Cheerio!

This was a pub carved out of an old mill next to a lock.

We didn't always stop at pubs for "a pie and a pint". Sometimes we stopped for "a pee and a pint".



This is "The Donkey" in Marlow; the neighborhood pub. Had good grub.

(Liz: This was some kind of Mediteranean roasted vegetable spizale. And it was a nosh-up). 

This was Saturday, near Hurley, so there were lots of people on the trail enjoying the very hot weather.

This was Sunday, yesterday, our last day of walking the trail, and we were treated with mostly shady spots.

Still some history happening. This is Bisham Abbey, just before Marlow, where Queen Elizabeth I spent some of her childhood. It was the magnificent country house where Henry VIII stashed Anne of Cleeves. Now it houses the National Sports Center, an odd concept when you think about it.
(Bobbie: or perfectly appropriate when you think about it).

We'll miss people on the trails being scared by the cows. These people are leaving just after the calf in the foreground headbutted one of the dogs and its person. (Liz: We had already worked it out that if a bull came after us, Bobbie would play the rodeo clown to divert it while I ran). (Bobbie: ...not that I have any experience with this kind of work). Most of the time the cows would just stand there looking at us with curiosity and we passed through, but this group had formed a kind of cluster right on top of the trail and I guess the little cow got nervous or wanted to play with the dog? No harm done.

The little boy on the bicycle is the trainer for his dad who is running.

This is the very crowded lock at Maidenhead where there were at least six boats in the lock and many more at either end waiting to get in. We are clearly approaching Windsor here; the end of our line. Jerome K. Jerome, author of "Three Men in a Boat" said, "Maidenhead is too snobby to be pleasant." We found everyone to be quite friendly, thankyou.

This darling girl was headed to Uganda to "help the animals" if she could raise enough money selling lemonade by the path. The path was busy enough on a Sunday; she'll probably get there.



Windsor Castle; YAY WE MADE IT! You will notice this photo is taken from the water. We celebrated by giving our tired asses a cruise on the river boat. They also served us cider with ice.

So, the official distance count is a whopping 153 miles on foot over a mostly comfortable and sometimes gruelling 15 days.

Bobbie and I have had a cracking good time together, never getting our knickers in a twist with each other. Not many kids would even want to spend this much time with their Mum, let alone be enthusiastic about it.
Thanks, Bobbie (Bobbie: aw now!)

So, off we go to Paris for a week, and then home. We'll post more, if you care to read.