What a Scilly name!

View to Penninnis Head

A Scilly day out with some pictures

The Scilly Isles are a group of islands about 28 miles south west of Lands End. Only five of the islands are occupied and the resident population is about 2000. The Scillies have their own island council quite independent of Cornwall, which makes them the smallest unitary authority in the UK. They have been inhabited since the Stone Age with several burial sites around the islands. The largest island, St Marys, is where most of the tourists arrive, either by boat or helicopter from Penzance. I chose to fly on a small plane from Lands End airport, which was clearly visible from my campsite.

The climate on the Scillies is quite mild, which is very good for the flower business and the famous tourist attraction, Tresco Abbey Gardens. There were some interesting dark pines on one of islands set against the white sandy beach that made you think of the tropics. The weather for my visit was mild, with sunny intervals and the odd shower. I wouldn't like to be there in an Atlantic storm. What attracts tourists I suppose is the peace and quiet, although I thought there was quite a lot of traffic and the noise of planes taking off could be heard all of the island. There were lots of art and crafts places on St Marys (the only island I visited), boat trips to the other smaller islands, so of which are virtually traffic free. Of interest to me were the tea shops and the remains of the old Garrison.

I couldn't resist the pull of such a remote top and the adventure of travelling in a very small plane. Telegraph Hill (167ft /51m) is the highest point of all the islands and luckily for me it was about a mile from St Mary's airport. I'd venture to say that most of St Mary's was about a mile from the airport. It wasn't hard to find, the clue was in the name. Like all self respecting tops it was adorned by a couple of aerial mast, and for good measure, an odd round tower and a telephone box. After bagging the top, I spent the rest of the day wandering along the coastal footpath and taking regular refreshment.

Click on the slide show for more pictures.

Highlights from the big trip

The highpoint of the trip, both literally and figuratively, was getting to the top of Dartmoor, all 2037ft / 621m of it on what was an exceptionally good weather day. High Willhays is in the centre of this ridge, with Yes Tor, slightly lower but a bit more impressive on the left hand side.

The whole fortnight was all about high points as I got to the top of 15 out of the 16 hills I set out to bag. The only failure was Carnmenellis in Cornwall, a very unlovely hill with no public access at the top. Kit Hill, also in Cornwall, wins the prize for the best all round views, with Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor and Hensbarrow Beacon and Plymouth all clearly visible. I was extremely lucky with the weather as I didn't get wet once, whilest totting up over 95 miles and over 45 hours of walking. I averaged a cream tea every other day.


Flying over to the Scillies was also pretty exciting, but not a high spot as the plane cruised at only 1000ft. Flying in tiny aircraft is actually quite good fun, but take ear plugs as they are very noisy. It will probably be the one and only time I actually get to fly over a top.

I think the island shown is Bryher, but I'm not too sure.

Beside yomping over the countryside, eating cream teas, I got to visit quite a few National Trust gardens (usually in pursuit of lunch or tea), walked a little bit of the South West Coastal path on each coast (Channel and Atlantic) and did a few other touristy things. (Subjects for later blogs)

Anyone seen Bill or Ben?

Bagging the Big One

My first UK Mountain

Today was the high point of my trip as I bagged not one mountain but two. High Willhays (2038ft) and Yes Tor (2030ft) qualify as mountains by being over 2000ft. I decided to take advantage of the benign weather as the forecast for the rest of the week isn't good. There was plenty of blue sky and high white cloud with excellent visibility.

Dartmoor is a fairly trackless place and most of the sign posts say helpful things like "To the Moors" which I think most of us could work out. I needed all my map reading skills and the GPS to find High Willhays as it's hidden from view most of the way.

I followed the valley of the West Okement river towards Black Tor, a pretty impressive collection of flat rocks until I came to Blackator Copse (full of ancient oaks) when I had to start going up a very steep gradient. I was looking forward to enjoying the view in splendid isolation but I arrived at the same time as a load of ramblers.

