Maidenhead to Windsor.
Today I was going to see Mel who should, if not for his health problems, have been walking with me. I’m hoping to get to Woking from Windsor by train although the service is poor on a Sunday.
Never heard a thing of the live music in the night, bird song woke me. The best breakfast of the trip in the simplest hotel, why can’t those starred hotels do better. Well done the Thames Hotel.
I crossed the road bridge and onto the towpath which then ducked under a railway bridge, not just any railway bridge. The bridge was designed in 1838 by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The railway is carried across the river on two elliptical brick arches which were the widest and flattest in the world. Where I came through is known as the Sounding Arch, because of its echos.
Being Sunday morning many oarsmen were out on the river, here and further on. This seems a popular stretch for rowing clubs.
Across the river at Bray in amongst the luxurious houses are the renowned restaurants of Heston Blumenthal. They are booked up for months. The Fat Duck was recently closed temporarily following an outbreak of norovirus – if you must eat oysters then this is the risk. Visible is The Waterside Inn another top restaurant, this one run by Alain Roux.
For a while the path was quite rural with cherry and blackthorn trees flowering. 
Peace was interrupted by the M4 roaring overhead but the arches were quite photogenic.
Another road bridge later on had some splendid graffiti/murals. These turn out to have an interesting background. Painted for the 2012 Olympics by Cosmo Sarson “Talking Heads”, apparently if you download an app to your phone and point it at the various faces they ‘talk’ back to you. 
Further along an adventure centre was training a group of stand up paddleboarders, this looks a curious unnecessary sport but I liked the guy with the dog.
On my landward side a running race with lots of participants was progressing around a track adjoining the Eton Rowing Course. This was the basin built for the London Olympics 2012. Across the way was bust Windsor Marina and Windsor horse racing course though no activity today.
This was the largest boat I’ve seen on the Thames…
Suddenly a little church appeared – a flint built structure with a timber tower.St. Mary Magdalene. Inside the wooden frames of the tower are prominent. The pews look ancient. The base of the church is 12th century the tower being added in the 15th century. It served bargemen on the Thames but now seems a little isolated. A beautiful site nonetheless.
Ahead were the ramparts of Windsor Castle. The whole area whether you live in a ridiculously expensive residence or are purely a tourist is destroyed by the noise of aircraft heading into Heathrow. I timed one every minute. And they are getting lower and lower as they cruise in over the castle. If they are thinking of moving the homeless out of Windsor for a forthcoming wedding will they be rescheduling flights?
I pushed my way past the Japanese tourists to reach the station. Windsor and Eton will have to wait for further exploration. Would you believe it railworks have diverted all main line trains through Staines so I was in Woking within half an hour. Met Mel at the Lightbox to look round the Picasso exhibition. An afternoon of catching up and an evening of indulgence lay ahead. Then I’ll have to return and continue to the Barrier.
*****
