21 June a break in the rain, brought sunny morning.
The old swan, a 16th century coaching inn being changed tonight for the rose revived,a great name.
A fellow hiker has altered us to a particular of today's walk: weeds higher or taller than us. Maybe mud as well in the interstices.
Perfect walk to the tadpole bridge and inn where we waited a bit for them to open. Coffee etc.
Morning mud report: little today so far. A few wet spots, QBs shoes soaked through.
Chimney nature reserve: very hard walking. Three plus miles of head high weeds, bugs, and pointy stuff to poke one. Apparently an unusual untouched and unspoiled type of meadow. Really tiring. See picture of a spot in a clearing.
Picnic lunch of cheese fruit and plums, riverside lock bench.
Newbridge, oldest bridge over the Thames, location of civil war battle in 1644 where Charles prevailed, naturally prior to his loss of his head. A critical battle.
Overall a bug infested walk with them doing too much chomping, us working our way through weeds, but a good 12+ miles. QB has many many bites, very tasty sheer is.
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