex Downs.
At Streatley I crossed the road bridge to Goring. Goring is a very pretty village; no wonder George Michael chose to have a house here. It had taken 2 hours to get here from Wallingford – about 7 miles. Bearing in mind the slip-sliding in Cholsey Marsh and the time for taking pics I was pretty pleased with this pace. Best of all I had no pain or discomfort in my foot. After getting my drone out to take a few photos I set off again.
Just before Gatehampton Railway Bridge, the path passes through a small nature reserve called Little Meadow Nature Reserve. I couldn’t help but notice it had been newly surfaced making it very easy underfoot.
The red brick Gatehampton Railway Bridge was constructed at the same time as Moulsford Railway Bridge and the two bridges share a great deal in common.
Shortly after the railway bridge the path turned left away from the river to begin the first of two climbs in today’s walk. For nearly a mile the path climbed through Hartslock Wood on the edge of the Chiltern Hills. There were glimpses now and again of the Thames below. The walk through the wood culminated in Hartley Steps, a particularly steep (well in Thames Path terms anyway) down and up. From what I’ve read, a local resident Eric Hartley (no relation to J R Hartley of Fly Fishing fame!) campaigned Oxfordshire County Council to get the ramp and 71 steps alongside dug into the hard chalk to make life safer and easier for walkers, cyclists and horse riders
After the woods, a seemingly endless bridleway brought me out at the top of Whitchurch High Street. At the bottom of the village the path passed through the churchyard, emerging near Whitchurch Toll Bridge. This is the second toll bridge across the river, the first being at Swinford Bridge. At 60p for a car it’s a lot more expensive than the 5p charged to cross Swinford Bridge.
By crossing Whitchurch Bridge I was leaving Oxfordshire and entering Pangbourne in the ceremonial county of Berkshire. I’d first entered Oxfordshire about 500 yards after leaving Lechlade and this meant that I’d walked almost 64 miles of the Thames in Oxfordshire.
Whitchurch Lock is unique along the Thames in as much as there is no pedestrian access to it. You can see boats entering the lock cut from the bridge but you can’t see the lock itself. Today I had my drone with me so I was able to view the lock and weir from above.
Pangbourne Meadow is a large grassy area with plenty of benches overlooking the bridge and the river. The Parish Council manages it for the enjoyment of all. I chose to stop here to eat my sandwich and take a rest.
After lunch I continued along the path towards Mapledurham Lock. This is a lovely section to walk, with wide open meadows and the Chiltern Hills on the opposite bank.
After Mapledurham Lock, the path is forced to leave the river and continues for just over a mile through Purley-on-Thames. Purley is a village but is essentially a suburb of Reading. I mentioned that the walk through Hartslock Wood provided the first of two climbs on the stage. Purley provides the second climb through a large, well-maintained estate of mainly detached houses. The estate was built between the railway and the road and finally emerges at the busy A329. The Thames Path crosses the railway twice before returning to the towpath between the river and the railway.
Back on the towpath the next mile was pretty uninspiring with tall vegetation left and right, metal fencing keeping trespassers away from the railway lines and the thunder of main line trains going by. Every now and again I passed small groups of people puffing away at weed and it was all ever so slightly unsettling. Imagine my surprise then when I came across a scantily clad young lady with a gun in her hand staring at me! Fortunately it was only Lara Croft, so that was OK!
Thankfully everything left and right opened up and aside from the Thames Path signs still in need of attention since I was here a year ago, I was walking along the section of path that back in May 2020 at the end of lockdown 1, I felt GPs should prescribe to patients struggling with mental health issues resulting from lockdown. It’s such a lovely section of the path. As I continued along the path, I saw a gentleman feeding a pair of adult swans. As you do, I said ‘hello’ to him and we got talking about swans and cygnets. Having become a bit of a Swan Upping nerd myself we had a lot in common. However, he was on another level to me, having a list of the tag references of all the swans in this section of the river! He asked if I’d like a copy of his list but I politely declined. To be honest I was more concerned with getting to Reading station and a train back to Didcot Parkway. Anyway, we said me might see each other in a year’s time for Swan Upping 2024.
I was now on the home run and reached Reading Bridge just before 5 o’clock. I’d achieved my target for the day and whilst my foot was aching, I was pretty happy. My Fitbit told me that I’d walked about 20 miles. After 6 stages I’d covered an official distance of 94 miles. So, to complete my challenge I have to walk another 138 miles in 8 stages – an average of 17.25 miles per stage. I feel this is very much achievable.
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