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A River Walk on the Thames Path from Sandford Lock to Folly Bridge, via Iffley Lock

By Anita Mathias

Enjoy this post by my husband Roy on one of our favourite walks by the River Thames in Oxford, incredibly beautiful and a great place to relax. Roy takes his camera, I take my jumbled thoughts. He comes back with photographs, and I come back with peace and a blog post.

Roy thinks we should walk the 51 miles of the Thames Path to London, some day or week. He’s serious, but I pretend he’s joking.

Now, over to Roy

The Kings Arms at Sandford Lock is great place to start a riverside walk.  Upstream,  it is 3 miles, and perhaps the nicest river walk in Oxford,  past river boats, flocks of grazing geese, Iffley lock, Iffley Meadow, and the college boathouses to Folly Bridge and Christchurch Meadow.  The section from Iffley Lock upstream is paved.  Downstream, it is more rural, and one can follow the Thames Path right into London.

Sandford Lock to Folly Bridge via Iffley Lock

The green at Sanford Lock is a wonderful place for a picnic.

The green at Sanford Lock is a wonderful place for a picnic. Opposite the Kings Arms, with its outdoor garden.

The Kings Arms, Sandford Lock.

The Kings Arms, Sandford Lock.

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Canada geese and goslings, near Sandford Lock.

 

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Picture perfect view between Sandford Lock and Iffley Lock.

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Gate with a fish theme, between Sandford and Iffley Locks.

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Iffley Lock

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House boats above Iffley Lock.

 Downstream from Sandford Lock

It is much more rural going down stream, and the path is rather uneven.

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Another perfect day.

Another perfect day.

You will pass Radley boathouse.  Radley College, is a private boys boarding school.  According to Wikipedia “The campus of school buildings, playing fields, golf course, lake, and farmland now covers some 800 acres (3.2 km2), including the largest continuous area of mown grass in England.”

Radley Boathouse.

Radley Boathouse.

More from my site

  • A Walk Through University Parks, OxfordA Walk Through University Parks, Oxford
  • It was like a Church to me: Port Meadow, Oxford, at SunsetIt was like a Church to me: Port Meadow, Oxford, at Sunset
  • Otmoor Nature Reserve, Oxford (RSPB): Oxfordshire WalksOtmoor Nature Reserve, Oxford (RSPB): Oxfordshire Walks
  • The Martyr’s Memorial to Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer, St. Giles, OxfordThe Martyr’s Memorial to Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer, St. Giles, Oxford
  • 1001 Gifts #5: Living in England1001 Gifts #5: Living in England
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Filed Under: In which I Dream Beneath the Spires of Oxford

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Comments

  1. LA says

    June 4, 2013 at 10:30 am

    It’s a lot less wide than I expected, having only really experienced it in London. I’ve not done the English countryside on any of my trips there (just Scottish countryside)…I think my next trip ought to include more of these kinds of places :). Thank you for these wonderful posts.

    • Anita Mathias says

      June 6, 2013 at 9:49 pm

      Come and visit me on the next trip. Oxford really is magical. I still find it so, though I’ve lived here for 12 years now!

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Premier Digital Awards 2015 - Finalist - Blogger of the year
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anita.mathias

Writer, Blogger, Reader, Mum. Christian. Instaing Oxford, travel, gardens and healthy meals. Oxford English alum. Writing memoir. Lives in Oxford, UK

Instagram post 2186714755975443652_1686032450 A sunny day in Porto and Coimbra.
Now back home, back to Yoga classes and the like.
I find if I get a spot up front near the instructor and next to someone accomplished, and follow them as bravely and gaspingly as I can, I get a thorough workout, totally break a sweat, do things I was certain I could not do, and get so much stronger in the process.
A bit like following Christ. Read what he said, take a deep breath and do it as exactly as you can, and you will slowly find yourself becoming a little bit stronger, wiser and yes, happier! My thought for the day 🙂
#porto #portugal #ilovetravel #happiness
Instagram post 2185957583540871908_1686032450 Images from our week in Porto.
Both my grandmothers, for as long as I knew them, were homebodies, spending their days in just one or two rooms.
I love travel, and excitement, and living as big and expansive life as I can.
But I too spend several hours every day in a quiet room, reading, writing, thinking, praying... And in the quiet room, one can interact the best thoughts of men and women down the ages, and more with infinity.. God, The sweet Spirit, The Lord Christ. #porto #portugal #travel #novembersun #marriage #marriedlife #beaches #portoribeira #fun
Instagram post 2180132061531496763_1686032450 Images from the Ashmolean Museum’s exhibition in Pompeii, death suddenly arriving in the middle of hectic life. Leaving in its aftermath particularly fertile volcanic soil.
When we become stuck in bitterness, when we recount the same sad story, again and again, in our own minds and to others... we forget that EVERY death has the potential for resurrection.
Have you suffered financial loss, financial injustice, completely untrue slander, deep sadness, failure? I have. Many humans have.
Give it to God. Give it to God of resurrection. Ask him to bring beauty from those sad, dead things.
The soil in the aftermath of a volcanic explosion is particularly fertile.
God can bring new life and beauty from dead things.
He calls out to sad hearts, "Come alive. Come alive!" #pompeii # Ashmolean
Instagram post 2175440736861042753_1686032450 Thoughts on avoiding the holes we habitually fall into, and BELATED images from one of my favourite active holidays https://anitamathias.com/2019/11/11/an-autobiography-in-five-chapters-and-avoiding-habitual-holes/
Instagram post 2156925313647782363_1686032450 I am inspired and moved by the story of Dirk Willems, a hero of the Reformation who lost his life to save his enemy, and have written a little book about him. 
It's on http://Amazon.co.uk  https://amzn.to/2Bk9Shl  and on http://Amazon.com  https://amzn.to/2VQOSYN 
Please do consider reading it & reviewing it. I would be immensely grateful.  Thank you!
Instagram post 2156141167803371501_1686032450 Okay, an unabashed Latergram on our first day in Iceland in Thingvellir National Park. Isn’t it dramatic.  And a short blog  https://anitamathias.com/2019/10/16/on-checking-in-before-you-fly/ #thingvellirnationalpark #iceland #travel #beauty #joy #adventure #life
Instagram post 2148813562469383835_1686032450 Family walks in assorted parks and gardens.  On my new spiritual discipline of Bible-walking, listening to and engaging with Scripture on the hoof.  https://anitamathias.com/2019/10/06/the-spiritual-practice-of-bible-walking/ #walkingandpraying #walkingwiththeword #biblewalking #walkingwiththelord
Instagram post 2134504882437551900_1686032450 I am in New York for a couple of weeks, for my niece Kristina’s wedding. We are having an amazing time, and I have taken a zillion pictures, and it is hot. So here’s a #latergram album from our trip to cool Iceland last month.  I have also blogged on experiencing deep peace in times of political turmoil.
https://anitamathias.com/2019/09/17/deep-peace-in-times-of-political-turmoil/  #iceland  #ringroad #icebergs #glaciers #glaciallagoon #beauty
Instagram post 2118440928208588573_1686032450 I don’t know how to do justice to an amazing trip to Iceland... glacial lagoons, icebergs, glaciers, volcanoes, puffins, seals, geysers, black sand beaches, and these aren’t even my best pictures, but here’s a start.
And here’s a blog https://anitamathias.com/2019/08/25/on-returning-home-to-yourself-and-the-things-you-love-more-than-yourself/ #icebergs #glaciers #glaciallagoon #iceland #travel #love
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