From here I got my first view of High Willhays, a rounded bump about a mile a way. It was very deceptive as the gradient didn't look too strenuous but it didn't stop going up for that mile. Walking on Dartmoor is not particularly pleasant as there are no well defined tracks, and it can be very boggy/rocky. You also have to avoid cows and unexploded ordinance (only the former in my case).

On top of High Willhays it was very, very windy and cold, so I couldn't flourish the map to pinpoint all the other hills and I didn't hang about admiring the view. You could see a very long way in all directions. I went on to Yes Tor, which was a bit more impressive and then had to work out how to get off the hill. After a slight hiccup I was able to re-orientate myself and work out the lie of the land and headed off to the Meldon resevoir and cycleway back to Archie.

This walk lasted over five hours and went on for eight and half miles and was pretty challenging. You need to able to read maps and understand the geography. Dartmoor is an unforgiving place and I was very lucky to find it on such a quiet day, weather wise. You need to have a bit faith in yourself too.

For a fat, fifty-year old who's been living on a diet on cream teas, I didn't do too bad.

Bagging Brown Willy

Brown Willy Tor is the highest point in Cornwall, at 1378ft it is number 16 on the traditional county list. What it lacks in height, Brown Willy makes up for in remoteness. You can either walk 3½ miles from Jamaica Inn on the A30 or 2 miles from Rough Tor car park. I opted for the shorter route, which meant I had to walk over the second highest hill in Cornwall to get there.

It was a great afternoon for walking, plenty of sunshine and a gentle wind except on the tops where it did blow a bit. The path to Rough Tor was a very easy climb over lawn-like turf well mowed by the resident sheep and horses. Rough Tor is quite distinctive in shape, with high flat stones balanced on top of each other. There is a Logan Rock which you can move. Not being a Marilyn, I didn’t feel the need to explore it but scrambled down the other side towards Brown Willy about a mile and half away, only visible once you breasted Rough Tor.

Someone had thoughtfully put out some blue flags for a cross country race which led all the way to the top. It was a bit of a plod but not as steep as Lewesdon Hill last week. On the way I passed a ruined farmhouse surrounded by trees bent backwards by the wind, testament to how harsh the climate can be.

Brown Willy was marked by a trig pillar and a cairn, no topographs or aerials, with 360° views over Bodmin Moor. It was satisfyingly remote without being a totally knackering walk. I sat by the cairn enjoying the peace, watching kestrels hovering above. I met only three people on route from Rough Tor; one man who nearly caught with my pants down and two young men, obviously attracted by my powerful aura of knowledge, proceeded to quiz me on all thing geographical.

Topping good top!

A Scilly day out

When I lifted my curtain this morning I was very pleased to see the control tower of nearby Land’s End airport as today is the day of my trip to the Scillies. Yesterday, the airport and most of the campsite were swamped in grey murky mist and so the weather looked kind for my trip. I set away so promptly that I was upgraded to an earlier flight. At the checkin desk, they not only weight your luggage but you as well. I was lucky not to be charged for excess baggage after the numerous cream teas I’ve eaten.

The plane was a Cessna that carried eight people and the pilot in a space rather smaller than the interior of my van. Everyone got a window seat but the best ones are right behind the pilot. It’s a short, noisy but uneventful trip to St Mary’s, the largest island in the Scillies. Land appeared after about ten minutes, green fields and white sandy beaches dotted about in the Atlantic.

Once disembarked from the plane, I headed across the island to the highest point, Telegraph Hill (167ft), about a mile away and clearly visible from the airport. Despite its tiny size, Telegraph Hill has all the attributes of a proper top, it’s a hill and it’s got the obligatory aerial (or two) as well as a weird round building and a telephone box as markers.

Having rapidly dispensed with the business part of the trip, I was free to enjoy the rest of the island in the mild vaguely sunny weather. From Telegraph Hill, I picked up the coastal footpath across the golf course to St Mary’s. There were fine views across to the other islands. The path emerged by Juliet’s Garden Restaurant so I popped in for some tea and cake (seemed rude not to.) Once the food arrived I was joined by some birdlife with a serious addiction to cake and no fear. It was like a scene from the Birds!

