Jane’s Walk 2026: Day 8
Back from a couple of nights at home. I must say our day off ended up not being very restful as domestic issues clouded in on us, but nice to spend a couple of nights in our own bed. It’s our first really wet day and we get ourselves kitted out well accordingly. Moses was not impressed by the thought of going out in the rain and we had to literally drag him out of the car! He was definitely very fed up. My walk phone, with the maps on it, would not turn on although I had charged it overnight, so Richard took it to try and charge it in the car.
We are joined by Katrina who works for ZANE. It is very very kind and diligent of her to come, as she is on holiday this week and it is raining! Both reasons not to get out of bed early.
The canal is empty of walkers and there is no movement inside the occupied barges early on this wet morning. We pass the Crofton Beam engine with its tower, very like the one we passed in Bath, but more visible. Sadly it is only open and working on a Thursday once a month. It’s obviously been a very good year for hazel nuts as the towpath is covered with them and Katrina and I are frustrated that we cannot gather them. We both love them and I for one have never seen so many. They are usually taken by the squirrels before I get a chance. There are a number of locks here; the gradient of the canal having changed. Previously it was uphill going east, now it is the opposite as we travel towards the Thames.
We pass through Great Bedwyn and rather fancy a coffee on this cold wet morning and there is Richard with mugs from home and a hot flask of coffee and Margaret’s flapjacks from last week, still going strong. Bless him!
The rain continues to be steady but the gentle wind is behind us so we don’t notice it much. After all, we ought to be rejoicing as it is just what the farmers and us gardeners need. We pass the rather amusing sight of a very colourful barge garden on the opposite bank with a huge tree which had been pollarded about 8 ft up and a huge plastic gorilla sitting on the top.
We arrive at Little Bedwyn and cross over the canal to walk to our lunch stop and the heavens suddenly open with a deluge, not helped by the fact that we are now walking into the wind. We arrive at the Pelican Pub dripping.
Richard informs me that he has taken the walk phone to a shop and is told that it has got wet and rusted over time and we decide it would be more sensible to buy a reconditioned phone than risk having it mended. We say goodbye to Katrina and Moses, who stays in the car as he is shivering. The sun has come out again and we walk through Hungerford and finish just the other side.
