There are no pictures of gleaming spires to accompany today’s blog. I had planned to take some when I reached Oxford. However, as I approached the city, the rain that had started earlier was getting heavier. Even the goslings were taking shelter.
By the time I arrived in Oxford, the rain was bucketing down – the hardest that I’ve had so far on this walk.
It struck me, afterward, that I must have looked a slightly odd figure on the very urban streets of Oxford. I was dressed for grubbing around in the countryside: walking boots, gaiters, cargo pants, travel shirt, and today a mountain waterproof, liberally spattered with mud. I was carrying a big pack, complete with drying socks hanging off it, and the various bits of kit that are always close to hand – camera, map case, hydration tube, and trekking poles. And I was no doubt wearing the look of grim determination that is generally my mindset by the end of a long day.
If people were wondering if I were lost, they were kind enough not to ask. Or perhaps the look of determination put them off.
Day 19 Route: Charlbury to Oxford via Oxfordshire Way and Oxford Canal Path. Terrain: field paths, towpaths. Weather: initially sunny, but raining increasingly hard later. Daily distance: 34.2 km/21.2 miles. Cumulative distance: 463.3 km/287.2 miles. Accommodation: Ridings Guest House, Oxford.
Come Wind, Come Weather 