The source of the Thames to Cricklade - May 7th - Anne, Ellen and Theresa
Length 22 km (14 miles)
Finally the weather has warmed a little and the days are longer.We have therefore
taken a giant leap from our city walks (literally) and last Tuesday Ellen, Theresa and Anne travelled out to the source of the Thames in rural Gloucester and our group will now walk back towards London over the next few months.
Our walk began in Kemble, about a mile from the source of the Thames. This point is generally recognised as the source of the river Thames although it was just a dry dip in a field of cows, marked by the signpost, a stone marker and a small group of pebbles marking the spring beneath an ancient elm tree.
Our walk truly begins here and as we doubled back towards Kemble, the early signs of the river began to appear.
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| The true beginning of our journey |
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| Theresa and Anne at the source of the Thames |
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| Ellen and Theresa at the source. |
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| The river begins its journey |
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| The Thames just near Kemble |
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| The remains of an old stone crossing near Kemble |
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Through the Gloucestershire countryside
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The weather was fantastic - about 23 and sunny. We walked through fields, past farms and past the cottages of the tiny hamlet of Ewen. Our walk continued through the Cotswald Water Park, a huge area of land transformed from gravel pit workings into a series of about 150 lakes, managed by a trust to ensure wildlife and biodiversity of the lakes are protected, while at the same time offering a range of water based recreational activities. We disturbed what looked like a small camp of soldiers fishing and enjoying the peace of the area.
Ashton Keynes provided us with a very nice pub for lunch - the White Hart. The village was beautiful with picture perfect homes of Cotswald stone, beautiful gardens, and a series of channels of water, flanked by daffodils, lining the road into the village.
Our afternoon walk continued through more lakes and ended at North Meadow Nature Reserve on the edge of Cricklade. This meadow protects one of the finest remaining examples of ancient lowland hay meadows in Europe. However, I suspect that fatigue, combined with a need to catch a train asap from Swindon and the very late arrival of spring this year , meant that many of the species of wildflowers to be seen here, eluded us!
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| A few bluebells valiantly declare spring. |
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| Theresa and Ellen |
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| Contented Kemble cows! |
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| In Cricklade at the end of our walk |
We arrived in Cricklade to find our taxi, booked while walking, waiting to whisk us to Swindon in time for a train to London and, for Ellen, a night at the theatre!
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| Destination reached. Length of walk approximately 22 km. |
