Day 5—Bablock Hythe to Oxford

Mistakes were made today. And we paid the price.

Our first mistake: out of an abundance of civility, really an overabundance of civility, Anne and I ordered the fish and chips that our hostess at the Ferryman had recommended for dinner last night. That night, we both tossed and turned, unaccustomed to the digestive demands of fried fish and potatoes.

Compounding our discomfort was a very lumpy mattress.

And then there was musty odor.

Did I mention that the Ferryman is right on the river?  As our host mentioned to us at dinner last night, although the Inn doesn’t flood when the Thames is even at its highest, the building constantly “wicks up” water from the river. All that water and wicking makes for a very musty environment.

I make these complaints grudgingly because the innkeepers were delightful. They couldn’t have been more accommodating. But there were difficulties.

Our second mistake: although Anne and I have enjoyed immensely the past four days walking in the countryside, communing with the river, plants, and farm animals, we were excited to visit Oxford and see the buildings, museums, and gardens. And so we hurried along the Path, walking fast. We skipped lunch, passing up a pub for what we believed would be better choices in Oxford. 

Just as we arrived in Oxford, Anne crashed. She struggled all of the mile walk that it took to reach our hotel. I thought I might need to hail an Uber.  Anne now has no interest in seeing the city’s sights. 

The walk today was again largely through countryside. 

The river has widened at this point in its journey.

Just outside Oxford, we passed by the ruins of a nunnery at Godstow, the place of God. Rosamund, Henry II’s lover, spent the last years of her life here. Rumor has it that she died from poisoning by Henry’s wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

We saw houseboats on the Thames near Godstow named Rosamund and Fair Rosamund.

We had an early dinner at our hotel and plan to turn in early. With a rest and a good night’s sleep perhaps we’ll have an early tour of Oxford before setting off on the Path tomorrow.