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Blackbird leys boy ---- Goodbye to the river Thames.

*210 Miles*== Crow Stone end of the river now you’re in the sea!

*205 Miles*

*200 Miles*

*195 Miles*

194.2 miles – Tilbury Fort, one of the best surviving 17th century star forts, built for Charles II. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*190 Miles*

188 miles – Dartford Crossing, both under and over the river. Once the largest suspension bridge in Europe. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

186 miles – Purfleet, home of the world’s largest margarine factory, owned by Unilever. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*185 Miles*

181.5 miles – Crossness pumping station, built as part of Bazalgette’s sewerage system. Home to the four largest surviving beam pumping engines in the world. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

181.4

*180 Miles*

177.79 miles - Icemaiden

176 miles – Thames Barrier – the world’s second largest movable flood barrier. Could be defunct by 2030. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*175 Miles*

172.5 miles – Greenwich. The Royal Naval College stands on the site of the palace where Henry VIII was born. Now part of the University of Greenwich. The site is frequently used for film and TV shoots. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

171 miles – Isle of Dogs. Where the Tudor monarchs of Greenwich kept their hunting dogs. Now the site of Canary Wharf. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*170 Miles*

167.8 miles – London Bridge. An ancient crossing point but the first bridge was built by the Romans. The only bridge across the river downstream of Kingston until 1729 when Putney Bridge was built. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

165.8 miles – Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. The bell named Big Ben first rang out in 1859. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

165 miles – Tate Britain art gallery sits on the site of the Millbank Prison.= Icemaiden’s great great grandfather was among the last prisoners transported to Australia on the ship Hougoumont in 1867. The ship started its journey from Millbank prison and there is a metal post commemorating the voyage on the embankment nearby. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*165 Miles*

163 miles – Battersea Bridge – another Bazalgette creation, London’s narrowest road bridge at 40 ft wide. The embankments that start here were built to contain Bazalgette’s sewers and they continue down to the City. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

160.3 miles – Putney Bridge, start of the University Boat race. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*160 Miles*

159 miles – Fulham Palace – home of the Bishops of London from the 11th century until 1973. Now a museum and café. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

158.5 miles – Hammersmith Bridge – designed by Sir Joseph Bazagette, creater of London’s sewer system. Clears the Thames by only 12 feet at high tide, mind your head, so it is the lowest bridge on the river. The green and gold paintwork reflects the Harrods colours. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*155 Miles*

154 miles – Kew Gardens began life in 1759 as a garden for Princess Augusta, grieving widow of Frederick, Prince of Wales, killed by a cricket ball at Cliveden. Now a World Heritage Site and responsible for the largest collection of living plants in the world. Link (roll over me to see where I go) When Icemaiden visited as a child it cost one old penny in the turnstile, it now costs adults £15, but kids go free.

151.6 miles – Richmond Bridge – the oldest surviving bridge across the Thames in London.

150 miles – Eel Pie Island – 1960s concert venue and home of Trevor Baylis, inventor of the wind-up radio. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*150 Miles*

148.7 – Teddington Lock – last and largest lock on the Thames. The Port of London Authority takes control of the river downstream of this point. Home of Teddington Studios, where many Thames TV programmes are still made. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

147 miles – Kingston Bridge – scene of one of the last duckings in 1745 when ‘a woman who keeps the Queen’s Head ale-house’ in Kingston was ordered to be ducked for scolding. She was placed on a chair and ducked in the river in the presence of two or three thousand people. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

146 miles – Surbiton, best known from the 1970s sit-com ‘The Good Life’ as the home of Tom and Barbara Good and Jerry and Margot Leadbetter. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*145 Miles*

144.3 – Hampton Court Bridge – built in 1933, designed by Sir Edward Lutyens. Hampton Court Palace combines the Tudor palace of Henry VIII and Sir Christopher Wren’s 17th century extension for William and Mary. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

143 miles – Hampton House, once owned by 18th century actor David Garrick. Nearby lies the Astoria houseboat, now a recording studio owned by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmore. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*140 Miles*

138 miles – Shepperton – King Charles I dallied with Nell Gwyn in the King’s Head pub, and Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor made merry in the Anchor Hotel. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*135 Miles*

131 miles – Staines Bridge – site of the 1285 London Stone which marked the western limit of London’s authority over the Thames at the upper limit of the tidal river. Link (roll over me to see where I go) Icemaiden’s great great grandfather came from Stanwell, near Staines. Lagonda cars started in Staines in 1906, later the name was bought by Aston Martin cars in 1947, and moved to Newport Pagnell, where Icemaiden now lives.

