July 22, Abingdon to Pangbourne

 No trouble looking for the start of the path today.  Yes, I know it is a river but you'd be surprised that it can be complicated around bridges and locks.  But "The Boathouse" where I was staying, was right on The River, so out the front door, turn left and you are on your way.  If you turned right, you would also be on your way, but I had already done that way.

Not much to say about this stretch: pretty, not long, but it is distinguished by having a short hill.  This is not the hill:

Not going in:

Going in:

Not a day goes by without a body being warned of danger:

Upscale neighbourhood:

I am going to guess that the Audi Sport is parked in back.

On the way into Pangbourne, an honest-to-goodness toll booth:

But nowadays pedestrians do not have to pay the 1/2 penny!  We go for free.

It is about time:

It was worth almost getting hit by a car to take this picture in the rain and all.

Arrived in Pangbourne at 10:45, way too early to call it a day, so I set off for the Nature Park, about two miles away, but most of the walk was on an awful road....cars whizzzzzing by one after the other. 

Since it was raining, or maybe because it is their custom anyway, few animals were to be seen.  The ones that were, were, for the most part, not real.  Can you spot the one(s) that is/are actually alive?

If you guessed these, you were wrong:

The grounds were gorgeous:

On my way back to Pangbourne, I saw a clump of onions on a chair with a sign reading: Surplus veg Please help yourself:

so I did!  After a wash and a chop, they were a fine addition to my egg and potato concoction.  I am staying in an Air B&B, a really nice one, by the way.  Alex and Alex, this one does deserve to claim the designation "luxury," even though it does not have paper towels or a microwave.  

There is a small Main Street with the oddest collection of shops.  Tomorrow, I must go into this one to see the chocolate and shampoo:

Uh oh, tomorrow is Sunday everything except the Co-Op, and the Londis will be closed.