Benson is on the north and east banks of the Thames River, with evidence of human presence found dating back to the Mesolthic period, some 10,000 BCE. Our friends John and Val are much much younger and far more vibrant! We have had a wonderful few days with them, and rue the fact that we live so far apart.

We bid them farewell, or rather, see you in four weeks.

We left Benson heading up Henley Road. It was super busy and we stayed on the narrow footpath. Our raincoats went on here, 800 metres after we began. Fortunately the rain was short lived….for the time being anyhow. The forecast was ominous.

Dorchester on Thames was the first major village en route. The abbey was previously a Norman abbey built on the site of a Saxon cathedral. The current church was founded in 1140.

Hard to know how old the headstones are as most are quite eroded.

Next town as we peddled onwards was Abingdon on Thames, a historic market town on the Thames River.

After stopping for coffee and a toilet stop, we headed back on route, following the Thames out of town.

Nice cycle path called The Hanson Way

I had to stop at Goosey, great name. It has a history dating back to the 11th century starting off as Gosi.

We routed todays ride in the hope of seeing a horse! Vale of the White Horse named after the huge chalk horse, 100m from nose to tail, carved into the hillside above Uffington. It has been dated to around 1000 BC.

Hard to get the photo from this particular angle. Here is an aerial view I have borrowed.

For the first 50 km or so today it was quite windy, with a SW blowing. We were heading NW with more W than N, so we copped it.

Rain was coming and we were feeling a bit peckish, having been keen to push along to try and beat the rain.

We took the opportunity to sit at this closed pub and eat the goodies Val had given us. Just after this photo was taken, we donned our rain jackets as it started to rain and did not let up for the rest of the ride.

A number of the villages had these all encompassing signs.

Riding around lots of waterways that were part of the Cotswolds Water park, we did not stop. The camera tends not to be produced in the rain. However, under this tree canopy we did get one of this lovely track we followed,

We arrived at our overnight stay at Thames Head hotel. It was 1 pm, earlier than check in, but as our room was ready, they allowed us to check in.

Our bikes have been cleaned and dried and stored, in our bedroom cupboard 🤣

We grabbed some lunch in the pub, baked potatoes. Tony is waiting patiently.

Thames Head is a group of seasonal springs and generally recognised as the source of the Thames River. I visited here in 2007 and it was dry.

After it stopped raining we walked to the Source. Maybe a 3 km round trip walk.

The hard to read headstone states this is the source.

Here it is, the source! Impressive? Still dry.

We walked back along the road we had ridden a few hours earlier, and I think cycling this section is safer than walking it. There is no verge.

I waited until all oncoming traffic had gone through the rail tunnel then walked briskly through.

Tonight we got to meet another cycling friend for the first time, in person!

Ali and I have an unusual friendship connection, having been seriously stalked by the same wacky Canadian many years ago. We bonded through our shared experiences.

Ali no longer Zwifts, having taken up photography with a passion. Her work is seriously good and has featured in many publications.

Here is a recent example from her photography page: AlisonJane Visual Perception.

Day one done and dusted, 93 km, 444 m ascent. A good route overall, with some challenging winds, but that’s what you sign up for when doing cycle touring. 😊❣️

Thanks for reading. I need some sleep now.