130 miles – Runnymede – The 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta happens in 2015. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*130 Miles*

127 miles – Windsor Castle – the Royal family’s country cottage. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

125 miles – Datchet – the endpoint of the first ever motor car ride in Britain when the Hon Evelyn Ellis picked up his new car from Micheldever Station and drove it back to Datchet on 6 July 1895. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*125 Miles*

123 miles – Eton, the first town in Britain to have a modern drainage system. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

122.8 - medalslut

*120 Miles*

120 miles –Dorney rowing lake lies to your left. Scene of the 2012 Olympic rowing events. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

119 miles – Down Place – home of Hammer films from 1951 to 1970, the grounds of which house Bray Studios. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

118.5 miles – Monkey Island, a small island in the river that has been the scene of all sorts of hanky panky, and was the childhood home of Sterling Moss. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

116 miles – Boulter’s Lock. Don’t get sucked into the Jubilee River, a 7 mile cut that takes floodwater from Maidenhead and Windsor. Link (roll over me to see where I go) . Gerry Anderson produced puppet shows in nearby Islet Park House.

*115 Miles*

114 miles – Cliveden House. Erstwhile home of the Astor family, now a National Trust owned luxury hotel. Link (roll over me to see where I go) It featured as Lady Penelope’s house in the 2004 live action film of Thunderbirds.

113.3 miles – Cookham – a village made famous by the paintings of Sir Stanley Spencer. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*110 Miles*

109 miles – Marlow Bridge, the only suspension bridge across the non-tidal Thames and the first suspension bridge on the Thames. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

108.5 miles – Bisham Abbey – now the National Sports Centre. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

106 miles – Medmenham Abbey – 18th century home of Sir Francis Dashwood, the only Chancellor of the Exchequer to admit delivery his budget speech while drunk. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

==*105 Miles*== *HALF WAY*

Henley-on-Thames – The bridge features the sculptured faces of Old Father Thames looking downstream and Isis looking upstream. In St Mary’s church you’ll find a memorial to singer Dusty Springfield. Henley Regatta is held on the longest naturally straight stretch of river in Britain, almost 1 mile long, just north of Henley Bridge. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*100 Miles*

Just before Henley you’ll find the River and Rowing Museum. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

98 miles – Wargrave – home of the frequently flooded Paul Daniels. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*95 Miles*

95 miles – Sonning – a pretty village which has been home to a number of famous and infamous people including Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt, playwright Terence Ratrigan, magician and psychic Uri Geller. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

91.5 miles – Reading – a town built on brewing, bulbs and biscuits. Simonds Brewery was designed by Sir John Soane. Suttons Seeds, the first company to supply seeds by mail order and Huntley & Palmers biscuits founded in 1722. Now home to Oracle, Microsft and Cisco. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*90 Miles*

86 – 87 miles – the houses at Hardwick and Mapledurham are both believed to be the original for ‘Toad Hall’, Charles Rose, once the owner of Hardwick House is thought to have been the original ‘Mr Toad’ Paaarp paaarp! Link (roll over me to see where I go)

85 miles – Pangbourne – home to Kenneth Grahame after he retired from the Bank of England on the proceeds of ‘Wind in the Willows’. The boundary between Oxfordshire and Berkshire once ran down the middle of the bar in The Swan and they had different licensing hours, so drinkers could move from one side to the other to continue drinking ‘after hours. Pangboune also home to Led Zeppelin Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*85 Miles*

83.7 miles – Basildon Park house, gave its name to the writing paper brand ‘Basildon Bond’.

81

82.47 miles - Little Nemo (second year of this )

81 miles – Goring. Ferry Cottage in Goring was once rented by Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas. Later, Sir Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris lived there from 1953 until his death. Dick & Dom have been in ‘da bungalow’ here Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*80 Miles*

77 miles – North Stoke, burial place of Dame Clara Butt, whose recording of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ was the best selling of the day, and of whom Sir Thomas Beecham declared, ‘on a clear day you could have heard her across the English Channel’. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

75.5 miles – Wallingford – the last Royalist stronghold in England to surrender to Oliver Cromwell in 1646. Link (roll over me to see where I go) Frequently used in TV’s Midsomer Murders as the town of Causton.

*75 Miles*

75 miles – Howbery – home of Jethro Tull and the seed drill, his first example built from bits of an old pipe organ. Howbery Park house is reputed to be haunted by a grey lady, and was once owned by Harvey du Cros, son of Arthur du Cros who introduced pneumatic tyres for cyclists. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

74 miles – Benson – RAF Benson was home to Spitfires and Mosquitoes who ran reconnaissance missions including the assessment of the Dambuster raids. Today the home of RAF support helicopters, including those who have recently been to Afghanistan. RAF Benson often records England’s coldest temperature. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

Tomsmum 5/5/15

*70 Miles*

70 miles – Dorchester-on-Thames was the first city in Saxon Wessex. The Norman cathedral contains many treasures. Traditionally the river was called the Isis above this point and the Thames from here on down Link (roll over me to see where I go) .Day’s Lock is the site of the annual Poohsticks Championships raising money for the RNLI. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

67.79 miles - Little Nemo

67.6

67.6 miles - Clifton Hampden bridge designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. The band Radiohead practiced in the village hall. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*65 Miles*