I wandered through Hugh Town and did a circuit of the Garrison Walls with splendid views in all directions, taking in all the other islands. Visibility was good and I could see the Bishop’s Rock Lighthouse, with its distinctive helicopter pad about six miles south west of St Mary’s.
Hugh Town looked a little jaded as everyone was recovering from World Gig Boat Racing Championships, which is THE major social event in the Scillies.

Sadly, the weather turned in the afternoon and a soft rain was gonna fall so I retired to yet another tea shop until it improved. I had clear blue skies for the flight home in a slightly larger plane that had a crew of two. The plane did a sweep across the islands which I’m sure was for the amusement of the passengers, so for the first ( and possible last) time I got to fly over a top.

So what do people come all this way for (if not to climb to the highest point.) Most seem to come so they can leave again to visit the other islands, the most popular being Tresco with its famous Abbey gardens. All kinds of boat trips were on offer, sightseeing, wildlife spotting and evening supper trips. St Mary’s has a coastal path, with easy walking and great views. There are even a couple of nature reserves. The only museum was shut though. There were numerous potteries and studios and shops for those who enjoying spending money on holiday. I think you have to enjoy peace and quiet, a more relaxed pace of life and tea shops to get the best out of a holiday here.

The Scillies are pretty remote, there’s only one boat and it takes over three hours from Penzance. However on the quayside a spotted a man using his dongle and everyone had a mobile phone, so not too remote then.

Postcard from Cornwall

I'm now in Cornwall on my way to Sennen Cove near Lands End.

The weather has lost a bit of its lustre since Sunday but the rain has held off and the weather forecast is for improvement. Let's hope so, because on Thursday I'm flying to the Scillies Isles in a very small plane.

I've bagged a few more tops on the way. I was able to walk up to the trig point at Torbay because someone had left the access gate and there were no keep out signs. There was a good view of the coast and it was quite a nice hill so I thought I'd drive around to get a better view. I went down so of the smallest, unkempt and frankly dangerous roads in Britain, managed to stall on a steep hill in a moment of indecision and roll into a hedge. As the only way out was in reverse, poor Archie went through a hedge backwards.

I went onto to Tesco's at Roborough and walked up to the roundabout which marked the highest point of Plymouth. I actually walked on top of the roundabout, quite what the locals made of this behaviour I don't know. Topping can be very silly at times.

This morning's hill was Carnmenellis (near Redruth). It was always going to be tricky as there is no public access. It was a distinctly unlovely hill covered in gorse and bracken, and shrouded in mist. It was fairly boggy too. The only to the top was trespass through fields, over dry stones walls and through gorse bushes. It has also been quarried and mined and the thought of falling down something, in a place where I had no right to be was stupid, so surprisingly for me, I acted on this sound bit of advice and returned to the van.

Hoping for better luck this afternoon at Watch Croft on the Atlantic coast near St Ives.

Postcard from Dorset

The weather has been very kind for the Wiltshire/Dorset part of the trip with lots of bright sunshine. I've managed to do three out of the four hills on the Plan. I had to abort the attempt on Hardown Hill as cows appeared to have the right of way on the path I intended to use. I'm going to bag it tomorrow morning before setting off to Cornwall via Torbay (locked up aerial compound) and Plymouth (roundabout near Tescos). Hardly challenging stuff which is just as well as I'm rather knackered after a 10.6 miles 6hour plus walk today.

Today's walk took me up to Lewesden Hill, County Top of Dorset and onto Pilsdon Pen which used to be the County Top until someone decided in 2002 that Lewesden was higher. This was my 25th Traditional County Top. Very nice it was too, a bit of slog up through woods carpeted with bluebell, grassy clearing at the top but no real views because of the trees. I saw more of the hill than I intend as I lost the path down and ended up doing a long, tiring circle in the wrong direction. Definitely not in the place I expected to be!

Pilsdon Pen is an old hillfort so is open with really good views including the sea and Golden Cap. It was also covered in sheep who were a lot friendlier than the attack sheep of Rutland.

Sorry there are no pictures - the dongle is a bit slow.

Off to Cornwall tomorrow on the coast not too far from Falmouth.

