Jubilee River - Local Day Meet - July 2026

By Davide (who also writes on his Pack Light substack)

Starting Point: Burnham Train Station

Finishing Point: Windsor Riverside Train Station

Distance: 12 km

Duration: 5h’

Elevation gain: 50m

Companions: CMC with Jose leading, Peter and Gill, Rafael and Julia, Nata as officially new member

I’m only just recovering from the post-hike lager.

It was a short walk, but a very hot one, first along the Jubilee River and then beside the famous River Thames, following the Thames Path all the way to Windsor.

I’m probably still a little tired from the previous evening too, when Chiara, Giuseppe and I went to the cinema to watch The Leopard (Il Gattopardo). A beautiful film set in Sicily, but certainly not a short one.

The pace of the CMC is different, and I really enjoy it.

We stop to watch dragonflies mating, the “fake rowers” simply lying back in their boats doing very little rowing at all, and the incredible grip of the Canadian geese as they stand effortlessly on the river’s small rapids.

Everything feels slower.

We don’t cover many kilometres, but there’s time to stop, reflect, ask ourselves why things are the way they are, and try to understand them a little more deeply instead of staying on the surface.

After a short stop at a local café for an ice-cold Coke, we continue until it’s time for our packed lunch by the riverside.

From there we follow the Thames to a pub that’s not particularly posh—the kind we like best: walker and cyclist friendly. There’s the inevitable pint of Moretti, and I also find a couple of interesting books, including Outdoor Survival Skills for just £1, which will be donated to the Swan Centre.

After the pub we’re definitely thinking a little less clearly, but that doesn’t stop us making our own small pilgrimage to Windsor Castle to pay our respects to the Royal Family.

We thank José for organising the walk and catch the train back home, tired and warm, but undoubtedly feeling a little more alive than we did at the start of the day.