St James Way, or Camino de Santiago, is a pilgrimage walk from Reading to North West Spain. The English section is from Reading to Southampton. I shall be a few of the nearer sections, today the 6 miles from Reading along the Kennet Canal to Theale.
The walk starts with a visit to the Abbey quarter of Reading. After visiting Reading Museum where I purchased my Pilgrim record book and obtained my first stamp I proceeded past the statue of Victoria and towards the 800 year old St Laurence's church. Then past the pilgrim's hospice founded in 1196 and across Forbury Gardens.
St James's church, named after St James who was based in the adjacent Abbey. This is the official start of the Way with a plaque outside. A short diversion through the recently renovated Abbey to the path leading to the River Kennet.
The recently installed stone distance marker, only 690 miles to go! But then I found the footbridge over Holy Brook was closed and had to make a lengthy diversion to rejoin the Way on the Kennet.
Back on the canal and one of the waymarkers for St James Way.
Passing a magnificent weir the path soon becomes very countrified.
Overgrown in places too and a bit too narrow for the various cyclists which passed. Eventually Fobney Pumping station is reached.
Foudry Brook Reach and lock. Then an awesome zigzag waterfall which is impossible to photograph effectively.
A very rural section of the river and another lock.
Tilehurst Water Tower suddenly appears on the horizon, then some boats moored opposite.
The Cunning Man pub is reached where I stopped for a very pleasant fish and chips and a long earned rest. A second stamp appeared on my record book. Then onwards on the river and canal.
The path becomes open meadow but the noise from the M4 gets increasingly louder until I pass underneath it.
A final lock then my destination is reached. A very narrow road over a swing bridge where I turned off the canal and headed to Theale station and my journey back home. A pleasant day but a little tiring at around six miles.