It was a good turn out for the revised walk. Fourteen Polyramblers met outside Staines railway  station and walked to the Staines Obelisk No.87 Coal Tax post,  marking the mid 18th century  boundary of the City of London. 

After half an hour along the Thames Path, the group arrived at the wildlife filled Penton Hook Lock & Island. We walked over the weir to the island. The area is now managed by the Environment Agency to protect wildlife. Fish can travel upstream to spawn via a special channel which bypasses the weir. The Salmon Ladder opened in 1995 linking Teddington to the upstream reaches of the Thames. There were lots of different birds singing when we passed through the island. 

After a short stop for water and snacks, we continued along the towpath for another two miles. We saw a large number of swans, water birds and ducks in the river. We briefly stopped near Laleham Park to learn about the wildlife and birds in the area. Soon we passed the Chertsey Lock and Chertsey Bridge (which has a high water mark showing the level of flooding in 1947). Then we entered Dumpsey Mead, an improved grassland Site of Special Scientific Interest, for a short break. There were some interesting houseboats in the private Ryepeck Meadow Moorings area. According to Bradts Travel Guide both Dylan Thomas and Viv Stanshall once lived on houseboats at Chertsey. 

We reached the third lock of this walk, the Shepperton Lock. Some had a lovely lunch in the Ferry Cafe and some had a picnic nearby. I am glad that no one dropped out at Shepperton and everyone took the  oldest Thames river ferry crossing to the Weybridge side. 

We then followed the Church Walk to the oldest Wey Navigation System (now managed by National Trust). After a short walk along a beautiful stretch of the river Wey, the group finally entered the southern edge of Chertsey Mead. We walked through the fresh and open fields. It was fantastic that the whole group completed the longer revised route, a total of nine miles. Overall, this route included four river locks, two meadows, a bridge and a weir plus the oldest river ferry crossing and the oldest canal navigation system. Not bad for one day out! 

Ida

Photos from Ida, Lan, Nita and others.