Author: Leigh Hatts

The 2011 Good Beer Guide edited by Roger Protz and published by CAMRA (£15.99) is a good guide for those of us who are travellers using pubs for vital refreshment as in days of old.

Those recommended on the River Thames include the White Cross at Richmond and Boaters just before Kingston Bridge.

Near the Thames Path start there is a mention for the Pilot Inn and the Pelton Arms. The latter is on the temporary diversion at the back of Lovell’s Wharf. The 150 year old Dog & Bell at Deptford is rightly described as ‘much loved’. It’s unique.

The Crown Inn at Lechlade, which gets a mention for its Halfpenny Brewery named after the town’s toll bridge, is a good place for bed and breakfast (£45 or £55 double).

Hugo Vickers was at Southwark Cathedral on Sunday morning for the presentation of a seat.

After the Choral Eucharist there was a procession out of the cathedral into the Millennium Courtyard on the north side where Hugo Vickers, chair of the Jubilee Walkway Trust, formally handed over the seat.

The Walkway passing the courtyard gates is also the Thames Path. The seat provides a good spot for walkers to pause and rest or eat sandwiches. Food is available from the Refectory opposite the seat.

After the 1977 Jubilee it was the many walkway signs pointing inland round buildings that help to highlight the lack of a proper riverside path.

The London-SE1 website has a report from the cathedral.

See page 31.

Last night I was at Southwark Cathedral alongside the Thames Path so I missed BBC1’s Countryfile report on the source of the Thames.

I have now watched the programme on the BBC iPlayer. The Thames item is at the beginning of the programme and offers a simple explanation for the often lack of water at the official source.

Sadly the camera did not look downstream from the source to show the indentation in the field but the presenter does walk the dry bed south of the Fosse Way main road. The filming was at the end of last month when water could not be found until Ewen.

We are told that in very dry periods water has not been found until Ashton Keynes.

Watch it here.

See page 211 to 213.

There are plans for an LED video installation on a City bank of the Thames in London.

It is designed to be viewed from Tate Modern on Bankside and would be on all the time except between 1am and 7am.

Only London SE1 has the story so far.

BBC London will be featuring the River Thames this week at 6.30pm on BBC1.

Plans for Enderby’s Wharf to become a cruise liner terminal have been submitted to Greenwich Council.

The early Victorian Enderby House associated with General Gordon would be incorporated into the development but locals are not happy. Nearby Lovell’s Wharf is already closed for  along period.

The best view of the Enderby’s Wharf proposals can be seen on the Docklands 24 site.

See pages 16 and 17.

Looking across from City Hall to the Tower of London at low tide one can wonder about the age of the much-repaired river wall.

Where did the moat enter the Thames up to the 19th century?

The FROG blog has some interesting observations.

See page 29.

Author Christina Hardyment has been sailing up the Thames and a week ago with much effort made it to Cricklade by punt.

She has now written up her blog. Her tales of stopping at the Red Lion at Castle Eaton, ordering a taxi to link up with a rare bus and visiting Kelmscot Manor will make interesting reading to those of us who have ventured upstream.

It’s good to hear about the painting restoration at Ingelsham Church.

Click on Adventures for some more Thames pictures.

Christina’s report makes me want to get back to the Oxfordshire and Wiltshire Thames now.

See pages 194 to 202.

A plan devised by Bermondsey architect Michael Davis to provide a wide riverside path between the London Bridge and the South Bank is to be considered by the London assembly’s transport committee.

The London Promenade plan would see a path built out into the river to keep walkers by water at such pinch points as Southwark Cathedral, Clink Street and Blackfriars Bridge.

See pages 30-37.

Swan Upping, the annual census of the swan population on River Thames, starts today.

Look out for the skiffs with their Royal and livery flags making a colourful sight on their slow progress to Abingdon.

The Queen’s Swan Marker David Barber and his team depart from Sunbury Lock this morning for a week travelling upstream. With him are the Swan Markers from the Dyers and Vintners livery companies who also own swans.

The swans and young cygnets are also assessed for any signs of injury or disease.

The timetable is:

Monday 19th July 2010
Sunbury Lock 09.00 – Departure point
Shepperton Lock 10.45
Penton Hook Lock 12.30
Romney Lock 17.30

Tuesday 20th July 2010
Eton Bridge 09.00 – Departure point
Boveney Lock 10.15
Boulters Lock 13.00
Marlow Lock 17.30

Wednesday 21st July 2010
Marlow Bridge 09.00 – Departure point
Hurley Lock 10.30
Hambleden Lock 12.00
Henley Town 13.30
Marsh Lock 16.00
Shiplake Lock 17.00
Sonning Bridge 18.00

Thursday 22nd July 2010
Sonning-on-Thames 09.00 – Departure point
Caversham Lock 10.30
Mapledurham Lock 12.30
Goring Lock 17.00
Moulsford 18.00

Friday 23rd July 2010
Moulsford 09.00 – Departure point
Benson Lock 10.15
Clifton Hampden Bridge 13.00
Culham Lock 16.15
Abingdon Bridge 17.30