Thames Walk, Day 8

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Trip Start Aug 23, 1996 Previous
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  Marlow, England, United Kingdom
Saturday, August 8, 2009

Now according to the book, we were meant to walk to Tilehurst, but as Reading was only 5 K's down the road, we decided to continue onwards. Because of this, our next day was only going to be around 11, so we ditched day seven and change our walk from 15 down to 14 days, but it did mean that we would have the biggest walk that we had done in our lives

Day 8

Start - Finish

Reading - Marlow

Distance - 29.2 Kilometres

We left the car at Maidenhead, trained it to Reading and hit the trail. It was good to be back walking and I decided to break in some new boots. They felt good and I was confident that I wouldn't get any blisters !!!

Once we were away from Reading, the track wasn't as boring as it had been. I think it was that suburbia thing again !!! We also passed another canal walk, this one being the Kennet and Avon canal, which you can follow to Bath and Bristol, but finishing the Thames was our goal.

At Sonning, the middle of the bridge represents where the counties of Oxfordshire and Berkshire. A plaques is there to recognise the fact.

Back on track, we arrived at Henley, home to the Royal Henley regatta. The only reason why they have a regatta here is that in 1829, the first Oxford v Cambridge boat race took place. It lasted one year before it was moved to Putney, and ten years later, this regatta begun. Actually, all along the Thames, regattas take place, but this one is the most famous. Two K's down the road is a tiny temple on an island which marks the beginning of the regatta. Photos taken, move on

Maybe it's because we are now getting closer to London, there are now more people on the track. Bit disappointing, but at least there are some others seeing the area. In Hurley, we saw our first field of dandelions. Snap !!! The houses were also getting bigger, we even passed one witha huge garden railway with a station stating St Moritz !!! Not much further, Marlow bridge came into view. It is a smaller copy of Hammersmith's, which is to e expected as they were designed by the same guy. So we made our way up to the station as our walk was over and amazingly, after 30 K's, the new boots had worked, and there were no blisters to be seen !!!

And Finally

Total Kilometres so far - 200.8

Bridges Seen - 15

Bridges Total - 123

Locks Seen - 7

Locks Total - 28

Slideshow Share

Pictures

David at the Start of Day 8	Lucy at the Start of Day 8	Sign	Bridge Number 109
The Thames Trail	House on the Thames	Flying Grey Heron	David at Caversham Lock
Caversham Lock House	Caversham Lock	Grey Heron	Bridge Number 110
Sign	Old Bike	David on the Thames Trail	Old Boat
Swans	The Thames Trail	Sonning Lock	Sonning Lock House
Memorial Sign	Memorial Gate	Bridge Marker	The Thames
The Thames	Lucy on the Bridge Marker	House	Bridge Number 111
County Sign	Lucy on the Thames Trail	The Thames Trail	Lucy on the Thames Trail
Field of Dandelions	Lucy Blowing a Dandelion	Dandelion	Butterfly
Bridge 112	House on the Thames	Shiplake Lock House	Shiplake Lock
Bridge Number 113	Railway Line	Garden Railway	Garden Railway Station
Bridge Number 114	Bridge Number 115	Baby Moorhen	Moorhen
House on the Thames	Marsh Lock	Bridge Number 116	Bridge Number 117
St Mary's of Henley	The Thames	The Thames	County Sign
Pub on the Thames	Sign	Sign	House on the Thames
Fishing Lodge on the Thames	Fishing Lodge on the Thames	Statue	Hambleden Lock
Spider	Bridge Number 118	Bridge Number 119	Bridge Number 120
Sign	Eagle	Hurley Lock	Lucy Eating an Ice Cream
Bridge Number 121	Bridge Number 122	Temple Lock	Sign
Memorial Plaque	Dragonfly	Church	Bridge Number 123
House on the Thames	Bridge Number 123	Lucy at the end of Day 8	David at the end of Day 8

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