Nordic Walking The Thames Path: Leg 5

Leg Five: Oxford to Abingdon-on-Thames

When: Monday 8th September 2025

Miles walked: 11.61

Steps taken: 23,646

Moving Time: 3:29:33

Elevation Gain: 50ft

Today I set off to complete a more solo mission for the rest of the Thames Path, my husband Steve dropped me off near the Railway Station in Oxford to begin the next Leg of The Thames Path, he’ll be meeting me later and we’ll be camping in Wallingford for the next few nights. Starting on the same street where we picked up the bus on the last leg I cross Botley Road and head across a tributary on a girder bridge and along the grass in front of some riverside cottages. It is sunny and the glinting river is goading me on past willow trees and splendid buildings on the opposite bank.

I pass by Osney Lock and Marina and the first ever community-owned hydroelectric power station on the River Thames, it uses an Archimedes screw to generate electricity from the river flowing through it! After Osney Lock I pass under the railway line, here the path is tree-lined and the shade is welcome today, there’s some interesting graffiti art under the bridges! I reach an interesting castle-looking building just before I have to go up to the road to cross a bridge. It turns out to be a folly and the bridge is named after it - Folly Bridge!

Once on the bridge, I turn left rather than cross over because I need to get a stamp for my passport from a café called the Paper Boat Café…unfortunately it does not open on Mondays! Across the road is a pub called The Head of the River, not because it is at the head of the river Thames, but because it is situated near the finishing line of the Oxford University Eights, a prestigious rowing event and the lead boat wins by reaching the head of the river! I cross over and head down the path. The stone I passed is opposite the college boathouses and is in memory of Colin Cox, it reads THE FINISH STONE TORPIDS AND EIGHTS, In memory of COLIN COX, 1943-1999, Oarsman and Boatman dedicated to club and college rowing, EN OPTIME FACIET!

Just by the diversion signs there is a sinking boat, which makes me a bit sad, because once upon a time this would have been someone’s pride and joy. Following the short diversion leads quickly back onto the path and on the opposite bank are the Oxford college boathouses, but no-one was rowing on the reach today. The stone featured in this gallery is a boundary stone from 1786, which is still standing where it stood according to the second series OS map made over 100 years ago, it marks the point along the Thames where the city’s liberties were taken to end at at the time.

I pass a bright orange ex lifeboat which according to the poster on its side is going to be used on an expedition from Oxford to Russia to Iran (overland) by Boating Europe, you can find them on YouTube! Next we pass Iffley Lock which has an exquisite old stone footbridge, but was also the location of the very first Pound Lock on the River Thames, built here in the 1630’s.

Continuing along the path I head under a railway bridge passing some talented graffiti art and on the other side some paddleboarders float by some graffiti art depicting a fat cat slob in sunglasses wearing Thames Water pants and smoking a cigar. I love a bit of political or satirical art! The weather really is hotting up and the path is quiet when I pass through this unique kissing gate with a shoal of fish swimming across it. There is no information on why it is there or who created it! In the field beyond the fishy gate there is a huge block of stone with an inscription on it, I want to know why a couple in Devon bought a field in Oxfordshire?

On the opposite bank there is a stunning riverside property which is looking gorgeous in today’s sunshine! I encounter another diversion, a bridge is shut and so I have to follow the cycle path to Sandford, there are no helpful markers telling me where I need to go though! The cycle path runs alongside the railway track and when I reach a lane I need to turn down it to reach the river again!

I reach Sandford-on-Thames and once I’ve worked out how to get across the lock , I meet Steve at the Kings Arms Pub for lunch. After a well-earned rest and lunch I retrace my steps back across the lock, admire the lock-keepers cottage and walk on towards Radley.

The next stretch of the walk is through fields with the odd shaded spot, there is loads of Himalayan Balsam growing along the water’s edge (it’s highly invasive and I know in other areas they are working hard with volunteer groups to try and eradicate it)

Eventually I come across the Radley College Boathouse and notice all of their boats feature a distinctive red cross patee from their coat of arms. Not far from here on the opposite bank is the grand looking Nuneham House, an 18th century villa in the Palladian style, currently owned by Oxford University, but used by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University as a retreat centre, it has a very distinctive boathouse. I also spot a very decent area of bank erosion repair!

I pass through a wonderfully shaded path which crosses in front of this rather magnificent looking bungalow. and on the opposite bank is what looks like a dirt-bike track, but it is blissfully quiet today. I pass under another railway bridge (no graffiti this time) and am beginning to flag a little.

I am happy to pass a sign reading 1/2 mile to Abingdon Lock, but am not sure how much further it is to Abingdon itself! I’m crossing boardwalks so this area must get very wet at certain times of the year. I reach Abingdon Lock and traverse the long wier bridge with the gushing sound if the river beneath my feet. Abingdon was the location where the UTP was formed in 1939. The Upper Thames Patrol was a water-borne unit on the river Thames created to patrol and protect the Thames from Lechlade to Teddington against the very real threat of invasion, attack and sabotage. At its height the UTP had 6000 members and they were the first to recruit women!

Finally I reach Abingdon, it used to be the county town of Berkshire. Abingdon is a charming riverside town with many fine buildings. The town was once dominated by the Abbey and the town centre’s narrow streets still converge on the Abbey gateway, one of the few remains of what once was a vast complex of buildings.

Some of the fine buildings I encountered on my brief wander into Abingdon, including the old Gaol (now apartments) I met Steve in the main square by the Town Hall.

On our way back to Clara we were beckoned into the free garden at St Ethelwold’s as we passed, it was stunning and had a great riverside location. The fellowship of St Ethelwold and the use of St Ethelwold’s House as a spiritual centre were the vision of Dorothea Pickering (1906–1997).  The Fellowship was named after the 10th century Abbot of Abingdon Abbey; Dorothea longed for the return of Benedictine monks to Abingdon and had a vision that her house might house a community to allow this to happen.  Dorothea wanted her house and garden to be a place where people could come together for prayer, meditation, times of quiet reflection and interfaith encounter. It was founded within the Christian tradition to be a place of interfaith dialogue and encounter embracing people of all faiths and spiritual paths.

Now onto Wallingford to set up camp!