The Thames Walk that wasn't and an English pub lunch

Doing the Thames Walk is high on my bucket list, but takes time and organization ... and decent weather. The Thames starts life at its source near Cirencester in the Cotswolds and follows a meandering path for 294 kilometres, passing through Hampton Court Palace, then the heart of London, before rushing into the sea at the Thames Barrier in Greenwich.

You can walk it in a single stretch by overnighting at various points along the route or, as most people do, in stages over successive weekends, following the trail along footpaths alongside the river, through the villages and countryside of  Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire ...

A plan to walk one stretch, from Marlow to Maidenhead, a couple of weekends ago was scuppered at the last minute when fine weather turned to rain. Walking while soggy and wet is not my idea of fun, but that didn't mean we had to abandon the pub lunch that is an essential part of Thames walking ...

The Bounty pub, right on the bank of the Thames between Cookham and Bourne End, is only accessible by foot and boat (all their deliveries are made by boat) ... Just ring the bell on the jetty on the opposite bank and a ferry will collect you ... 

The Bounty is well used to Thames walkers and welcomes dogs and muddy-booted people

Don't expect haute cuisine, but hearty pub fare (a St Patrick's Day stew above, with a pint of Guinness).


After lunch, eight people and one large wet dog piled into the Bounty's little rowing boat ...

Having deposited us safely on the other side of the river, our gallant boatman sped away, fag in one hand, tiller in the other ...