We Begin this adventure at the New Priory Hotel in Hertsfordshire, England. We then follow our days drive through the Hertsfordshire countryside pausing to investigate a Live Steam Railways with plenty of time to make Wallingford by supper time.

Thursday, 28 August, 1997 We awoke to another beautiful morning. Being well within easy reach our objective of Wallingford where we were to pick up the boat. We tarried over breakfast, Edgar had a long conversation with the owner as I wandered the grounds in the company of a friendly local pusscat who seemed more than willing to show me his favorite circuit of the grounds.

The drive to Wallingford was pleasant as I kept to my planned tour agenda winding through the secondary roads. Our navigation of the byways as usual recalled oodles of nostalgia, today was no exception. Our trusty large scale map showed a 36 mile live steam railway that ran from Didbrook to Gretlan.

After a sojourn which found our navigation a little astray condemning us to wander back and forth across the A40 on one lane roads punctuated by farm vehicles we eventually reached the station five minutes before departure time, just as the Dark green engine puffed forward to hitch up the cars. It had been years since we had been on a live steam train and had forgotten the smell and sounds that pervade the air at a railway station.

No sooner than we found our seats and the whistle blew and the poof poof of the engine joined the bang of slack being taken up between the cars.

We proceeded back westward through small fields and farms. Climbing towards the hills we passed a through a tunnel and emerged on an other picturesque farm setting where the tracks ran behind several estates. Time seemed to fly as the smells and sounds of old carried Edgar back to his days as a youth.

The entire trip took only and hour and in spite of our searching was to be the only Live Steamer we managed to encounter within our travel schedule. The rest of our journey east passed with minimal traffic right up until missing a turn and getting trapped on the Oxford ring road. We skirted the Royal Air Base picking our way into Wallingford proper and our boat.

Navigating back to Wallingford town square after locating the boat yard it was time to find another nights lodging which was to be our last night ashore in the UK, and so a search that began at the "Bell" Pub ensued. Accommodations in Wallingford are not easy to find, but after a few pints and some friendly conversation with the local inhabitants we met another Public House Keeper, David and his wife Adrian, who directed us to a quiet B&B.

After rinsing the road grit from us we took David up on his offer to visit his establishment for dinner. The "Coach and Horses" is a 100% local Pub, off the beaten track located near the village sports green, where we enjoyed yet another evening in the warm company of the locals.

This was the only time that we stayed overnight in a private house, we have no complaints but it lacked the professionalism and personal attention of the country pub, also it was no less expensive.