The Lickey Hills

Lickey - Likey - Loved 'em

I visited the Lickey Hills on a brief topping trip to north Worcestershire. I was already rather keen on the place after discovering there was free parking and no height barriers. I had a good snigger driving through Lickey End on the way. The Lickey Hills have been a holiday destination for generations of Brummies since 1888. The locals were out in force despite the rather grey weather. Most of the country park lies within Worcestershire, but a small bit juts into Birmingham and rather fittingly forms the county top.

Rednal Hill, Birmingham, 820ft

The country park includes several hills, you get to Rednal Hill by first walking up Bilbery Hill which is covered in bilberys in summer. There were several view points looking east towards the city, but Birmingham was wrapped in grey blanket so views were rather limited. The path then took a very steep descent down the Hundred Steps and climbed rather less steeply up Rednal Hill. The top was a clump of trees just below the summit with misty views of Beacon Hill across the valley. The route took me across the (first ever) municipal golf course where walkers seemed to outnumber golfers. I mislaid the footpath and had to walk up a very steep bank to the top. Beacon Hill (985ft) had a castle like viewing platform and interesting topograph with an extensive view over Birmingham and beyond.

All in all, an excellent top.

Alternative East Sussex - Brighton & Hove

Full of eastern promise

Brighton and Hove seceded from East Sussex in 1997 to form a unitary authority and was granted city status in 2000. Brighton is one of the largest towns in the south east and spreads out all over the South Downs from its historic heart around the Royal Pavillion. The Pavillion was built by the Prince Regent in the early nineteenth century so he could enjoy the charms of his mistress/wife Mrs Fitzherbert. The Royal Pavillion is an amazing building inspired by Indian and Chinese architecture. The Music Room is my favorite which I was fortunate enough to see before it was destroyed by fire in 1975, the ceiling was amazing. During the first world war, it was used as a hospital for Indian troops. The Chattri memorial to the troops is high on the Downs to the north of Brighton.

Brighton is very popular with visitors as it has a lot of offer besides some amazing architecture. The West Pier, opened in 1866, is the oldest and is one of the stars of the film, Oh What A Lovely War. The Palace Pier is the one still operating and also frequently features in films and TV. An electric railway runs along the beach. The streets of the original village now form the Lanes full of little boutique shops. Brighton racecourse is on top of the Downs with great views over the town and the sea. The course is u-shaped and cuts across a main road which has to be shut on race days.


I visited Brighton last month when the weather was fantastic, loads of sun and gentle breezes. I camped on the Caravan club site at Sheepcote Valley, which was set in a fold in the Downs and at night you could hear the sheep on the hills above. Brighton has twin peaks, East Hill and Bullock Hill. Sadly neither is a brilliant top, one is halfway up a hill, the other is inaccessible. Hollingbury Castle or the Racecourse would have much much better tops.

East Hill 640ft

East Hill is the southern slope of West Hill to the north of Brighton. The actual summit is in West Sussex. I started this walk from a car park on Devil's Dyke, a beauty spot just off the A23. It was fairly undulating as I racked up over 500ft of ascent in less than 3 miles. I followed the South Downs Way up to the top of West Hill, where I was overtaken by cyclists going a hill that left me breathless. The boundary line crosses the footpath on the descent but with no markers, this was one for the GPS. Not much of a top but a pleasant walk.

Bullock Hill 640ft

Bullock Hill is on the eastern side of Brighton not far from the Racecourse. I wasn't able to park at the nearest car park (height barriers very popular in Brighton) but was able to park quite close by. Bullock Hill is a gentle mound but in true top form boasts an aerial mast. It was completed surrounded by a very secure fence protecting a new crop. The nearest I got to the trig point was about 200 metres from a nearby footpath. It's a bit of shame as there was probably a good view of the coast from up there. I could see chalky cliffs that might have been the Seven Sisters. Another very pleasant walk.

Interesting road sign at the Racecourse

Brighton Racecourse

East Sussex - a lot of ups and Downs

East, west - east is best!

