Falling Down the Thames Blog 6, 23rd April 2014
Everything I Know About Kemble
As a travel companion, if Krista has a fault, it is that she is not quite as silly as me. Silly, certainly, just not quite so foolhardy as her paddling companion. Goofy, but with a healthy sense of self-preservation.
Whereas I would willingly hop on any airplane with at least one wing, Krista might check if the civil war raging at the flight’s destination might be as bad as everyone says it is. Even though she is an accomplished surgeon, and can reattached body parts to other body parts, Krista is likely to look for saltwater crocodiles in a muddy river before losing a major limb. I leap first. And as far as I know, Krista has never risked a jail sentence by eating a critically-endangered creature. I envy that sort of sensibility.
And it is Krista’s slightly sensible side that could make all of the difference to our trip down the Thames. For instance, when I asked her to decide where our journey should start, Thameshead near Kemble or Seven Springs in the Cotswold Hills, Krista quite rightly suggested that we scout out both sites and then decide. Canoes are heavy, awkward bits of kit, and if the train station at Kemble is miles and miles away from any navigable stretch of water, then Seven Springs might be a better alternative.
But that isn’t enough to stop me from investigating the two potential starting spots from a distance. And so here are all of the really important things I have discovered about Kemble:
- Kemble is, officially, a village.
- It is six kilometres from Cirencester, a town. Towns are larger than villages.
- Kemble has a pub known as The Tavern Inn. It is situated next to the train station.
And that is really about it. When I turned to the Domesday Book, compiled in the 11th century, I found that the population of Kemble had been thirty villagers, six smallholders, twelve slaves and fifteen others. It isn’t a lot to go on. I am not even sure that the current Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland knows that Kemble exists. I certainly couldn’t find any demographic details of the community, neither how many people live there, nor what they do for a living.
So here are all of the considerably less important things that I have discovered about Kemble:
- Trains depart for Kemble once an hour from London’s Paddington Station. If you travel off-peak, and buy your ticket sufficiently far in advance, it will cost you £16.70.
- All Saints Church in Kemble has a Norman-era door. Holy Communion is offered on Wednesdays at 10:00, and Morning Prayers are said on Thursdays at 07:45.
- Kemble’s primary school has about 100 students, and the school boasts “a challenging, balanced curriculum, together with a caring, nurturing environment.”
- The village has a combination store and post office, open from 08:00 to 13:00, and 14:00 to 18:00.
- Kemble’s postal codes begins with GL7.
- The Kemble and Ewan Garden Club can be reached on 770449.
Perhaps it is time to investigate Seven Springs.
- Glen
Photo credits: Pelican standing on a crocodile – Margherita (http://www.panoramio.com/user/578163?with_photo_id=10971060); The Tavern Inn – www.joinin.com; Thames Path - www.urban75.org/blog/dancing-in-the-middle-of-the-river-thames/