If last year was lively on Eponymous (aka timdracup.com), 2025 has been positively manic. In 2024, I published 26 posts and thought that was good going. But this is my 41st post of 2025. That includes 15 book reviews, 12 musical posts in my Ouroboros series, five posts devoted to our progress along various English … Continue reading That Was 2025
We returned to complete the Coast Path in September 2025, basing ourselves in Swanage. This nineteenth and final visit marked the end of a project begun in Minehead in October 2017, almost eight years earlier. Pre-Covid, we would travel down for up to five days at a time but, since our ninth visit (Port Isaac … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Osmington Mills to Poole Harbour, South Haven Point
We returned to the South Downs Way in June 2025, having completed Cocking to Washington at the end of January. Once again we were anxiously monitoring weather forecasts, though this time we were keen to avoid heatwave conditions rather than persistent wind and rain. As it turned out, conditions on our first day were warm … Continue reading South Downs Way: Washington to Plumpton
We returned to the Thames Path in mid-May 2025, having completed the section from Pangbourne to Henley in August 2024. We travelled by train and tube to Paddington, from where we caught the 10:08 departure to Twyford, changing there on to a Henley service full of sulky teenagers. Day 1: Henley to Marlow Reaching Henley … Continue reading Thames Path: Henley to Maidenhead
We returned to the Coast Path at the end of March 2025, some nine months after completing the section from Exmouth to Charmouth. We based ourselves in Weymouth for a week, from Saturday to Saturday, reserving 5 Park Mews via cottages.com. This first floor, one-bedroomed holiday let cost £345 plus a £75 refundable security deposit. … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Charmouth to Osmington Mills
After a seven month hiatus, we returned to the South Downs Way at the end of January 2025, our trip timed to coincide with Tracy’s Birthday. We’d been scanning local weather forecasts for several days, fearing more high winds and driving rain, given the series of winter storms that had been battering Britain. All my … Continue reading South Downs Way: Cocking to Washington
It's been a lively year here on Eponymous (aka timdracup.com) This is my 26th post: I've been writing the equivalent of a new post each fortnight. Exactly half have been book reviews. There were also ten travelogues, one Dracup family history blockbuster and one bereavement-related post in memory of my late wife, Kate. Starting with … Continue reading That was 2024
In September 2024 we returned to Kent to complete the North Downs Way, having reached Etchinghill the preceding April. This final leg is relatively demanding and feature-packed, some 12 miles in length. We decided to split it into two roughly equal sections, to reflect Jacqui’s fitness level and increase our collective enjoyment of this final … Continue reading North Downs Way: Etchinghill to Dover
During the dog days of August 2024, we decided spontaneously to walk another stretch of the Thames Path, having completed Wallingford to Pangbourne in June. This time we made a two-day trip with an overnight stop at Sonning. The total distance should have been some 15.6 miles, but an extensive 2.7 mile off-river diversion between … Continue reading Thames Path: Pangbourne to Henley
Our latest adventures on the South West Coast Path, in June 2024, walking from Exmouth to Charmouth.
In which we finally resume the Thames Path, walking from Wallingford to Pangbourne in June 2024.
Our adventures on the South West Coast Path in Devon, between Torcross and Starcross, in April 2024, illustrated by the best photographs we took along the way.
Some five months after completing Charing to Wye, we returned for our next leg of the NDW, from Wye to Etchinghill. With a total distance of 11.2 miles, including two or three steep ascents, this was too demanding for Jacqui to complete in a single day. So we stayed overnight in Braborne, at roughly half … Continue reading North Downs Way: Wye to Etchinghill
We made a rapid return to the South Downs Way, undertaking this second stage early in March 2024. We are walking in an Eastbourne direction, having started from Winchester. For the first leg, we experimented with walking over two days, on either side of an overnight stop. This obviously involves carrying fuller, heavier rucksacks than … Continue reading South Downs Way: East Meon to Cocking
We began the 100-mile South Downs Way at the end of January 2024, so adding a fourth national trail to the three already under way! The SDW stretches from Winchester to Eastbourne. Both the National Trails website and the South Downs Way website envisage it taken in this direction, from west to east. But, for … Continue reading South Downs Way: Winchester to East Meon
Almost five months had elapsed since we completed Hollingbourne to Charing in June 2023. We had canceled once, the preceding week, in the immediate aftermath of Storm Ciaran, so were hopeful of better weather. In the event, we were rained on more than the forecasts had led us to expect, but there were some dry … Continue reading North Downs Way: Charing to Wye
In June 2023 we resumed our progress along the Coast Path, this time basing ourselves in Salcombe for the week. We were starting from the ferry crossing at Plymouth’s Mount Batten Point, having completed the stretch from Par in March, and were aiming to reach Torcross. This we achieved, with the following schedule: Day 1 … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Plymouth (Mount Batten Point) to Torcross