Top Facts

East Sussex is one of my favorite counties, not least because it is only an hour and half away. Two ranges of hills cross the county, the glorious South Downs running along the coast and the Sussex Weald along the Surrey border, with the Vale of Sussex in between. For contrast there is a marshland area that surrounds the historic little town of Rye.

The South Downs are about to become England’s newest national park. The northern slope rises steeply out the valley making any walk up the scarp slope quite a challenge. There are great views from the top of the downs as they are mostly grassland and usually you get to see the coast as well as inland. The Weald is generally more forested, the highest point in East Sussex is Gills Leap (669ft) in Ashdown Forest. Ashdown Forest is one of the largest open spaces in the south east, a mixture of pines and heaths and famous for being the home of Winnie the Pooh.

East Sussex has a huge variety of interesting places to visit; top billing must go Battle Abbey, the scene of the most famous date in English history. Other historic sites include Pevensey Castle, with huge Roman walls, and Lewes Castle guarding a gap in the Downs. Rye and Winchlesea are two of the historic Cinque Ports, but both are now a long way from the sea. Interesting properties owned by the National Trust include the very first property acquired, Alfiston Clergy House and Batemans, the home of Rudyard Kipling, which even has a dog crèche.

The East Sussex coastlines runs from Rye in the east to Hove in the west taking in some of the most spectacular coastline in Britain, the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head. The beaches are largely shingle but they all face south so are very attractive when the sun shines.

East Sussex also has an excellent county top, Ditchling Beacon 814ft, which ticks most of the right boxes; easily accessible with 360° views and handy car park, (no height barriers). It’s on the South Downs Way starts/finishes at Eastbourne and includes three of the counties five Marilyns, Ditchling, Wilmington Hill and Firle Hill.

The largest town in East Sussex is Brighton, a city since 2000 and unitary authority. As it has two tops of its own, it will be the subject of the next blog.

Riders on the Downs

The Long Man of Wilmington

Sunset over Ditchling Beacon

Looking from Firle Beacon to Wilmington Hill

Noddy and I on Wilmington Hill

East Sussex Marilyns

I've made two topping trips to East Sussex: one in November 2006 with Noddy when we topped four out of the five Marilyns and last month in the glorious spring weather when I visited all of tops again.

Ditchling Beacon 814ft (County Top)

Ditchling is a favorite of mine and one of the first I bagged. It's easily accessible from the NT car park and there is a panaramic view including the coast, the South Downs, the Sussex Weald and on a clear day the North Downs. From Ditchling you can see all the other Marilyns in East Sussex. The road up to the Beacon is quite a climb, 2nd gear for Archie and often features in major professional cycling race, event the Tour de France has climbed it. The scarp side is very impressive. Noddy and I did a lovely circular walk via Lower Standean through the folds in downs, finishing on the South Downs Way. Highly recommended.

Crowborough 794ft

The whole town of Crowborough is built on the hill so locating the actual top is a bit difficult. The trig point is hidden in a reservoir complex that some baggers, more intrepid than I, have penetrated, or it could be behind this gate in Warren Road. My first visit was a brief photo stop with the engine running outside the Water Board complex. Feeling I hadn't really done Crowborough justice, I made a second attempt to walk there through the woods on the outskirts of town. I gave up after walking in a circle and drove there instead. Just outside Crowborough is the Ashdown Forest, a large sandy heath and plantation with lots of open access. It is best known for being the home of Pooh Bear and where poohsticks was first played.

Firle Beacon (712ft)

Firle Beacon is just to the west of the delightful village of Alfriston, which lies in a gap in the South Downs. It possesses several tempting teashops, a lovely village green and the first National Trust property, the beautiful Clergy House. There are some fine walks along the Cuckmere Valley and if you felt energetic, you could walk to the Seven Sisters cliffs about four miles away. The nearest car park is on top of the downs near the village of Firle up another steep, 2nd gear climb. The view takes in the port of Newhaven and the ferries and nearby Cliffe Hill. It was very popular for all sorts of activities; cycling, horse riding, kite flying and a beginners class for paragliding.

