Well, pretty much decided now on the main daily walks and overnight stops. Captain Colin and Penny the Purser are hoping we can get a mooring at these pubs – or as near as possible. Captain Colin has reminded me that if we need to moor away from any of these that we can take the boat up, but he will be taking me back to my appointed starting point just so that I don’t lose even 100 yards of my walking distance. Fair comment I thought.

So starting Sunday 7th April at 1pm at Kris’s Boatyard in Datchet we will be following the Thames Path through Windsor & Maidenhead finishing the day 11.5 miles later at The Ferry Inn in Cookham, about 3hrs 45 mins. I’ll be starting just outside the boatyard – it’s a dog issue, but shushhhh!

Day two; planning to leave Cookham by 9.30 / 10.00 am (I am on holiday you know), heading for Henley, a 12.5 mile stroll that will get me to Marlow to the George & Dragon or Two Brewers (which ever I find open first for coffee, a bacon roll or a beer) long before finishing at The Angel On The Bridge in Henley, around about 4hrs 15mins. So with a brief stop in Marlow and maybe a pint at The Dog & Badger in Medmenham or The Flowerpot In Aston, we should make it to The Angel by 4 ish in the afternoon.

Day 3; Will need to get going by 9am, Henley to Pangbourne finishing at The Swan. It’s a 13.5 mile run this time (my biggest of the week so far). I’m not overly sure about the lunchtime pint and sandwich for this stretch, but hoping we can stop at The Great House at Sonning – they call it the Coppa Club – I’m sure it used to be called something else some years ago?! Maybe a stop off in Reading at Pipers Island on Caversham Bridge before the longish stretch to the Swan at Pangbourne.

Day 4; 9.30 start, from Pangbourne to Wallingford, 12.5 miles finishing at The Boathouse. The Swan at Streatley might offer some mid-morning refreshment finishing in Wallingford at around 3pm for what will be my last night on the boat with Captain Colin and Penny the Purser, as they have to high tail back down the Thames (around 50 miles) to get the boat back to Kris’s in Datchet. I only hired it for a week! Don’t worry Colin and Penny are going to head up by car to the finish in Kelmscott by Sunday – well you would, there’s a buffet and a number of beers on offer!

Day 5; another 13.5 mile day, a 9.30 start and in very familiar territory. Firstly, good bye, a huge thank you and bon voyage to my river companions Captain Colin and Penny the Purser – I cant thank them enough for doing this with me. Heading for Abingdon. Hopefully, a mid-morning coffee stop at the Shillingford Bridge Hotel followed by a very reflective beer at the Barley Mow in Clifton Hampden – we lived here for a while when I was a young boy and it is a beautiful setting that will hopefully offset some less appealing memories of my youth. The day will finish at the Nags Head on the bridge at Abingdon for a much needed pint!

Day 6; 10am start from the Bridge in Abingdon heading to finish at the Trout Inn Lower Wolvercote near Godstow Bridge – an 11.5 mile trek that will take us through Sandford on Thames past the beautiful Oxford Boathouses on to a stop off at The Head of the River a well renowned Fullers pub on the bridge on the Thames in Oxford leaving a short 3.5 mile afternoon stroll up to the Trout a pretty pub steeped in history with literacy links to Lewis Carroll and Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse and used more often in Lewis, the sequel to Morse, that should see us there around 3pm or so.

Day 7; kicking off at The Trout in Lower Wolvercote at 10am heading for Newbridge to the Rose Revived an 11.5 mile stretch. The Talbot Inn at Swinford near Eynsham May offer some mid-day refreshment followed by an intermediate stop at the Ferryman’s Inn at Bablock Hythe before reaching Newbridge at around 3.30pm for another pint before heading home for a hot bath.

Day 8; LAST DAY Sunday 14th, the final leg. 10am start at Newbridge for a 13.5 trip to The Plough at Kelmscott. I aim to get there for about 3pm. However, en-route there will be beer at the Trout at Tadpole Bridge and The Swan at Radcot Bridge. I’m most looking forward to today – not because the walk will be over, but I am hoping a good number of friends and fellow dog walkers will join me for some or part of the trip – finishing at The Plough where I have laid on a buffet at 3.30pm for those who have joined me and helped me along the way – it’s an open invitation- please join us here at the end of the walk. I look forward to meeting up again with Captain Colin and Penny the Purser to celebrate the end of what I hope has been a wonderful week and a week that has seen us raise some great finds for Cancer Research UK.

I will blog each day and post on facebook, so please do come and find me, join me for a stretch or find me for a pint at the end of the day – it would be lovely to see you.

Don’t think for one minute it’s just a pub crawl – it’s all about rattling the tin for charity … ok and the pub crawl.

Henny and I look forward to seeing you. Xxx

* all pubs subject to Dogs Welcome – if not find us outside.