Home Farm, Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire

The distance from our Cheltenham camp to this was only about fifty miles, so we were in no hurry to leave this morning. We even delayed our stock-up shopping until today, and took our time wandering about the local Tesco Superstore before returning to the racecourse to pack up. Even after such a relaxed departure, we still spent some time parked up beside the highway on our way across toward Oxford. About thirty five miles of our route was a duplication of that travelled yesterday, but done in better weather; the same view seen in different conditions should never be sneezed at.

After leaving the A40 and passing through the village of Stanton Harcourt, we accessed our camp here at Home Farm via a narrow country lane, with passing bays, fortunately without any oncoming traffic. The recent rain has made the field beside the farm house a bit of a bog, and our hostess directed us to a couple of tight little spots, neither initially impressing much, however once we were set up between hedges offering privacy, we were delighted at our choice. This was previously a CS, a certified site with the Camping and Caravan Club, now no longer, which gives the business a wider net of camping clientele to appeal to, none of this mattering a hoot to us.  

After we had finished setting up, we headed less than a mile south down the same country lane until we arrived at Bablock Hythe where the Ferry Inn apparently provides the services of a ferry across this narrow stretch of the River Thames during the summer months, carrying on a tradition of one thousand years. From here we walked for about three quarters of an hour upstream across farmland grazed by healthy looking sheep, part of The Thames Path which starts down at Greenwich and ends in the Cotswolds, until we reached the Northmoor Lock. This is the seventh lock on the River Thames, constructed in 1896, and manned full time. 

We spent some time chatting with the locksman who told us there had only been four boats through the lock today. The Season is now passed, however he is employed by the Environment Agency, or at least about 70% of the funding comes from them while other agencies such as the Canal & River Trust contribute the rest.  I suspect he does not have to worry about such matters and is happy to see the one figure credited into his bank account every fortnight or whatever; the information was offered in answer to our twenty questions. His role, apart from assisting watercraft through the lock, is to monitor the river level as part of the flood control for London and downstream of here along the catchment area. Through the winter, maintenance of this stretch and those beyond also fall within his jurisdiction; Chris and I reckoned he had a pretty cushy job.

We enjoyed our walk immensely, and I found my “new” walking shoes performed brilliantly. Perhaps they will not need to be replaced with a really new pair when we return next year after all. Alas the soles now bear evidence of our progress across sheep grazed paddocks.