Thames path - Reading to Teddingotnish...

Richard Shead said:
All done. 60 miles and 7 hours. Very few no cycling areas and if you believed that map you would never go !

Beer time ...
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Nice average speed by the way. However a bit of perspective. The Windsor tri athletes today attracted an international best. Including Olympic gold and bronze 2012 . The winner managed a 1.5 k swim + 42k cycle + 10k run in 1hr 49m 47s. They were sprinting home at the end.
A different species. I needed a beer just to watch!!
 
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On a different note what is that bonkers house in Shiplake with a model railway and scale railway terminal ? Also has some sort of control tower in the filed with the words "cresta run" on it ?
 
Where is that exactly. I have never spotted it from the river. There is apparently a house belonging to the McAlpine family in the Henley area which has railway stuff in the grounds. I think they hold occasional open days there.

Interesting that you had few problems cycling the path despite the information on the website. There is sometimes a bit of a nimby approach to cycling. A few years ago there was a plan to put in a bridge as part of a national cycling route alongside the railway bridge that links Shiplake and Wargrave. The residents along the river at Shiplake were up in arms, imagining a constant stream of cyclists riding passing their door and concerns that it would result in a massive rise in crime with a ready made escape route for all the Oxfordshire felons. They had their way in the end.

There is a stretch along the river in Reading between the bridges where a nearby resident complained about cyclists on the path. The council erected bariers and no cycling signs only to discover that the designation of the path on that stretch meant that cycling was perfectly legal and they had to take the signs down again.
 
DWT said:
Where is that exactly. I have never spotted it from the river. There is apparently a house belonging to the McAlpine family in the Henley area which has railway stuff in the grounds. I think they hold occasional open days there.

Interesting that you had few problems cycling the path despite the information on the website. There is sometimes a bit of a nimby approach to cycling. A few years ago there was a plan to put in a bridge as part of a national cycling route alongside the railway bridge that links Shiplake and Wargrave. The residents along the river at Shiplake were up in arms, imagining a constant stream of cyclists riding passing their door and concerns that it would result in a massive rise in crime with a ready made escape route for all the Oxfordshire felons. They had their way in the end.

There is a stretch along the river in Reading between the bridges where a nearby resident complained about cyclists on the path. The council erected bariers and no cycling signs only to discover that the designation of the path on that stretch meant that cycling was perfectly legal and they had to take the signs down again.
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Its quite difficult to see from the river but a bit of gooooooogling suggests its this chap.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/62485109

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...m-asking-price-record-country-house-sale.html

The control tower although labelled / signposted Cresta Run seems to be either for polo or for planes / helicopters and he was known for annoying the neighbours with it apparently.

The on-line info is very misleading indeed what it does not show you is the road / paths that are along side or next to the path that does allow you to cycle..... but in a nutshell.

Reading / Caversham down to Soning very easy and all tow-paths and cycling allowed.

Soning towpath closed but nice diversion with a good few stumps to avoid!

Shiplake the Thames Path goes a bit all over the place and involves some back roads inc going past that house that caused a stink on TV the Cresta Run / model railway was the last house on that run (from the road / path)

Henley down to Aston again cycling allowed, Aston down there were a number of paths that said no cycling but it was across a field with not a person in sight so I cycled.

Marlow down again all ok but a few back roads by the bridge, over the bridge at the Bounty (Bourne End) then back on fields.

Cookham all over the place!!!!!

Then pretty much a nice run back all the way down to Tedd with no issues.

Obviously I did not cycle through the lock areas.

Job done, pizza and beer as a reward....
 
I beleive the house with the model railway belongs to the diamond multi-millionaire who's name escapes me, and also that the station is a copy of a Swiss station, maybe Basle, someone on her will know for sure.

The railway can be seen from the river if you take the channel between the first island and the bank just after the bend coming up from Marsh Lock. SWMBO would never let me go up there!

I've often wondered about the Control Tower but always failed to find out anything about it!
 
Yes, that's the one. I think he is a Swiss banker, although it could be diamonds, and that he had a serious accident on a cresta run not that long ago so maybe there is a bit of gallows humour going on there. I always assumed that the control tower which I think you can see from the road was something to do with the polo field.

Some years ago he did give some money to Henley Town football club when they were trying to build their clubhouse nearby. I don't think he has an interest in football, they just went and knocked on his door and he wrote them a cheque.
 
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