Ireland day 0353. Friday 16 September 2022- Returning

Today’s summary	Started the day with a short walk through the fields to Haddenham and Thame Parkway station. Train to London, then walk across town to buy a jacket, then train to Gatwick and Ryanair back to Dublin in the evening.
Today’s weather	Dry and bright but quite cool especially in the morning. Light north westerly breeze. About 16C

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of my route)		Close-up location (The green line shows where I walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Walk to Haddenham station

Commentary

It seems like most of this brief sojourn in the UK has been spent travelling. And today was no exception, starting off with a walk through the fields to Haddenham and Thame parkway station to catch a train into London.

Apart from the slightly smelly section by the sewage works near the beginning, it was an excellent short walk. Noticeably colder than recently when I set off, but the sun came out later which made the late summer countryside look almost spring like. The hedgerows seemed to be at peak fruitfulness this morning, with an abundance of sloes, rosehips and blackberries all waiting to address the cost of living crisis. I also spotted an unusual yellow toadflax growing in the grassy verge (you can see it in the banner image at the top of the blog).

I took the train in to London and came across one of only three Paramo outlet stores, just outside Marylebone station. I’ve looked enviously at Val recently as she has stayed dry in her Paramo while I got saturated in my Goretex, so I thought I would take the plunge and rather presumptively buy myself my Christmas present to me from Val. You can see me modelling it in the photos below but it won’t make an appearance on the hills until 2023. I’ll be looking forward to a wet January in Wicklow!

Shopping completed, I made my way across London and caught the City Thameslink train to Gatwick airport. My flight’s just after 7pm tonight and I’m hoping that it will be as punctual as the outbound flight turned out to be. I do hope that’s not tempting fate!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


A choice of routes to the station. the one I chose went by the sewage works. But still lots to see, nevertheless.	Well signposted too, though I have never heard of the “Wychert Way”

Sloes were in abundance and perfect for picking. Now all that is missing is a gallon of gin.. I must also look out for them in Ireland while I am foraging for rosehips	*Himalayan balsam, Impatiens glandulifera, an invasive weed from the Himalayas which seems to prefer growing on river banks. I don’t like it much, on account of its unpleasant small*

Well the blog wouldn’t be complete without a picture of a train. An express from Birmingham whizzes through Haddenham and Thame Parkway station on its way to Marylebone	What every well dressed hiker will be wearing in 2023. Me modelling my Christmas present – a new Paramo jacket!

London’s Oxford Street. I always feel it has so much potential and so little actual