Osney Bridge

Well we've arrived at Osney Bridge in Oxford. We have seen a sign like this before.  It says "DANGER When tow path is flooded do not use".  We are happy to assure the people who put it there that if the towpath is flooded we have no intention of using it!

 

Our guests made it as well.  Most people, after walking 10 miles, would probably go home and have a rest but Rick and Carol went into Oxford with Catherine and Brendan for an afternoon's sight-seeing and Angela went to look round a bathroom showroom!

We enjoyed this walk.  As I said there were a lot of wildflowers and it was interesting coming into Oxford alongside the river.  There were lots of literary references in our trusty book - Lewis Carroll set out from Folly Bridge on a rowing trip with Alice Liddell and her sisters during which he told the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  There was also mention of Three Men in a Boat and the sad fact that Michael Llewelyn-Davies, J M Barrie's inspiration for Peter Pan drowned in Sandford Lasher weir.    

Nearing Oxford

As we got nearer to Oxford there were lots of boathouses.  There was no-one out practising though, don't they remember that Cambridge won the 2010 boat race by one and a third lengths?

The Joys of Nature

There were lots of wild flowers on this walk.  At the beginning they were a bit annoying when they obscured our view of the river but when we were right next to the river and they were on the other side of the path we enjoyed seeing them.

Beer in the Morning?

Rick's legs are as long as Brendan's so it wasn't long before they left us ladies behind.  Lo and behold when we reached Sandford there they were sitting in the garden of the King's Arms with a pint of beer each.  We ladies spurned the idea of stopping for a drink - well you can never be too sure where the next toilet is!

A Good Place to Lean

A moment to take a breath with our friend the river behind us.

Abingdon Bridge

Here we are at Abingdon Bridge and we've gone international!  We have been joined on this walk by Brendan, and Catherine and Brendan's friends Carol and Rick from France (our fame is spreading).