Day 8: Staines - Datchet

A surprisingly warm and sunny day for late September for the next stage towards Windsor. Staines has been an unusual town compared to the other I’ve passed through so far in that it has pretty much turned it’s back on the river. There is very little going on along the Staines river frontage. A new winding path, decking and awnings have been put in place over recent years (probably a Millennium project). There is the obligatory piece of public art, one of which I quite liked. It was a sculpture, in a very shiny metal, of two origami swans. Indeed having looked on the web now I see that this area goes by the name of the Artwalk.

After this short walk the path crosses Staines Bridge, and continues along the river next to office buildings and industrial sites. Shortly two features, one old and one new, mark the last influences of London. The first is another City of London coalpost, this time a white painted iron post. This will be the last I pass on the Thames. Close by is what many would now regard as the edge of London – the M25. The extra wide motorway is carried over the river on two bridges, but the path continues under and runs past a groups of houses and the grounds of Bell Weir Lock. Soon the houses give way to open ground, a park area and the start of Runnymede Meadows. Once round this kink in the river we are onto the Meadows proper (albeit between road and river), on National Trust land. The Meadows themselves are famous as the camping grounds of King John and his army, when in 1215 John signed and sealed the Magna Carta on the island across the river. There are many notable buildings and monuments that have been erected here, all in the last 100 years. The first is high up on the wooded ridge to the west. This is the Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial built in 1952 in memory of the airmen from across the Commonwealth who lost their lives during the Second World War. The names of the missing airmen are carved into the walls around a cloister and the tower has views across seven counties.

A short walk further on and there is a good view from the path of the Magna Carta Memorial. This was built in 1957 to a design by Sir Edward Maufe. It was built by the American Bar Association and consists of a domed roof resting on classical columns. One of the pillars is carved from English granite and carries the inscription “TO COMMEMORATE MAGNA CARTA, SYMBOL OF FREEDOM UNDER THE LAW”.

Nearby, but not visible from the path is another monument in memory of John F Kennedy. In December 1963 the British Government gave an acre of land, where the monument now sits, to the United States in memory of their assassinated President. Given all the relevance of Runnymede and its importance in the formation of modern democracy, this just seems like another stretch of the Thames.

Up ahead are two gatehouses leading at the edge of Runnymede Meadows. They were designed by Edward Lutyens on commission from the Lady Fairhaven in memory or her husband Urban Hanlow Broughton, Lord Fairhaven, the then landowner of Runnymede. One now houses a National Trust tearoom making a great stop of point for a break.

The path then comes very close to the main road and a roundabout. The sign ahead says Old Windsor and marks our passing from Surrey into Berkshire. Having passed a Harvester it’s back to a stretch of river with very large houses with very large gardens running down to the river, all of them looking very desirable! One house even has a pet owl called Dobby. On the edge of Old Windsor a side path leads round to the delightful Old Windsor Parish Church.

Back along the riverside and we arrive at Old Windsor Lock. Here the path deviates away from the main river channel and follows a special cut. Indeed even the boats are directed up the cut, quite a narrow straight channel up towards Albert Bridge. At the end of the cut, the path enters the most rural area yet with no buildings visible on either bank. But around the corner is Albert Bridge where we cross the river. The reason for this is that we are now alongside Windsor Great Park and the area ahead is closed for security reasons. It runs close to Frogmore House, and later Windsor Castle itself. But for now the path leads along a short river path before heading away from the river, down the side of a field and back to the road to the edge of Datchet. This whole stretch of the walk is dominated by the Heathrow flight path with a plane passing very close overhead every few minutes.

Once into Datchet I come to a stop when the road meets the river once more. This is the point of the old Datchet Bridge, now no longer there. I’ll explain more when I get to tell you about Albert Bridge, but for now it a short stroll up High Street and Datchet Station.