Wilmington Hill (702ft)

Wilmington Hill is to the east of Alfriston along the South Downs Way. I walked with Noddy on the most glorious winter day. We had left home well before dawn and had breakfast in a remote car park just below the hill, (the main one in the village had a height barrier!). There were great panaramic views of the South Downs, which are chalky hills and mainly grazed by sheep, so they are great for walking but can be very breezy.
On my recent trip I walked from the Alfriston to Wilmington to see the Long Man carved into the chalk which isn't really visible from the top of the hill.

Cliffe Hill (538ft)

Cliffe Hill is the lowest Marilyn in England rising up in a great mass just to the east of Lewes, the county town of East Sussex. The shortest way there is from Lewes but I didn't fancy the climb from sea level. The added difficulty is that the top is actually on a golf course requiring some trespassing. I set out from Glynde to the east of the hill and on my way was overtaken by some ramblers I'd see earlier on Firle Beacon. It was a pretty steep climb up the slopes of Mount Caborn (a hillfort) but once again the views were suberb. There were paragliders circling overhead, views of Glynde Place and the folds and valleys hidden from road, with wonderful names like Bible Bottom. The route to top favoured by other toppers involved walking through a farmer's field and over a stile into the golf course. The field was occupied by some very large cows so I reluctantly gave up and returned as daylight was beginning to fade. I'll be having a rematch with Cliffe Hill later in the year.

Two New Tops

Hooray! Local government reorganisation today has created two new tops (a bit of bugger to anyone who had completed the list).

44 councils (district and county) will be replaced by nine new unitary councils in seven areas. Five areas will have one unitary council (Cornwall, Wiltshire, Shropshire, Northumberland and Durham) while two areas will be split into two unitary administrative units each (Cheshire will become Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East, and Bedfordshire will become Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire).

So we welcome The Slipe, at 351ft a mere nipple on the landscape, the top of Bedford Borough. Central Bedfordshire inherits the old county top of Dunstable Downs, an altogether more impressive 797ft. Shining Tor (1834ft and Marilyn) is now the top of Cheshire East and Raw Head (745ft & Marilyn) is top of Cheshire West and Chester.

Topping Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes is place with lots of attractions, Xscape, the Bowl, the shopping centre and the iconic Concrete Cows. It also possesses a top, which turned out to be small but perfectly formed. It was actually a hill, topped with a trig point and the obligatory aerial and completely accessible to the public. The only thing it lacked was a view but as that would have been of Milton Keynes…….

I set off from Apsley Woods (free parking and no heights barrier!) courtesy of the Duke of Bedford. The top of Bow Brickhill (551ft) was about half a mile up a gentle incline through a plantation of conifers. The footpath back went past All Saints church, isolated from the village at the top of hill. Bow Brickhill village had some very pretty cottages on its very steep main street. The return trip to Archie was a bridleway through Woburn Golf Club, the scene of many professional tournaments. You need to keep your wits about you as balls could come at you from any direction. One ball did land very close to me and I had to resist an strong urge to pick it up and walk off with it.

There are lots of interesting place to visit in and around MK. Bletchley Park, home of the WW2 code breakers is just a few miles away. Stowe House is about ten miles away in Buckinghamshire and Silverstone Race track is just over the border in Northamptonshire.

Woburn Golf Club

Bow Brickhill

All Saints Church

East Sussex tops in pictures

East Sussex has five Marilyns including the county top, Ditchling Beacon, and the twin peaks of Brighton. I bagged 4 of the five Marilyns with Noddy on a glorious November day a few years ago and the Brighton tops last weekend.

A day out in Hertfordshire

Where hurricanes hardly ever happen....

