Abingdon

My housemate Luqman and I made a trip on the Saturday of February 26th. Having exchanged a few jokes about walking all the way to Birmingham, we eventually settled on a more modest, 33.69-kilometre roundtrip to and from Abingdon. The first hour or so was idyllic. We passed by blossoming cherry trees and the seemingly infinite stretch of university boathouses as we walked along the Thames in pursuit of the sun. As we left civilisation, however, we found ourselves evading and wading in mud on every corner. By the time we reached Abingdon, not only our shoes but the bottoms of our trousers were a thick brown.

Nevertheless, we saw some very interesting and pretty sights on the way. A pair of grey herons flew away from the opposite bank as we neared it, and we saw a bird of prey circling around in the sky. A number of impressive mansions also lined the Thames on both sides, coupled every now and then with a private boat.

Having departed at around quarter past and having bought some nuts and water at Tesco, we arrived at Abingdon after eleven. The town itself was very charming. Having followed the winding Thames, we actually approached it from the Eastern side, arriving through the Abbey Meadows and Abbey Gardens. The Abbey that was founded in 676 and gave Abingdon its name no longer stands, but its foundations are clearly demarcated in the gardens. Not far away from them is Trendell’s Folly, which was built in the nineteenth century to provide some more aesthetic ruins to look at.

Walking through the centre, we took pictures of the picturesque St Nicolas Church and Guild Hall, after which we enjoyed the view of Saint Helen’s Church from both the Margaret Brown Gardens and the opposite bank, which is connected to the city centre by the 15th century Abingdon Bridge. We embarked on our homeward journey after lunch. Having learned our lesson from walking down the muddy Thames path, we decided to walk along the roads and paths leading via Radley (with its quaint church) and Kennington. We returned to Oxford long after sundown.

A house on Abingdon Road over the Thames in Oxford
Oxford boathouses
Blossoming trees
The iconic Welcome to Croxford graffiti
The same
A massive mansion on an island
An ornate boathouse somewhere along the Thames
Another mansion
A graffiti of Iron Man
The path to Abingdon
A sunken boat
Tall trees in the Abbey Meadows of Abingdon
A brick marking where Saint Mary's Abbey used to be
A statue of Queen Victoria
Trendell's Folly
The same
More of the same
And more
More fake ruins in the Abbey Gardens
The Abbey Gardens
Some of the old buildings in Abingdon
The entrance to Unicorn Theatre
Thames Cottage sign
An advert for what I believe is a brand of beer
Saint Nicholas and the Guildhall
The same from a frontal view
Abingdon County Hall
A building by the river
More of the same
Boats on the Thames
Saint Helen's Church
Almshouses by Saint Helen's Church
The same
More of the same
And yet more of the same
Abingdon as seen from the Margaret Brown Gardens
Abingdon behind a flock of seagulls
The same view but without seagulls
Saint Helen's Church from different perspectives
Mr Twitty's Almshouse
A statue of Mary and baby Jesus above the entrance of the church
The front of a townhouse
Abingdon County Hall Museum
Abingdon Bridge
Abingdon Bridge again
Saint Helen's Church above the Thames
Abingdon Bridge again
More of the same
The north end of the bridge
The same again
Local pubs
A local house
Another house in Abingdon
Our Lady and Saint Edmund of Abingdon
The same
Saint James the Great Church in Radley
Saint James again
More of the same
And again
The entrance to Radley College
The Cherwell overflowing
Boats at Port Meadow
Ivy
Entering Jericho from Port Meadow
The canal
Saint Barnabas Church in Jericho
A sunset as seen from my window

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