CYHA News

Thameside Wanderings

It was back in 2007 that we visited the Thames Barrier and took our first steps along the Thames Path. I guess that was when the idea to walk the whole path first took root, but it was 2011 before we took on the next leg. Having taken 4 years to only get as far as Richmond Park, it was going to take us about 20 years to do the whole 184 miles. With this in mind, we thought we’d better not leave it 4 years before the next bit, so Cress did some in-depth research and found some delightful apartments at Eton Dorney to help us tick off another 25 miles.

The forecast for the weekend was chilly, but we had no idea how chilly until we woke up in our luxury accommodation to find that the heating wasn’t working and two of the apartments had no hot water either. It takes more than this to put CYHA off the trail, so, fortified by a classic Dave P breakfast, we headed out to Staines railway station. Staines was not the start of our walk, but the end, so we started by hunting down the bus to take us to Hampton Court. The bus ride took longer than expected and we began to wonder just what we’d taken on. It was getting on for 11:30 before we started walking and we had a good 12 miles to cover – the chilly weather wasn’t the only reason to get a bit of a crack on.

This stretch of the river is prime ‘Three Men in a Boat’ country. Fewer bridges, more locks and definitely more people messing about in boats. We were enjoying blue skies and sunny weather as we kicked our way through the Autumn leaves.

The late start meant that we delayed morning coffee until nearly lunchtime. By this time the group had split into two and the marginally faster A team had coffee in front of a roaring fire in the Angler’s Rest. It took a little while for the barista to dole out all the drinks, so by the time we had texted them the B team had over-taken and were on their way to Walton. They still managed to find coffee, but it was on a chilly riverside bench rather than toasting in front of a fire. It was here that the A team caught up with them for a little light lunch before heading on to the Shepperton Ferry. The ferry is a tiny little pedestrian ferry with a max capacity of 12, and at 13 we were never going to cross in one go, but I think there was a little thrill of panic amongst those at the back as the first half dozen sped off without them! As it was our timing was immaculate and we made it back to Staines at twilight.

In the meantime Cress had left messages with the accommodation managers and when we got back the heating was soon fixed and we settled down to a cosy evening in. John and Judi did us proud with a fabulous three course meal, finished off with a round of birthday cake (for Judi). The fresh air and good food were pretty much a guarantee of a good night’s sleep, even without the beer and wine we’d brought with us.

Overnight the rain hammered down, so there was no rush to get out the next morning. This was another day where we started out on public transport - a train ride from Windsor back to Staines. This was just enough time for the rain to blow through and although it was misty and muddy underfoot, the rain stayed off for the rest of the day. A short diversion from the Thames path meant we could bag the Magna Carta memorial and celebrate the birth of democracy with a nice cup of tea in the National Trust tea rooms.

By the end of the weekend we’d gone from 18% to 32% of the Thames path completed. Roll on the next leg!

As I was going to St Ives

A dodgy weather forecast turned our Cambridgeshire cycle ride into a St Ives walk. Although very cold, the promised rain never materialised. We had a lovely walk by Fen Drayton Lakes, a good pub lunch, an excellent tea room, and we still have the cycle ride to look forward to when we re-schedule it in the new year.

Messing About

Thanks go to Chris for organising a lovely 8 mile walk taking in the Tudor gatehouse at Layer Marney. The walk was organised such that we had a mid-morning snack to tide us over until a late lunch at the Crown in Messing. This was an excellent plan, but somehow it meant that I ended up having two lunches. Lovely.