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The Thames Trail.
I expected the Long Distance Footpath to be straightforward and to an extent it was -
WITH THESE EXCEPTIONS!
Oddity 1 .
Between Reading and Marlow the footpath was important at a time when horses towed the barges up and down stream. However, various landowners from the 18th c century onwards blocked the route and in recompense had to establish and pay for a ferry to transport people and towing horses to the far bank and then back again 1500 m downstream.
So far, so good, but the inland footpath went under a railway line and I was just about to take a photo of Sheila when the train came over.
Sheila is 5'6" tall and you can see her head above the height of the metal bridge.
It is quite amazing that this has been the case over decades.
As an aside we met the driver and he laughed as it was renowned as a "head-banger".
Oddity 2
Another oddity occurred just before this section of the Thames Trail.
This seemed odd to walk down someone's gravel drive past their front door to go through their side gate and walk down their back garden but that is what we did = Lawfully.
What has happened here is that gardens have encroached long standing traditional footpaths rather than the other way round.
Sheila led the way here and the photographs show the dotted line of the footpath as we walked from property to property garden. Most of the houses were of great value and attractiveness - some have their own moorings and pontoons.
It was a strange experience and must be very frustrating for the home owners to have lingerers and curiosity gazers walking across their garden/barbeque areas.
Eventually we got back to the proper footpath under the bridge of the Henley to Twayford line.
We were watching our TV weather in Streatly and the local news followed.
There was an interview with a septuagenarian. His name was Nigel Downing and he lived in Wargrave-on-Thames. He planned to swim across the Straits of Bonifacio in an official Challenge, having already completed the crossing of the Straights of Gibraltar.
"Mr Downing, who has been training in a stretch of the River Thames at Wallingford, said: "There's a current and depending on where it's flowing on the day the swim will be anything between 13 and 15km.
Imagine our surprise the next day as we walked along that stretch of river and along came Nigel Downing at good speed.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-61561931
Just look at this sign on Henley Bridge. Imagine the squabble between DPD and Hermes etc!
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