Thames Path

Newbridge → Oxford

Distance: 13.82 miles
Ascent: 35 metres
Duration: 4 hours

An English Sunday
« Not walked | Not walked »

A thin mist veiled the landscape around the Oxfordshire Thames this morning. The main signs of civilisation on this stretch are the isolated riverside pubs. We started at the Rose Revived, passed the Ferryman and stopped for lunch at the Trout. Between the pubs was a sequence of wide open meadows stretching to from the embankment to the horizon, heavily laden trees marking the water's edge. (We've come home with a bagful of jewel-like sloes.)

Stopping for a pub lunch is a rare luxury for us, but the Trout Inn at Godstow couldn't be passed. Sitting on their terrace in the warm afternoon sun, with ducks and the occasional peacock coming to inspect our plates of Sunday roast, felt decadent but quintessentially English.

Beyond the pub the path suddenly grew busier, and before long we were being bumped into by cyclists as the centre of Oxford approached. It's a cliché to refer to the weather, but today felt like a midsummer's day rather than early autumn, and we're delighted we took the opportunity to come out and enjoy it.