The Thames Path Project

Why the Thames Path?
The short answer is that I don't know. In one sense it is a typically logical affair - I like walking, I haven't done much exercise of late and while I have for some years had the idea of taking 2 to 3 weeks off to do the whole thing it is easily divided into sections that can in most cases be reached conveniently by public transport.

Walking - particularly out in the open countryside seems to be like a battery charger for me. Stand me on a mountain overlooking a green valley, fresh air bursting my lungs and I feel rejuvinated. Allow me to explore a wooded hillside and I'm like a kid. The sad thing is that dispite this, I have spent the last 10 years talking about how much I enjoy walking but not actually doing any. As part of my new personal drive to focus on achieving my goals rather than wollowing in my potential, the Thames Path Project seems the perfect way for me to get some exercise, have regular breaks from running my business, to re-aquaint myself with distance walking and hopefully to learn new things and meet new people.

So here I am...doing all these things.

Why the Web Site?
I run an IT company called ABCoS IT Ltd, offering training and Internet services to businesses and the public - including web design. I used the excuse that creating this site was practice for an online proof book and web-based photo ordering system called PictureSelect that I've developed - but to be honest I'm just enjoying myself. Playing about with computers is a hobby as well as my job.

Yes - but why go to all this trouble?
Somewhere in my genes there is a sequence that insists I do. It's the "never do anything by halves - if it's worth doing it's worth doing well" gene. If I was a beast on the plains of the serengeti I probably wouldn't survive long enough to achieve anything, but in the jungle of the modern, western capitalist society I am hopefully allowed a little excentricity.

I hope above all that this site will be both useful and interesting to anyone thinking of doing some or all of the path, or even people who are in the Thames area and are looking for something to do on a Sunday afternoon. I have therefore tried to include references to other sites on the web and to take photos that give people some idea of what to expect on each part of the path.

Andy - Oct 2002