At the weekend I went walking with my friends, Frances and Trevor, in Ashwell, a pretty little village in north-east Hertfordshire. We had a light lunch in the Rose and Crown (very good) and set off to circumnavigate the village on footpaths, bridleways, byways and lanes. Sunday was a very fine spring day, with virtually no wind and lots of sunshine. There was plenty of birdsong and someone spotted a skylark. We had Ashwell church with it odd little spire in view most of the time. We followed the Icknield Way up Ash Hill, where we had a superb panorama of at least three counties; the transmitter at Sandy to the north, west to the Greensand ridge across Bedfordshire and the Sharpenhoe Clappers and east to the not so pretty cement factory in Cambridgeshire. We had a well-deserved cuppa in the Three Tuns, Ashwell’s other hostelry. After 5½ miles we were too knackered to explore the village but you can see what it looks like with some pictures I took on a previous visit with Noddy. There is a town trail available, taking in the village green by the church, an old watermill, the town lock up and the village pond with stepping stones, which is the source of the River Rhee, a tributory of the Cam and some very interesting old buildings on the main street.

Ashwell Museum

River Rhee

Town Lock Up

The Thames Path - 3

Kew Bridge to Putney Bridge

I had intended to return home from Kew but the day was sunny and pleasant so I decided to plod on to Chiswick Bridge. Downstream from Kew Bridge on the northern bank is Strand on the Green, a fine row of Georgian houses. There are several interesting pubs I'm looking forward to visiting on the return leg. The Path is temporarily diverted here through the pretty streets of Kew and rejoins the Thames near the National Archives. Approaching Chiswick Bridge I noticed there appeared to be a large number of boats, a whole flotilla in fact. What was taking place was the Head of the River Race (for women). This takes place over the University Boat Race course, but in the reserve direction and with a lot more crews, 300 in all. The race is a time trial and the crews were lining up in their race order for the start at Chiswick Bridge. Obviously I couldn't stop now so I plodded on towards Barnes Bridge.

Strand on the Green

Thames Boat House

Getting ready for the race

University of Birmingham's C team in a bit of a pickle

I decided to take a rest at the White Hart and was settling into a riverside seat when the first boats came past. A big cheer went up as a Cambridge eight went by. Sadly I missed all the Durham crews in the race but I spotted one boat paddling back. I decided to continue to Putney Bridge so I could watch the racing. The towpath on the Surrey bend was crowded with race watchers and locals enjoying the fine spring weather, add loony men on cycles yelling encouragement to their troops, (keep going! how useful is that?) it was only a matter of time before someone got creamed by a bike. That someone was me! The bloke said sorry, took one look at my face, jumped on his bike and rode off before I had a chance to remonstrate. I arrived at Putney as the last boats were finishing. The race was won by an Elite composite crew in 18:28.27 about half a minute ahead of the next boat. I'm pleased to say the Durham A boat finished in the top 10 ahead of both Oxford and Cambridge.

Battling it out

Fulham FC

The finish line at Putney Bridge

The men's Head of the River race takes place on the 21st March 2009

If you are thinking of walking the Thames Path in London, Transport for London produces four excellent leaflets;
London’s Rural Thames – Hampton Court to Chelsea
Heart of London’s River Thames – Albert Bridge to Tower Bridge
Seafaring London by the River Thames – Tower Bridge to the Thames Barrier
London’s Working River – Thames Barrier to Crayford Ness.

The Thames Path - 2

Richmond to Kew Bridge

Six weeks on I picked up the Thames Path where I left it in Richmond. It was a warmer day, quiet pleasant in the early spring sunshine and no breeze to speak of. I crossed Richmond Green and through the gatehouse of Richmond Palace, the last remaining bit of the Tudor Palace. It was a favorite home of Elizabeth I who died there in 1603.

The section from Richmond to Kew Bridge is just over 3 miles and is very interesting historically. Old Deer Park, once an Elizabethan hunting ground, is now a huge park and home to former Royal Observatory. On the opposite bank is Syon Park, London home to the Dukes of Northumberland. In Syon Park is the only surviving natural river bank of the Thames in London. A couple of battles were fought there as well. The Grand Union Canal enters the Thames at Brentford across the water from Kew Gardens. By Kew Bridge is the Steam Museum with its Italiante campanile. Inside Kew Gardens is Kew Palace, recently restored, once a favorite home of George III and his 15 children.

All the people in the front of this boat appear to be Sherlock Holmes!

Syon House

Crocuses in Kew Gardens

Kew Palace

Kew Bridge Steam Museum