Was pretty hot in the room last night but we had to get washing dry. Slept ok though when I finally got to sleep at about 1.
We had been downstairs in the lounge watching the news then Family Guy. We could barely hear due to a bunch of suited bods who were cold selling in the area and was using the lounge discussing how to get the foot in some poor souls door. One of them was far to familiar in a false sort of way. Was good to leave them to it and go up stairs to watch Borgen on my mobile....excellent Danish series.Hence 1am.
I woke at six, lay there until 6.30 then started packing gear. Woke J who slowly emerged and he cleared his stuff then we went and got breaky of cheese on toast. Cheese was supposed to be Mature but was more like mild.Pretty poor overall.
Finished packing up, handed keys in and away into grey skys and chill at 9.30.
The hostel was pretty good, great facilities and excellent room and main lounge. Gas cooking helped.Ironic that the hostel cost us £10 less than the snorey dorm in Bath, this twin room was £20.50.
We walked into Goring, again over the bridges to cross our Thames Path route and rejoin the Ridgeway. I left J at the turn off then got snacks from shop nearby. We had scoffed so much last night as if it was our last meal that we ate our crisps and snickers for today, the affect of feel deprived for a few days.Even in the first 4 miles today we ate our two snickers each, hardly rationing.
The route followed parallel or next to the Thames. It was fairly wet, but could of been worse. The guide book - Trailblazer, the Ridgeway I had got in Goring was proving excellent, although not an ordnance Survey maps the hand drawn ones showed more detail and less stuffy narration.
We went through twee village of South Stoke,plodded and skidded along the bank of the river to a great railway bridge,hell of a construct. The guide book said there may be flooding by a small foot bridge so I expected the worse as the river was highish.
We stopped at North Stoke church for this time a sit fown snack, we mainly stopped while I sorted out my sock which under rode my heel. Totally opposite to yesterdays snackless walking.
We soon were moving away from the Thames, pleased to do so as we felt we were going west again.
We followed a good windy path on or near Grims Dyke, basically a similar sort of feature to Offas Dyke but more of a boundary than a defensive dyke, fairly deep and high in places though.
We could see Didcot power station again, another sign if not getting on, will be good to see back of it!
We passed over a golf course with tee flags depicting Red Kites.Infact today was dominated by Red Kites, we were pleased to see a couple, and more so 5 on a flinty field but when we saw a farmer using a seed drill and following the tractor was 20 + Red Kites we were amazed. He stopped down the field to restock with seed and he told me he had had in excess of 70 following the plough,must of been like gulls.No wonder they were persecuted in the past, victim of their own success.
We passed the Watlington turn off which cut across the path but we continued on.We were now on the lastof of the three sections of the Ridgeway shown on the info boards on route.
A couple of miles on we went under the M 40, the cause of constant hum from over a mile back.
It was only 4.30 but we decided to stop and pitch by the broad track, below Beacon Hill Nature Reserve.
I got water from a trough nearby, then pitched for a change in good light.
Getting colder, but earm as always in the Highlander Echo 400 sleeping bags.
Mint tea and choc bics. I read paper and J read his book about the group Prodigy. He was not feeling to good which explained the gases coming from him, he did not have any noodles and looked very tired.Probably due to being up later than me watching you tube.
Dark now but constant traffic nearby is almodt drowning out the radio.
Not bad day considering we stopped early and set off late, 16.5 miles.
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