Downstream — Trip 4 =================== .. articleMetaData:: :Where: London, UK :Date: 2018-09-25 09:08 Europe/London :Tags: blog, downstream, walking :Short: downstream04 On the `previous trip`_ I walked from Shillingford_ to Reading_ on the Thames Path, and on this trip I was planning to walk to Marlow. For once, getting to the start was easy by a single and fast train ride into Reading_. .. _`previous trip`: /downstream-day-5.html .. _Shillingford: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shillingford .. _Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading,_Berkshire Day 6 — Reading to Bourne End ----------------------------- .. vimeo:: :ID: 291354956 :Width: 800 :Height: 450 :Title: Downstream — Day 6 With the `Reading Festival`_ over, there was little to see of hoardings and temporary holding pits when I started my walk towards Marlow. The first interesting thing along the path is `Caversham Lock`_, which quite busy on the slightly hazy morning. .. _`Reading Festival`: https://www.readingfestival.com/ .. _`Caversham Lock`: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caversham_Lock A little further along, I crossed, by means of a foot bridge, the `River Kennet`_. Through the `Kennet and Avon Canal`_, it connects the Thames at Reading with the `River Avon`_ at `Bristol`_, with the canal section between Bath_ and Newbury_. When recording the video section on this, I messed up so had to re-record the narration. .. _`River Kennet`: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Kennet .. _`Kennet and Avon Canal`: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennet_and_Avon_Canal .. _`River Avon`: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Avon,_Bristol .. _Bristol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol .. _Bath: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath,_Somerset .. _Newbury: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbury,_Berkshire Continuing along the Thames Path I noticed that there are a significant number of posh schools located along this stretch of the river, which sometimes means you need to make a little detour. Another of these detours away from the river is at Shiplake_, where the Thames Path brings you straight to the quaint village, with its `Phone Box Book Exchange`_, and its lovely railway station. .. _Shiplake: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiplake .. _`Phone Box Book Exchange`: http://shiplakevillages.com/index.php?pid=232 My plan was to have lunch at Henley_, at one of the pubs along the river. Just when I got to Henley however it started to rain, and all the pubs where absolutely packed, with lots of people wearing colourful clothes. I had no idea what was going on, and I was hungry, so I found a little cafe, `Cafe Copia`_ near the town hall to have lunch, and wait for the rain to pass. .. _`Henley`: .. _`Cafe Copia`: https://www.cafecopia.co.uk/ After lunch I crossed the bridge and found the Thames Path clogged with these same people in colourful clothes. Due to the busyness it was quite slow going for a while, until I got to a massive festival site just North of Remenham. There was a reason for the funny dress sense after all, as this site was hosting the `Rewind Festival`_, a big 80s festival. .. _`Rewind Festival`: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rewind_Festival#Rewind_South_2 After half an hour, the festival site was no longer visible and audible and the tranquillity of the walk returned, and I could listen to the podcast series Caliphate_ from the New York Times, once again, in the middle of the private deer park of `Culham Court`_. .. _Caliphate: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/podcasts/caliphate-isis-rukmini-callimachi.html .. _`Culham Court`: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culham_Court,_Berkshire At Hurley_ it became busy along the Thames again as they were having their annual Regatta_. As I was quite early, there was no racing going on yet, but as often with these river-side festivals they make you go around them, away from the Thames Path. .. _Hurley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurley,_Berkshire .. _Regatta: https://www.hurleyregatta.co.uk/ Near Bisham, you can spot the former grounds of `Bisham Abbey`_ across the river. Now it is sports centre, but when I passed by there was a wedding reception in progress. .. _`Bisham Abbey`: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisham_Abbey As I was now approaching Marlow, I asked one of my coworkers, who is local, for a good recommendation for a post-walk beer. He came back with saying that Marlow is primarily food-orientated, and proceeded to recommend a pub in Bourne End, another three and a half miles walking. I decided to do that, as it was quite reasonably early, and I was going to miss the train at Marlow anyway. Just past the town, the Thames Path got diverted again, as repaving work was being done on a section — yay for shiny new paths! The extra miles to `Bourne End`_ where worth it in the end as I settled for a half at `KEG Craft Beer`_ for a lovely sour. I also picked up a `train beer`_ for my trip back into London. .. _`Bourne End`: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourne_End,_Buckinghamshire .. _`KEG Craft Beer`: https://untappd.com/v/keg/5769376 .. _`train beer`: https://untappd.com/user/derickr/checkin/640374194 ---- Photos from my Adventure on the Thames Path are available on Flickr_, and all videos on Vimeo_. You can also see all the photos on a map_. .. _Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/derickrethans/44500461361/in/album-72157668662396357/ .. _Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/manage/albums/5306548 .. _map: https://maps.derickrethans.nl/?l=flickr&lat=51.6&lon=-1&zoom=10#fs=DOWNSTREAM