Jane’s Walk 2026: Day 10

We stayed with good friends, Angus and Victoria. Angus and his dog Tatty Bogul have joined us on a number of our walks before and it is a joy that he is doing so again. The path along the canal, as we walk out of Newbury, is very busy with dog walkers and cyclists, but that soon diminishes as we leave the outskirts of Newbury behind us.

Another pleasant walking day and the canal is strewn with numerous barges, especially as we walk past a large marina and chandlers. Assuming each barge on the canal pays some sort of mooring fee, it must bring a considerable income into the Canal Trust. We must have passed thousands of boats over the past 10 days. However, the cost of the complicated upkeep of the canal each year must be considerable. I would be interested to know if the Trust breaks even or actually makes a profit and how many people they employ and how much they rely on their voluntary teams?

We meet Richard at Thatcham Station for a coffee and then walk past the large industrial estate of Colthrop. I am slightly surprised by the sign on the huge warehouses stating the roofs are lined with asbestos and to use crawling boards. I would have assumed that the asbestos would have had to be removed. On our right is a large gravel pit with conveyor belts sorting the various sizes of stones and sand into huge piles. Many of the freight trains that have passed us appear to be carrying gravel.

It’s getting hot now and Tatty Bogul finds a place she can get into the canal to have a swim and Moses is able to follow for a paddle. I think his days of swimming for pleasure are over!

We stop at a road junction to meet Richard, who has found a pub for lunch at the end of the walk. We decide to go for lunch in the car and then return to complete the walk afterwards.

After a good lunch in a very busy pub which is just on the edge of the canal, we decide to walk back up the canal to the place we stopped for lunch. It felt slightly strange walking the reverse way.