Breakfast options were limited this morning in Windsor. Nothing was open at 7am except McDonalds so I went inside. The manager didn’t wish me a nice day. “Put a face mask on”, she screamed even though it doesn’t apply when you eat in. I raised my buff into a reasonable position, ordered Egg McMuffin and coffee and paid £1.49 as did the Government. She delivered the breakfast to my table and repeated the face mask order with added venom. I tried unsuccessfully to juggle the muffin, the coffee and the face mask in the empty restaurant.
A girl walked in without a mask and I watched a repeat performance except the girl howled back “Exempt!” and that was the end of the matter.
The Thames is peaceful and rural upstream of Windsor. The path crosses meadows and patches of woodland and bypasses Maidenhead which is a shame because it’s a nice town and I was hoping to take a few photos. It was the first stopping place for carriages heading west from London and several inns survive from that era. Its name derives from certain rituals which used to take place and probably still do.
The next town was delightful Cookham. The temperature hit 31 degrees late morning and I found an obliging pub to refill my water bottle. “still or sparkling?”, she asked. It was too early for lunch so I continued along the winding Thames Path. It would be a short walk if I didn’t follow the big meanders of the river.
Bourne End was also nice but there were no pubs to be seen. Just a derelict restaurant with a “for sale” sign. Finally I arrived in charming Marlow at 1.15pm. The hotel offered me the option of an early check in for £10 or lunch in a nearby pub. Once again I drove the UK National Debt further into the red and ate a delicious vegan curry. It was training day for a new batch of school leavers and I was the perfect trainee customer. “What table number?”, she asked. “600” I replied but I was reading upside down. “No 9” the distraught manager yelled back. 009. At least he didn’t make me wear a face mask.
The £19,000 bridge at Maidenhead, built in 1777. This is where an army of Danes landed in 870. They fought their way to Reading where I’m heading tomorrow.
Various animal life blocking the Thames Path.
Pilgrimage 
Brilliantly written my friend😎
It’s just the way things seem to happen
Hi ya Tim good to see you back on the road again and your first lot o photos. Glad we have something to look forward to now , in the evening rather than a game of scrabble! Will keep in touch as you make progress 👍🌈🤓best wishes Celia and David
It’s good to be walking and especially to read everyone’s kind comments. You must know a lot of words playing all that Scrabble. Tim
Look! There ARE yellow arrows! 🙂
In your mind’s eye! I think there’s a local bike race with some arrows but I don’t want to follow them. Only when it says “Thames Path”.
Oh I see what you mean. There are yellow arrows. I must be more observant
Tim is the way well marked and are you doing it in reverse…clueless from across the pond.
David as usual I’m following the route on my phone. I’m following everything in reverse until I reach the Pennine Way which goes north. But the signing is two way so it’s easy to follow. My plan is slightly wrong because I follow the Thames Path to Oxford and then follow the Oxfordshire way. Hopefully. It will all become clear. Tim
Hello from Canada 🇨🇦,
Enjoying your informative and entertaining posts as well as the lovely photos. My American niece and her husband have been posted to Mildenhal RAF base in England as of Nov 30 so once this Covid 19 is behind us I will be definitely coming over for a visit.
Buen Camino! Jane
Hi Jane, greetings! It will be lovely to see you again. I’ve got lots more books of my pilgrimages to show you. Let’s just hope the pandemic passes soon. Tim
Lovely photos Tim and reading your blog is (and will be) a great antidote to focussing on our revived lockdown measures (because of newly identified community transmission of Covid after 100 “virus-free” days). Ultreia!
It’s really too bad when you think it’s gone, to have to start all over again. But I guess it’s the only way. Let’s hope your new lockdown is effective. Tim
“Still or sparkling?”…let me guess Tim…frizzante! 😄
Although we may freely move around Tassie (we only have 1 Covid case) our state border is still firmly closed as are Australia’s international borders.
So Timbo, I gather many of us are reading your delightfully descriptive blog with some envy, living vicariously through you & hanging on every post…. No pressure….! 😆
Enjoying your blog and photos from Lock down in Australia.
Happy wandering
Hi Mag, welcome. I hope there won’t be another lockdown here before I finish. Tim
Hi Tim, it’s Rebecca from Florida joining you on day 2. So happy to have this diversion after 4 months in lockdown with no end in sight. Wonderful pictures and commentary. Thanks so much for sharing.
Wonderful to hear from you and I hope to bring a sense of my own peculiar normality to the difficult times in Florida. Take care. Tim
Hi Tim
So you’re on the road again.
I’ve been to Holy Island. It is indeed a beautiful part of the world and a little corner of heaven.
Good luck on your travels and mind those bog holes!
Regina xx
Hi Regina, thanks and I’m sure it will feel like a little corner of heaven if I make it there. Tim
Enjoying this! I hope you are.
I know it’s you, Mary. Nice to hear from you. Tim