Leaving Town

THE THAMES PATH – DAY 9: Tuesday 18 August 2026 – PANGBOURNE to READING (6.9 miles)

Well, with a free day in the calendar, Rachel and I made the rash decision to set an early alarm this morning, as we left town for a short day’s walk in continuation of our Thames Path journey. Picking up at Pangbourne, where we hung our walking boots last month, we had a pleasant ramble along the river, going with the flow for just seven miles or so, as the river left the Berkshire water meadows and entered the sprawl of Reading.

We noticed quite a change today, not just in the cooler weather (a temperate 22-24 degrees, rather than the tropical heatwaves of late), but also in the trees and vegetation: the leaves are starting to turn, perhaps on account of the drought, and the feeling in the air is certainly of late summer, as the valley prepares for some much-needed rainfall ahead of the fall. With the light breeze conditions were near perfect for walking, and we had a super few hours of Thames-side tranquility before our arrival in the hustle and bustle of central Reading. Here are some highlights of our day.

We are now decidedly into the second half of our Thames Path escapade, having passed the 92-mile marker around Tilehurst Station at lunchtime today. We have another walking ‘project’ to attend to next week, and I will be back here to enlighten you on that journey shortly: this will mean another delay before we make further inroads into the Thames Path – but hopefully we will return to this trail before too many more moons pass.

My Blog title today ‘Leaving Town’ borrows from the title of a song by The Very Lazy Sundays whose lyrics (I happen to know) refer to experiences in the town of Reading. Some members of the group are local to my home in west Hertfordshire, and I have been to see ‘The Lazies’ play many times over the years in various venues around the area. Since I started writing these Blogs I have been awaiting the moment to give a shout-out to the band – to my friend George on guitar and to lead singer Diyar, whose upbringing in Reading has provided the inspiration for many of the band’s songs. So, today seems an appropriate moment to add The Very Lazy Sundays to my Thames Path playlist.