63 miles - Sutton Courtenay Abbey built in 13th century, final resting place of Herbert Asquith, last Liberal prime minister, newspaper editor David Astor and author George Orwell. Helena Bonham Carter is the great great granddaughter of Herbert Asquith and has also lived here. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

61 miles - Abingdon – one of Britain’s oldest continuously occupied towns, the site has been lived on since the Iron Age. Once home of MG cars. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*60 Miles*

56 miles - Sandford Lock, the deepest lock on the non-tidal Thames – 8ft 10ins and built in 1630. Near the lock is the Sandford ‘Lasher’, a fast flowing weir above a deep pool with treacherous undercurrents. So be careful! In 1921, a victim was Michael Llewellyn-Davies, adopted son of J. M Barrie. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

23/3 55.73 Tomsmum

*55 Miles*

53 miles - Folly Bridge, Oxford, the main road from Abingdon into the south of Oxford. Current bridge dates from 1827, which replaced an early Norman bridge. Link (roll over me to see where I go) Then you pass the Oxford colleges boat houses.

52 miles - Oxford Station – you’re now round the back of the station!

*50 Miles*

49.5 miles - Trout Inn at Godstow Bridge – I think I managed to punt up here once or twice back in the day. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

46.5 miles - Wytham Great Wood, frequently featured in Inspector Morse – only about 3 miles east of the centre of Oxford as the crow flies, but the river has 6 miles to go to reach same point. Keep on swimming. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

45.7 miles - Swinford Bridge – one of three toll bridges on the Thames Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*45 Miles*

42.3 miles - jonbev

42 miles - Bablock Hythe – an important crossing point of the river where a vehicle ferry operated from the mid 13th century until recently, the nearest crossing is 5 miles away and there was some enthusiasm for restarting the ferry in 2012. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*40 Miles*

39.34 miles - Newbridge has the second oldest bridge of the Thames, hence the name. Link (roll over me to see where I go) The bridge has a pub at either end.

37 miles - Longworth village, south of the river was the birthplace of R. D Blackmore who wrote the novel Lorna Doone, and the burial place of Dr David Kelly, former UN Weapons Inspector. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

36.6 miles - Lazydaisy

*35 Miles*

34.69 miles - Winded

32.4 miles - Rushey Lock cottage Link (roll over me to see where I go) was once a hideway for 1930s celebrities such as Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks, and the Trout Inn (once had a landlord called Herring).

30.88 miles - Kimbles

*30 Miles*

28.4 miles - Radcot Bridge – the oldest bridge over the Thames, most of the present bridge dates from 1200. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

25.5 miles - Kelmscott Manor – home of the Victorian writer, reformer and artist William Morris. Now owned by the Society of Antiquaries of London. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*25 Miles*

23 miles - St John’s Lock – the first and highest lock on the Thames. The figure of Old Father Thames can now be found here. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

22 miles - Lechlade – the first place on the Thames where the river is deep enough for commercial traffic, and once a busy port. Cotswold stone for the dome of St Paul’s cathedral sent from here. Link (roll over me to see where I go) Lechlade is also the place where Angus won his first kayak race, 33 years ago

21.4 miles – Inglesham Lock – the first lock on the Thames and Severn Canal which aimed to link Bristol and London. The lock is being restored. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*20 Miles*

17 miles - Kempsford – a village with a long history – and RAF Fairford – home of the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK – a very long and strong runway! Link (roll over me to see where I go)

15.5 miles - Castle Eaton and the first pub on the river – The Red Lion Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*15 Miles*

12.30 miles - Tomsmum

11 miles - Cricklade – first town on the Thames, minted coins in Anglo Saxon times. Church of St Sampson, a Celtic saint Link (roll over me to see where I go)

10.33 miles - AngusC -

*10 Miles*

7.36 miles - B-Lass Feeling good!!

6 miles - Ashton Keynes – 1st village on the Thames, prone to flooding at any time of the year. Named Keynes after the French lords who also gave their name to Somerford Keynes and Milton Keynes Link (roll over me to see where I go)

*5 Miles*

Now you’re in the Cotswold Water Park – 150 acres of lakes made by gravel extraction – includes the largest inland bathing beach in England – useful so far from the sea. Link (roll over me to see where I go)

3.5 miles – Somerford Keynes – an Anglo Saxon ford across the river, the first beavers born in Britain since the 17th century were born at Lower Mill Link (roll over me to see where I go)

1.18 miles - Luiz
0.80 miles - McGoohan

*0 Miles* Thames Head

Start of the river Link (roll over me to see where I go)

Quick sharpener before setting off? Link (roll over me to see where I go)

Angus's friend Jason Westlake was killed in a car crash close to the Thames Head pub on the A433 back in 1989. RIP Jase.

Names for the starting line:
Jambomo
icemaiden
Lazydaisy
AngusC - (aiming for Wallingford)
Velociraptor
Tomsmum
Clive
Kimbles
Blackbird leys Boy.
Winded
Luiz
Little Nemo
JustDistracted
McGoohan
flanker
Medalslut