We recently had an overnight stay in Cookham. I took the opportunity to get out early for a walk along the Thames path beside the river for my Thames project. Cookham, a village downstream of Marlow on the River Thames, had long been on my list to visit, and a short early spring break provided the perfect chance. It's best known as the home of artist Sir Stanley Spencer, and the gallery celebrating his work is still there.
We stayed at Bel & The Dragon, a recently refurbished gastropub that proved extremely convenient for the Thames path. Just a couple of minutes’ walk brought me to the riverside, and the path itself passes through the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church.
I was out before dawn, aiming to make some pictures as the sun rose, hoping to find a low-lying layer of mist over the Thames. Walking through the churchyard, the spring flowers and blossom were fully out, and the early light just touched the church tower. It was a moment that Spencer would have been familiar with.
The sun was still below the horizon by the time I reached the riverside. The buildings on the far side of the river were only just becoming visible in the warm pre-dawn light. Willows overhung the river, their fronds clearly reflected in the still water. The swans were already out, gently gliding with no apparent effort.
I walked further along the Thames path, upstream, towards Marlow. The town quickly gave way to open fields. Large clumps of mistletoe grew in the trees, plainly visible in branches that retained their skeletal winter form.
Passing Cookham Sailing Club, I noticed a landing stage, low beside the water. No one seemed to be around, so I took advantage of this to make some pictures, holding the camera as close to the water as I could to get the best reflections.
All of a sudden, a voice came, “Excuse me, could I get on the landing stage?” Turning round, I saw a woman carrying a single scull on her head, plainly wanting to launch it for an early morning outing. I’d not heard her coming, so, making my apologies, I scrambled out of the way. I asked if she would mind if I took some pictures of her getting on the water; she had no objection, so I photographed her getting on the water as the light was just beginning to come up: see the opening picture above.
Pressing on a little further, the mist thickened over the river, giving the low-lying layer I’d been hoping for. The sun came up, and the light changed from a low red to a golden glow. The dog walkers came out; the sculler disappeared into the mist.
After a while, I noticed the sculler reappeared out of the mist, just enough to see. She seemed to be paddling very cautiously in the limited visibility. As she turned her scull to head back upstream, there was a moment when she appeared to float within the mist with brightly lit, golden willows above.
Heading back towards the village (and breakfast), a shaft of light flamed across the Thames in front of a large, rather “grand” house. A sculpture of (I think) an artist sitting on a stool was silhouetted in the light (easier to see if you click on the picture below to view it bigger). I’ve no idea if it was a Spencer reference; but, at that moment, it felt like it.
BTW: breakfast and where we stayed. When we were looking for bed and breakfast in Cookham, we came across the Bel & the Dragon. It has been lovingly restored, with a large restaurant. They had a special re-opening offer, so we booked in. They have a small number of rooms around the back in a building named the Cottage. We had a lovely stay, and the restaurant was great. Kippers for breakfast: fabulous!