I miscounted the miles of this journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After leg 11, I figured that I had hiked 145 miles of the Thames River Path, leaving me just 40 miles to complete in the London metro area. However, reviewing my map prior to leg 12 I discovered that I was in error. The distance between Hampton Court (my starting point for leg 12) and the Thames Barrier (the concluding point of the Thames Path) is just 36 miles. Over the first 11 legs I covered 149 miles, not 145. My distance estimates for each leg have been approximate, so it makes sense that over 11 legs I might lose a mile here or there. In short, after 11 legs I have 36 miles remaining. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Discovering my error, yesterday I was eager to get going on leg 12 of my journey. I left Oxford on the Tube (the 24-hour bus service between Oxford and London) at 5:30 AM. Normally the bus trip is about 2 hours long, but the commuter traffic slowed things, so I didn’t arrive at Victoria station until almost 8 AM. The local rail service back to Hampton Court put me back on the Thames River Path just before 9 AM. When arriving in London yesterday I didn’t know entirely how much of the path I intended to hike. After a week away from my ramble, the thrill of my journey had returned, so about 30 minutes into my ramble I texted Tara: “I think I will aim to make this an extra long hiking day, so I will be home later than normal. Don’t make dinner for me.” Beginning at Hampton Court, I concluded the day in Putney Bridge. Total distance covered: 16 miles. It was a good day. [Note: a complete album of pictures from leg 12 may be found here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n What can I say about leg 12? First of all, after my long weekend hike from Lechlade to the Source, Leg 12 offered a nice return to a real river, not the muddy spit of a stream that one encounters across the northern 20 miles of the Thames. Downstream of Hampton Court the solitude of the rural Thames gives way to an urban jungle. The din of London metro traffic is inescapable. The red kites of the Thames valley give way to a never-ending stream of Heathrow-bound jets passing overhead. Between the Source and Lechlade there is one river pub. In London there is a pub within walking distance from any point along the path. Bicycle and pedestrian traffic along the river is plentiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n