Hiking The Thames Valley Trail: Section 1--Southdel Road to Sharon Creek

   Ever since I heard about the Thames Valley Trail (TVT) late last summer, I have been eager to find out as much as I can about it and, then, hike it.
   Over the winter and early spring I managed to do a little research and also managed to get my hands on a copy of the trail guide (not real easy to come by). I've been taking a look at the maps and directions and yesterday I actually set out!
   The TVT starts near Southwold, just a little southwest of London. The idea for the trail started in 1968 and over the years the sections have been worked on individually and then eventually all connected to each other. It is linked to the Elgin Trail at the south end and the Avon Trail at the north end. The TVT section is 110 kilometers long. My plan is to eventually have hiked the whole thing and, hopefully, will accomplish that this year.
   Doralyn, my wife, and I arranged to have her drop me off at the beginning of the trail and the idea was for me to call her as I was nearing the end of the trail, to come and pick me up. The original plan was to hike the trail together but Doralyn doesn't do hot and humid and yesterday was hot and humid.
   

Me, standing beside the signs
which mark the end of the Elgin
Trail and the beginning of the
Thames Valley Trail.

Initially we drove right past the marker for the trail on Southdel Road. The marker was actually much easier to see coming from the opposite direction and Doralyn, with her eagle eyes, spotted it. It was hot and windy and the skies off to the west were a little ominous. Both of us were wondering if this was a good idea or not but I did have rain gear packed so it was still a go. Kissed each other goodbye and off I went!
   Right off the bat, the first part of the trail involves hiking along country roads. I had taken the directions and the map out of the trail guide and brought them along with me and got to following them right away. After a little more than a kilometer, I was finally into woodlot. Before I got to the woodlot, however, I had to hike along the edge of a farmer's field. This was a common theme for the next four hours---country roads and farmers' fields, with the odd woodlot thrown in. When you think of trails you think of woodlands, mainly, but I would estimate that about three quarters of this first section of the trail is on roads and fields. I found this a little strange but at the same time I don't think you can travel all the way from Southwold to St. Mary's without hitting the roadways for good stretches. So be it!

The start of the TVT!

   In fact, I kind of enjoyed having the country road sections included---there were probably only 6 or 7 cars which passed me and much of my hiking time was spent in quiet contemplation of my pastoral surroundings. There is some kind of spirituality in the forest and there's a different kind out on the dusty roadways.
    All in all, the 15K hike yesterday was very enjoyable, perhaps apart from the final 2K. At this point, the threatening skies finally darkened and opened up. I had about enough time to get my rain jacket out of the backpack and get it wrapped around myself. Unfortunately this only covered my top half. My shorts got drenched and the rain got inside my waterproof boots, which meant it stayed there. A learning experience for sure! 
   At this point, I am looking forward to tackling more sections of the TVT. Ironically, as I was looking ahead to the sections which pass through London I realized that my street is part of the trail! Unfortunately, as I was looking at the trail maps, I went back and took a second look at yesterday's section and found I'd screwed up---I'd made the mistake of only following the written directions and not the map itself. Because of this, I had missed one whole section of farmer's field. I drove past it today, trying to see where I'd made the mistake and there it was, plain as the nose on my face--I'd missed the "green gate"....Oh well, when it comes time to do the next section I'll just go back to the "green gate" and start over. And I can't wait!

    The following is a bit of a photo dump, all pictures I took yesterday, more or less in the order I took them. Enjoy!

Turning from Southdel onto Carriage

Off of Carriage and off to see
this big tree in the middle of a field

Following along the edge of this
farmer's field. This happened a LOT.

At the edge of that farmer's field is
where you go into the forest for the
first time. This giant uprooted tree
greets you there!

From there, it's just a regular trail.
Except for the two huge wild turkeys
I scared the heck out of.

After the woods, it's a trip through
a cornfield and then you're on Bell
Road, with hardly any cars.

A scary tree, though...

Off of Bell Road, through yet another
field and you're into a forest with
a cool wooden bridge over a
ravine with s stream.

This is the stream and the ravine.

Stepping out of those woods brings
you to a huge wheat field.

Once again, hiking along the edge of a
field. Very pretty though!

A couple of turns and it's a different
field with a different crop

Eventually out of the fields and into
the last woodlot. It was here
that I vowed to pick up bug spray!

After the buggy forest, you end up back
on Bell, which takes you to
Westminster Drive which then takes
you to THIS intersection,
Westminster and Carriage. You only
get here, though, if you don't read
the directions carefully or follow
the map---grrrr!

Carriage will take you to Sharon Drive
which , in turn, leads you to Springer
Drive and the end of the section!