Walking is a very popular activity in the UK. Travel books that I have been reading talk about thousands of people heading out to the countryside every weekend. Almost every town has a trail network that allows you to explore the neighbouring area, and almost every town is accessible through the excellent public transportation system.
In addition to the smaller trails, UK has a number of National Trails which link vast portions of the country. These are long distance routes that cover hundreds of miles of terrain. The routes were created by linking exiting roads and bylanes and by creating new paths where needed. Well-marked and well-maintained, they are relatively easy to follow.
To celebrate the advent of warm weather (finally!), last Sunday we headed out on one of the national trails - Thames Path. It is a 184 miles trail that runs along the river Thames from its source in Cotswold to the sea. We walked a 11 mile stretch from the town of Bourne End to Windsor. Because the trail follows the river, it is a fairly level walk with few inclines.
The walk was peaceful, except for the time when we thought we had 9 miles to go when actually we had only 3 miles remaining. Our GPS had miscalculated our progress. I have to admit that I was doubtful about completing the remaining 9 miles, but luckily, that was not the case, and we made it through easily.
A very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I'm looking forward to walking on the remaining stretches of the Thames Path.
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