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Archives for August, 2015

Thames Path

August 23rd, 2015

It’s the end of an era! This is my last weekend living in Maidenhead before I move closer to work in Uxbridge. I moved into this flat a whole six years ago, as this blog documented. Quite sad to be leaving. :-(

Anyway on Saturday I thought I’d go for a final wander in the environs and follow the Thames Path to Henley. For a while I was a bit obsessed with walking sections of the Thames Path, but I never managed to finish it. Partly because I discovered the countryside it passes through is a whole lot more interesting than the river itself.

It was brutally hot, perhaps one of the hottest days of the year so far. In the morning I came across some cows cooling off in the river between Cookham and Bourne End. Something about the scene seemed vaguely familiar, and when I checked my photos from the first time I walked this route in 2009 there was a paddling cow in almost the same spot! This is the solitary 2009 cow:

Cow

And this is possibly the same brown cow in 2015 now with friends and a little bit downstream!

Thames Path

Commuting

August 19th, 2015

On Monday night I finally fulfilled my dream of going for a walk on the M25.

IMG_20150817_214025

The atmosphere was surprisingly jovial. By chance the guy in the blue mini had stopped just behind his driving instructor.

Definitely looking forward to having a five minute walk to work.

Henley to Cholsey

August 9th, 2015

OK, so I lied a bit in the last post when I said adventuring was postponed until autumn. Last Sunday I thought I’d go for a late afternoon mini hike between Henley and Cholsey, hopping over the Thames at Wallingford.

Such a peaceful evening! Here’s a lane crossing the Ridgeway trail which I was following towards the end.

road_scale

Just before I took this photo I had a baffling encounter with a cycling Frenchman. He asked me if I had seen the “Stone of History”. I must have looked confused because he repeated the question. I hadn’t and he pedalled off on his way. I wonder if he ever found it.

Silchester

August 2nd, 2015

Last Saturday I went for a walk around the Roman ruins at Silchester which I first visited way back in 2010. I spent a while trying to take photos of a yellow cereal plant. Maybe it’s wheat. This was my favourite:

wheat_scale

It’s been a bit too hot for extended adventuring recently. Also work and moving house seems to be taking up most of my time. Never mind: exploring resumes in the autumn!