April 4: The last Thames day

I wrote yesterday about the sense of power and authority that emanates from Windsor Castle. But just a few miles down the road there is a rather unremarkable-looking meadow that has its own sense of history.

This is Runnymede. Here, in the summer of 1215, King John signed the Magna Carta, accepting the principle that the Crown’s exercise of power would be subject to the rule of law. Many of the specific provisions of Magna Carta are now obsolete, but that central idea lives on.

As befits the birthplace of an idea, there are few monuments. It was a showery morning but, as I was leaving, the sun broke through and lit up the meadow. Fitting.

Day 25 Route: Windsor to Weybridge via Thames Path. Terrain: riverside paths. Weather: intermittent showers. Daily distance: 24.0 km/14.9 miles. Cumulative distance: 606.3 km/375.9 miles. Accommodation: Ship Inn, Weybridge.