Six weeks on from our Sandling to Hollingbourne experience, we returned to Hollingbourne in June 2023. We’d opted to walk on Friday for a second trip in succession, departing from our normal Saturday excursions to benefit from better rail services. We travelled to London Victoria, connecting there with the 09:55 Southeastern service to Ashford International, … Continue reading North Downs Way: Hollingbourne to Charing
Our progress along the North Downs Way continues, albeit slowly. We resumed towards the end of April 2023, some six months after completing the previous stretch, from Cuxton to Sandling. Sandling is some miles before the official end of the Cuxton to Detling leg, and we had needed a 101 Sapphire bus to connect us … Continue reading North Downs Way: Sandling to Hollingbourne
The final week of March saw our first visit to the Coast Path in 2023. We were returning to Par, our endpoint last time, hoping to see its better side. This was a wet week in a very wet month. While dodging the rain as much as possible, our minimum target was to reach the … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Par to Plymouth (Mount Batten Point)
It took four months for us to return to Cuxton, this time to attempt the majority of the leg from there to Detling, some 12.5 miles distant. I knew we would be unable to complete the full distance, especially since we had a further mile from Cuxton Station to the beginning of the walk proper. … Continue reading North Downs Way: Cuxton to Sandling
In September we made it a hat-trick of Coast Path visits during 2022. This time we began at Helford Passage, on the opposite side of the Helford ferry crossing from where we’d left off in June, and finished beside the industrial wasteland abutting Par Docks. Our base on this occasion was the splendid harbour town … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Helford Passage to Par
Since we arrived in Oxford in the first week of August 2021, it has taken us just over a year to return to the Thames Path. On this occasion we based ourselves in Abingdon, travelling out on Wednesday and returning on Saturday. On the Thursday we walked the nine miles or so from Oxford to … Continue reading Thames Path: Oxford to Wallingford
By mid-June of 2022 we were already back in Cornwall, having completed St Ives to Marazion only three months beforehand. We devoted our week to the Lizard Peninsula, restarting at Marazion, continuing down the western side and rounding Lizard Point before ascending the eastern side to reach the Helford Estuary. Our base was a small … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Marazion to Helford
Six weeks after reaching Wrotham, we were back at Borough Green Station, ready to walk the eleven miles or so to Cuxton. We had travelled via Clapham Junction and London Victoria, catching the Ramsgate train, which reached Cuxton shortly after 10AM. It was a Saturday in mid-May and perfect for walking. There were blue skies … Continue reading North Downs Way: Borough Green and Wrotham to Cuxton
It wasn’t until early April that we managed to resume the North Downs Way. The Guide had suggested that the previous leg, starting in Oxted, should conclude in Otford. But we had fallen slightly short, finishing instead at Dunton Green. It now proposed that the subsequent stage should stretch all the way from Otford to … Continue reading North Downs Way: Dunton Green to Borough Green and Wrotham
Almost six months after our last visit – when we walked from Holywell Bay to St Ives – we found ourselves back on the train down to Cornwall. It was late March: we had timed this trip to help us get ‘walking fit’ for our impending Channel Islands holiday. This time our destination and base … Continue reading South West Coast Path: St Ives to Marazion
We resumed the North Downs Way towards the end of October, travelling to Oxted on the East Grinstead train from Clapham Junction, where we met Jacqui. On our way we breakfasted on coffee and pastries bought from the platform cafe. This leg crosses the Surrey-Kent border. The official guide suggests one finishes at Otford but, … Continue reading North Downs Way: Oxted to Dunton Green
We returned to Cornwall towards the end of September 2021. The omens weren’t good, as I’d been struggling with a prolonged (but thankfully rare) bout of exercise-induced asthma. Unfortunately this didn’t respond brilliantly to extended mask-wearing or GWR’s aircon. We’d opted to base ourselves in St Ives, at the end of the section we planned … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Holywell Bay to St. Ives
We completed this 8-mile leg on August Bank Holiday Monday, meeting Jacqui at Clapham Junction where she was already breakfasting on a bacon roll. We bought pastries which we saved for the Merstham train. Leaving Merstham Station half an hour later, we quickly found our way back to Quality Street, which was named after J … Continue reading North Downs Way: Merstham to Oxted
We returned to the Thames Path just two months after completing the Lechlade to Newbridge leg. This time we based ourselves in Oxford, travelling there on Wednesday and back home on Saturday. We devoted Thursday to the Path and Friday to Oxford. This leg, from Newbridge to Oxford, is 14 miles long. That’s close to … Continue reading Thames Path: Newbridge to Oxford
