The Thames Path is a long distance walking trail, following England’s best known river for 185.2miles (298 km) as it meanders from its source in the Cotswolds through several rural counties and on into the heart of London. On its way the Trail passes peaceful water meadows rich in wildlife, historic towns and cities and many lovely villages, finishing in Woolwich just a few miles from the sea. Some of the places along the way are the city of Oxford, famous Henley, Windsor Castle and Hampton Court. We just walked a few miles of it, starting in Radcot which is just an 11 minute drive from Little Coxwell where we are staying. The trail is great! We talked about doing multiple segments “next time” on a multi-day trip. Lots to see and this would be cool since there are many small towns along the way to stay. More info here: https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/thames-path/
In addition to swans and lovely views, there are 9 pillboxes located along the Thames Path between Lechlade and Radcot. The River Thames was threatened during WWI and WWII and as a result, defenses were put in place in order to try and protect the areas surrounding the Thames. As a result, pillboxes were constructed, as part of the British anti-invasion preparations. The small reinforced concrete structures were named after their hexagonal shape which is comparable to the shape of a pill box. We saw 5 of the pillboxes on our short hike, and they are still in great shape! Not much to go wrong with them, I guess.
And Chris, of course, found cats! These were barge cats along the trail that probably had seen a bunch of the river in their lives. There were actually three cats, but one hid in the bushes the entire time we were there, while the others were social. Parents were absent as the barge was locked.
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