There is a temporary diversion until the end of April just west of Windsor.
At Boveney Church one is directed inland to follow the rowing lake. The return to the Thames is by way of the Dorney Court path.
This is to allow the towpath to be improved and vegetation cut back ready for the Olympics next year.
See page 93.
Chris Brasher lived at Petersham and set up the Petersham Trust in 1999 to preserve Petersham Meadows. For a time the riverside grass was grazed by cows – the nearest herd to London.
The Meadows have now been placed in the care of the National Trust which continues to pay the peppercorn rent of a posey of wild flowers to Richmond Council.
This seems appropriate as the Trust already looks after nearby Ham House.
See page 60.
It is worth crossing the river at Putney to have look at Fulham Palace where the moat once fed by the River Thames has been revealed.
The moat, England’s longest and foolishly filled in about 90 years ago, has been excavated either side of the entrance.
See page 49.
The Oxford Mail reports that repairs to the towpath each side of Oxford have been completed.
See pages 166-176.
Lunch today at Brunswick House Cafe at Vauxhall.
Brunswick House is on the Thames Path where it leaves St George Wharf. The lovely 18th-century house is occupied by Lassco who sell architectural salvage. You can wander all over the house looking at piles of door knobs, letterboxes, street signs, tiles and framed posters. There are even old baths.
An extension on the north side is where the cafe has recently opened. Diners sit on old chairs at antique tables.
Arriving at 1pm was maybe not a good idea as it’s very popular. It was thirty minutes before I was served but everyone is polite and hardworking.
The so-called Blythburgh sausage roll (£6.40) was a huge slice of meat in thin pastry served with salad. It was worth waiting for and really filling. Water is easily available which will be welcome to walkers in summer.
Also on the menu was roast beetroot soup and haggis on toast. The coffee had been roasted just two weeks ago.
A pot of Lapsang Souchong is £2.
I was away by 2pm which was fine for several hours walking before dark.
Brunswick House, on the corner of Wandsworth Road and Nine Elms Lane, is a handy and delightful stop on the Thames Path between the South Bank and Putney.
The opening times are 8am (weekends 10am) to 5pm.
See page 40.
The Port of London Authority is holding a public meeting next month at the London Rowing Club on Putney’s Embankment.
The opportunity to hear updates on key developments on the river in London is on Wednesday 16 February at 6.30pm.
It is now clear that the boating accident at Shepperton on Sunday night has resulted in two deaths.
Keith Lowde, who was at the tiller of the boat, died in the accident. There is a continuing search for the body of Cambridge University Lecturer Dr Rex Walford.
The wives of the lost men who were in the boat were rescued along with two other passengers.
Mr Lowde was a music producer and a resident on the island. His friend Dr Walford was for a time senior tutor at downstream Maria Grey College on the Twickenham bank.
Pharaoh’s Island, which has 23 homes, is said to have been used by Admiral Lord Nelson and received its name after the Battle of the Nile.
See page 72.
Walkers on the Thames path this morning may see much activity between Staines and Walton-on-Thames as the search continues for two men missing following an accident on the water.
Reports say that six passengers were being taken by ferry from Pharaoh’s Island to the Shepperton bank at about 7.30pm last night when the boat capsized. Only four, three women and a man, are accounted for.
As always on these occasions one remembers that the Thames can be a dangerous place.
See page 72.
Wallingford Bridge is closed following problems with a burst water main caused by the cold weather.
The bridge structure is being checked.
The Thames Path does not cross the bridge but the closure is affecting Thames Travel Buses.
See page 146.
It sounds like a re-announcement but it was confirmed this week that work starts in January on the new Walton Bridge.
A new bridge has been about to be built for years but the government now claims that the new crossing can open in 2013.
It will be built immediately upstream so the existing bridge, really two temporary bridges, can remain throughout the work.
See page 70.