. Only three weeks after completing Shalford to Westhumble, we were back at Box Hill and Westhumble Station to start the next 10-mile leg to Merstham. We arrived by the same route, changing at Wimbledon on to the SWR Dorking service, arriving soon after nine in the morning. . Morning Light rain was falling as … Continue reading North Downs Way: Westhumble to Merstham
. In June 2021, after almost 18 months away, we finally managed to renew our acquaintance with the Thames Path. Back in January 2020 we had completed the second leg, from Cricklade to Lechlade, though with a substantial diversion to avoid flooding. On that occasion we were celebrating Tracy’s 50th. This time round we had … Continue reading Thames Path: Lechlade to Newbridge
. The second stage of the North Downs Way is roughly 13 miles. We began with the intention of completing the stage in one go, but gave ourselves the option of finishing early at Gomshall and completing the walk at a later date. In the event, this is what happened. We walked from Shalford to … Continue reading North Downs Way: Shalford to Westhumble
. Covid restrictions meant another eight months had elapsed since we were last able to walk the Coast Path, so this trip was eagerly anticipated. We based ourselves in Padstow this time round, intending to walk at least to Newquay and ideally beyond. We had a full week, from Friday to Friday, though both Fridays … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Port Isaac to Holywell Bay
. We decided to adopt the North Downs Way as a walking project in winter 2020. Given lockdown conditions, we knew it might be some time before we could return to the South West Coast Path, or even to the farther reaches of the Thames Path. But the earlier stages of the North Downs Way … Continue reading North Downs Way: Farnham to Shalford
. We were last on the Coast Path in March 2020, just prior to lockdown, when we walked from Clovelly to Bude. This trip also felt as though it had been completed just in time. We were fortunate to catch Summer’s last hurrah - and more stringent lockdown restrictions seemed imminent. Cornwall was busy with … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Bude to Port Isaac
. Our previous segment of the Coast Path – from Barnstaple to Clovelly – had been completed back in June 2019 so, by March 2020, this next visit was more than overdue. We only just managed to squeeze it in before the Coronavirus clampdown on non-essential travel. That will delay our next trip too. If … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Clovelly to Bude
Five months on from our first engagement with the Thames Path – completing the trek from the source to Cricklade – we decided it was high time to undertake the second leg, taking us from Cricklade to Lechlade. We were killing two birds with one stone since it was also my companion Tracy's 50th birthday, … Continue reading Thames Path: Cricklade to Lechlade, January 2020
. We have decided to walk the 184 miles of the Thames Path, alongside our parallel and much longer project: the South-West Coast Path. Our journey began on a cloudy August morning, travelling by train and tube into Paddington to catch the 12:45 GWR departure for Swansea - and alighting at Swindon less than an hour … Continue reading Thames Path: Source to Cricklade, August 2019
We returned to the Coast Path towards the end of June 2019, intending to walk from Barnstaple to Westward Ho! - and potentially beyond. We had also returned to our customary pattern with a four-night Monday to Friday, schedule. On the way down on Monday – departing out of Paddington and arriving via the Tarka … Continue reading South-West Coast Path: Barnstaple to Clovelly
. In March 2019, some six months after the last foreshortened leg, I judged myself healthy enough to resume our journey round the South-West Coast Path. This expedition spanned Friday to Tuesday rather than our more customary Monday to Friday routine. We took the usual route down, though this time arriving at Exeter St Davids … Continue reading South-West Coast Path: Ilfracombe to Barnstaple
This ill-fated expedition took place in September 2018. Our original plan had been to walk through to Woolacombe, but the programme was curtailed following the sudden death of my father. My own poor physical condition also prevented progress beyond Ilfracombe: I was struggling with depression-induced fatigue. A GP appointment was completed in time for … Continue reading South-West Coast Path: Combe Martin to Ilfracombe
. We undertook the third stage of the South-West Coast Path during the heatwave conditions of late June 2018. On completing this strenuous walk of some 13.3 miles, we were told that the afternoon temperature in Combe Martin had reached 32 degrees in the shade. I find very hot, sunny conditions difficult and had also … Continue reading South-West Coast Path: Lynton to Combe Martin
. In Autumn 2017 I began a long-term project to walk the South-West Coast Path end-to-end, starting from Minehead. I plan to take my time, fitting in the different stages as and when other priorities permit. I have already recounted the story of the first stage, from Minehead to Porlock Weir. This short post describes … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Porlock Weir to Lynmouth
. The first in a series of occasional short extracts describing my experiences walking the 630 mile South West Coast Path, in systematic fashion, hopefully from start to finish. This was originally envisaged as a joint retirement project, linked to our future relocation to the West Country. But now I intend to pursue it from … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Minehead to Porlock Weir
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