Today’s scenery was very varied on a fairly easy 17 miler.  A few steep ups at the end and a long walk from the trail to our Inn at Watlington.

We started off anxious to walk along and see the Thames.  That’s not easy in Goring where the property owners have erected walls to keep you from using up their view.

But eventually we broke into the countryside at South Stokes and North Stokes and had plenty of Thames views.

At this point we moved off the river and into towns.

At lunchtime we came across the Holy Trinity Church. The oldest parts of the Church of England parish church of the Holy Trinity are Norman. They include the baptismal font and some of the masonry in the south wall of the nave. Around the bowl of the font is a Latin inscription in Lombardic capitals. In the 14th century the church was rebuilt and the north aisle was added. In the 15th century a ceiling with moulded wooden beams and carved wooden bosses was inserted in the nave. – wikipedia

Nobody was there so we sat on a bench to eat lunch.  The Vicar came up and invited us in for coffee, tea, biscuits and cake.

The church had just had its annual flower festival over the weekend and was still decorated.

Our next change in landscape came right after the church.  Suddenly I was in Virginia on the Appalachian Trail.  Every hike, we hit at least one area where it looks just like we are on the AT, but with no snakes.  This went on for several miles.

Next came the empty golf course.  We walked across 4 fairways and only ever saw two golfers.

Most of the end of the day was back up top with views of farms and pastures.

St Botolph Church.  Built in the 11th century.

We are now in Watlington home of Jeremy Irons and the one card wide four road intersection. This is at the center of town where four roads come together to a point that is barely wide enough for one car to get through.