Falling Down the Thames Blog 11, 28th May 2014
The Two Kilometre Rule
Krista is a wiser person than I. She pointed out to me that our Falling Down the Thames adventure has the potential to grow to a size that would be completely unmanageable. After all, the United Kingdom is an amazing place. It is full of wonderful people and opportunities for fun. But how much fun can we handle?
I have been to Glasgow’s Celtic Connections music festival, and it was fabulous. But it has nothing to do with the River Thames, so out it goes. York Minster has the biggest stained glass widow in all of Christendom, but it is nearly 400 kilometres from the Thames. Sorry York Minster. Her Majesty’s prison at Dartmoor is so cool that it has its own museum and visitors’ centre. But the prison is way over in Devon. Wells-Next-The-Sea in Norfolk has… well, it has 2500 residents, all of whom agree that their town has a silly name, and no special River Thames connection.
So what will Krista and I do? What makes an event or a site so special that we will include it in our travels?
We came up with a simple rule. If something fun is within two kilometres of the Thames River or the Thames Estuary, then we will investigate it. Any further from water than that and we will ignore it.
And given that the Thames is something like 346 kilometres long… times a strip two kilometres wide… times two banks… That is a lot of landscape to explore. Add to that a two kilometre wide ribbon of land along the south shore of the Thames Estuary, and we should be able to get ourselves up to plenty of mischief.
For instance, the May celebrations organized by the Whitstable Lions Club will be the 40th staging of the event. The Oyster Morris dance group has agreed to allow Krista and I to join in their merry-making. Whitstable overlooks the Thames Estuary.
For instance, part of the route of the London Marathon follows the River Thames. Surely that obliges us to run the footrace.
For instance, the Royal Windsor Racecourse is situated in a bend of the Thames. I think that Krista and I will be passing the venue during racing season, although I am not sure that they would let us through the gate with our canoe in tow.
For instance, the Church of England’s St. Mary the Virgin Church in the community of Thame is about 150 metres from the Thames, but then so too are the Thame Burger King and the head offices of Travelodge.
For instance… Opps. It seems that Heathrow airport is about five kilometres from the Thames. Too far. So when we land at Heathrow, it won’t count as fun..
And if you, dear reader, have suggestions for special things that Krista and I might do while Falling Down the Thames, please write to us.
- Glen
Photo credits: The Mayor’s Thames Festival, London – escapelondonblog.wordpress.com; Oyster Morris dancers – mbasic.facebook.com; The Thames Path National Trail – www.thames-path.org.uk