Last Thursday I completed the sixth leg of my Thames River Ramble, a 15.4 mile journey from Henley-on-Thames to Maidenhead. After 6 legs, I have traveled from Oxford south as far as Maidenhead and north as far as Newbridge. I’ve completed approximately 80 miles of the 184 mile Thames River Path. The next two weeks will be slower for me. I will only be able to hike one day this week (Thursday), and the following week Tara and I will be traveling with our oldest son, Theo, to mainland Europe for Fall Break. I am hoping to continuing progressing expeditiously toward my goal after we return from Europe on October 9.
Henley-on-Thames was absolutely amazing. A mecca for world-class rowing, Henley was hopping at 8 AM. There were literally dozens of boats on the river, including several being crewed by men in GBR gear, either current members of Great Britain’s crew team or, more likely, aspiring juniors hoping to break into the team.
Crew sports is a very unfamiliar world to me. Around here it is part of the air that people breath. Oxford colleges field some outstanding crew teams that compete at the Henley Royal Regatta, perhaps the premier rowing competition in the world. Dozens of elite rowers travel to Henley-on-Thames for this competition, which is livestreamed around the world. The course begins at Temple Island, located just up the river from Henley Bridge. The Island features an ornamental temple built in the mid-18th century. The chill in the air and the fog made for a delightful, memorable view.
The Henley-on-Thames to Maidenhead leg is broken up into roughly two equal parts, with Marlow as the halfway point. Between the end points of the leg are some absolutely phenomenal river estates that seem out of the 1980s television show, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” (note: I’ve posted a complete collection of pictures on my Facebook page for anyone interested in some of the views).
The standout estate, by far, was Culham Court. A few miles out of Henley, the Thames Path diverges away from the river through miles of sheep and cow pastures. Local landowners are required by law to private public access through their property. The Thames Path traverses land that is part of the Culham Court estate, which seems drawn directly from one of those upstairs-downstairs period dramas like Downton Abbey. The house was built in 1771 and has been owned by several wealthy individuals over its 250 year history. In 2006 the house was purchased for £35 million by Swiss financier Urs Schwarzenbach. The estate sits on about 650 acres of land, much of it farmed or fenced off for the herd of deer that the owner maintains on property.
Walking past the deer, the estate provides a home for the local Culham Chapel. As I made my way back toward the Thames the church bell was ringing loudly, almost as if it were calling the deer to come closer.
I saw Culham Court the day before we traveled with our students to Blenheim Palace, so the last several days have me really curious about how life in large houses like this actually works. I’m curious, for example, about how close the actual lives of the 12th Duke of Marlborough or of a Swiss billionaire are to the lives depicted in English peerage dramas of the past. How much of this upstairs-downstairs stuff still happens at a place like Culham Court? I’m curious about how much class distinctions remain a part of everyday life in England.
There were a lot of great moments and views I captured during my walk, but I won’t bore you with comments on each site. There is a lot to cover in 15 miles! I’ll close by sharing the end of my journey when I had a brief brush with soccer history. This may be a bigger deal to me than to anyone reading this blog, so bear with me. Making my way into Maidenhead, I had a 1.5 mile walk from the Thames River to the train station. While walking to the station I did some research on the town and discovered that my walk would take me directly past York Road, the home stadium for Maidenhead United F.C. Maidenhead FC is not an elite English soccer club. The team plays in the 5th tier of the English football system, the Vanarama National League. Maidenhead FC currently sit in 18th place and need to pick up the pace if they are to avoid being pulled into a relegation battle that would drop them into the Vanarama South League. Anyway, York Road! This stadium is the oldest senior football ground continuously used by the same club. The Maidenhead Magpies have been playing here since 1871. Can you believe it? The pitch is easily accessible to pedestrians. I literally walked past a few parked cars, up some steps into the stands and saw a bald man in a Maidenhead kit walking the touchline. I asked him for permission to take some pictures, which he granted. I was in heaven.
As I have gotten more invested in small club soccer in Oxford, I’m thinking a lot about the role that these small clubs play in local communities during a sporting era when so much attention is thrown toward club in the Premier League. This will be on my mind this week as I travel with our students on Tuesday evening to attend the Oxford City v. Ebbsfleet match at Marsh Lane in Oxford. Oxford City is a semi-professional team that currently sits in 13th position in the Vanarama South after 9 matches. Ebbsfleet is a professional team that is in 1st position, having won all 9 of the matches they have played. Oxford City will be the underdogs, giving our students a lot to root for. My son arrives in Oxford on Wednesday. A lot of exciting things happening as we approach the end of our first month here.
Leg 7 of my Thames River Ramble will be a short one, a 6 mile hike from Maidenhead to Windsor!
Very cool, Vic! I want to visit H-o-T now!