Stage 20 - Oxford to Bablock Hythe

Dear Bertie

It's back to Oxford we go!  It's over 2 years ago since we left the iron bridge over the Thames in Oxford, and now we are back to finish the last few stages of this huge walk we have done together. I feel so proud of us both.

For our next leg from Oxford to Bablock Hythe, your favourite 'auntie' Salad,  (Alys but you get the letters muddled),  is joining us. After a sleepover at her parents' lovely big house (with a moat!) and their massive dog Dotty who you loved bossing around insisting,  'sit Dotty'!   Hooray!

After a yummy breakfast of porridge and wild blackberries in the morning at Salad's house, we hop in the car to Oxford and start back on the river, loaded up with you, Lola and a lot of snacks.

Passing lots of houses along the river and school kids on their way to big school on their bikes.  'Good cycling' you tell them! You are such a kind and encouraging boy.

We cross a lovely big curved wooden bridge. 

Then we headed into some enormous meadows with lots of pleasure boats parked.  You spotted a cheery bright yellow one and said that was Bertie's boat. 

We then walked past a small boatyard where 2 men were using their strong arms to hoist a boat up to fix a problem. 

We passed some ruins - Godstow Abbey - a 12th Century nunnery and explained how all the walls and roof had fallen in. Henry VIII's mistress lived here. More recently they filmed the 'Mama Mia' movie inside the Abbey. You love dancing to that Abba song! 

We passed 3 locks today - Kings and Godstow and Eynsham - where Mummy once swam 10k in just her cossie and no wetsuit. 

We passed a big stone marking an Oxford boundary.  Robert Nucknell served his first term as mayor in 1885 and Francis Twining was his sheriff, that was a long time ago! 

Then we went under the big road - the A40 - which had some 'colouring' on the wall and we tried our echo voices, 'ECHO!'  

We passed the Eynsham lock which was the end of Mummy's big 10k swim she did here before you were born. 

Then we stopped by the river for snacks and Lola's milk.  Uou played with Salad while Lola rolled around and we all did stand up wees in the bushes. 

After snack stop, we passed a huge boatyard called Oxford cruisers which is a family run boatyard. They restore, maintain and repair narrowboats, Dutch barges and cruisers. We saw big cranes and hoists and a lot of building and noise going on.

Nearing the end of our walk, we passed under a very old toll bridge - Swinford - a privately owned toll bridge which costs cars just 5p to cross, though they stopped taking payment during the Covid pandemic Salad's Mummy told us. The bridge is made of the famous Oxfordshire yellow stone. 

Nearing the end, we went through a big field full of happy bouncing sheep then stood next to a huge pen full of sheep which smelt a bit of poo.

Then it was back to Salad's house to play on the rusty old tractor and to eat our sandwiches with Dotty in their outside courtyard. 

You tried lots of food you had never tasted before; pea and courgette soup, corn on the cob and lemon barley water, which you said were all delicious. Then you helped Salad's Daddy chop logs and load them into a wheelbarrow in the rain, before we got in the car and drove home to Papa. Well done Bertie, that was another long walk!

TOTAL DISTANCE: 18.9 KM

GPS route: https://www.strava.com/activities/6034438788

Feeding stop:
Picnic on the river

Travel:

We drove.

Travel from London possible via train - Paddington to Oxford, or CLJ - Reading-Oxford, then using the S1 bus from along the route back to Oxford stn

Our accommodation: Aly's house, Stanton Harcourt.

Lots of options in Oxford, The Ferryman at Babcock Hythe for the start and the pub at Stanton Harcourt also looks nice for the end.