Thames Path – Oxford to Newbridge to Lechlade

Oxford to Newbridge – 13.5 miles

Rain, rain, rain! We’ve definitely been beating the odds for rain in England this time of year, but it was bound to catch up with us. We were most thankful for our rain gear. The further we walked from Oxford, the less traffic noise we heard. Sirens and car horns faded away. We walked through wet, muddy meadows and fields, greeted by black-faced, long-tailed sheep and Angus cows.

Gates divide one field from the next and keep the critters fenced in.

As we crossed one meadow, we saw the remains of an old building and soon learned this site was the ancient ruins of Godstow Abbey, aka the Godstow Nunnery. Founded in c.1133 by Edith of Winchester, this Benedictine nunnery was dedicated to St Mary and St John the Baptist.

Godstow Abbey built c.1133

The abbey was seized by King Henry VIII in 1539 and given to his physician. It was severely damaged during the English Civil War (mid-17th century) and later quarried for building stone. Godstow Abbey is famed as the burial place of 'Fair Rosamund' de Clifford, Henry II's mistress. Not much remains as you can see. FYI … ‘The ruins of Godstow Abbey were used as a backdrop in the film ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ during the musical number ‘When I Kissed The Teacher’.

Not much remains of the once grand Godstow Abbey / Nunnery

The day continued dark and damp and we were pleased when we arrived at Rose Revived, our pub for the evening located right on our path beside the river. ‘It is said that [in the mid-17th century] Oliver Cromwell drank here whilst on his campaigns. He ordered an extra tankard of ale and placed in it a drooping rose that he had been wearing. The rose revived and the pub gained its name. In fact it may have been called the Fayre Inn at this time, named after the fayres [fairs] which took place twice a year. In the 1750s, records show that it was named the Rose, and later the Rose and Crown. And now, the Rose Revived has revived and it was splendid.

The Rose Revived, a charming place right on the Thames Path

We walked 13.7 miles today (getting smarter… booking hotels closer to river)

Newbridge to Tadpole Bridge – 6 miles

We’re wimps and we admit it. With the prospect of more heavy rain, we were put off by a 16 mile walk from Newbridge to Lechlade with not much in between as described by our Thames Path Guide. There really isn’t much in that 16-mile span, except that is, for The Trout at Tadpole Bridge. More about the Trout in a minute.

We were in no hurry to leave Rose Revived. The weather was wet and cold. Our room was comfortable and our English breakfast was fine. We did, however, have to walk six miles, so we left late morning when the rain seemed to be lessening and crossed the Newbridge Bridge heading along the muddy path to Tadpole Bridge. According to the Thames Pilot, ‘Downstream, the oldest bridge which still crosses the River Thames is at Newbridge. This "new" bridge, was built in the 13th century by Benedictine monks on the orders of King John in order to improve communications between the wool towns in the south of England, and the Cotswold farms, and named "New Bridge" as it was the youngest out of the three bridges built at the time. Sorry, too wet for pix.

Temperatures have fallen dramatically the last few days. It was 2C (35F) during the night and 5C (41F) when we left the Rose Revived. Though heavy rain was forecast all day, we were amazed when the sun peeked through after an hour or so and remained shining for the rest of our short trek.

We also anticipated a quiet walk, but were surprised to learn that a 10K was taking place along the Thames Path as we walked. The ‘path’ happened to be not much more than a narrow, muddy, slippery track at this point. Runner after tired runner passed us, splattering mud in their wake. We held gates for some and soon learned to pull off to the side whenever possible to keep out of their way. After about three miles, the runners veered off the path in another direction and we were left to ourselves. We got to pick and eat our blackberries in peace.

Some of the gates also had stiles beside them and we decided we’d give one a try. They’re quite awkward till you get the hang of it, but I think we prefer gates.

We encountered several concrete bunker-like structures and surmised what they were, but asked a passerby for more information. These eroded old buildings were, indeed, WWII ‘pill boxes’ placed strategically along the Thames to provide a defensive line in case of a German invasion in the Midlands. They’re weathered, worn and ivy, moss and lichen-covered, - and probably not much of a deterent to a serious German invasion, but they remain in place ... bleak reminders of the past.

WWII ‘pill box’ … one of many we saw along this stretch of the Thames

We reached The Trout in early afternoon, no worse for the wear. A 17th century inn, The Trout is now a charming ‘gastropub’ and has six lovely rooms, one of which was ours. Usually, this pub would be outside out budget, however, we learned that Sunday nights are bargain nights at country inns and we snagged a room for half price. We ate and slept particularly well.

The Trout … what a luxury for the night

We walked 6.5 miles today and enjoyed every minute at The Trout.

Tadpole Bridge to Lechlade – 10 miles (back to business!)

The sun is back and though the temperatures are brisk, it was a lovely day to walk. The Thames is becoming narrower and we see fewer boats now than we did downriver. The last couple of days of rain have caused the track to remain muddy and slippery.

Muddy, wet and slippery

We stopped for tea at Ye Olde Swan pub, a 13th century riverside inn on the banks of the Thames at Radcot Bridge. They no longer offer rooms at the pub, but they do offer wigwams!

Tea at Ye Olde Swan pub

No rooms at the inn, but they do offer wigwams … with tophats, no less!

As we neared Lechlade, we were looking specifically for the statue of Old Father Thames at St. Johns Lock. We didn’t have to look very hard. There he was, waiting for us to stop and say hello. I gave him a peck on the cheek to say thanks for allowing us to walk beside his river. St. John’s Lock, by the way, is the furthest upstream lock on the Thames.

A kiss for Old Father Thames at St John’s Lock

A cabbage white butterfly caught my attention

The spires of St. Lawrence Church came into view long before we reached the town.

As we crossed the Lechlade Bridge, swans swam past creating a lovely picture as we approached the historic, beautiful town of Lechlade-on-Thames.

We had reserved a room at the New Inn Pub, a 17th century coaching inn, not knowing that the Romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelly had spent a night here, too … back in 1815. In fact, he also wrote a poem “Summer Evening Churchyard, Lechlade” in St Lawrence’s churchyard. The path through the graveyard is now named after him – “Shelley’s Walk”.

The New Inn next to St Lawrence church in Lechlade

More about St. Lawrence church next time as we tour the church and graveyard and then head to Cricklade and Ewen and, at last, the Thames Source … the final miles of our Thames Path journey.

We walked 10.8 miles today - 22 miles left to go