This Sunday afternoon brought only a warm breeze under an overcast sky. Storm Floris is due tomorrow but is expected to affect mainly the North.

Setting out from Abingdon Bridge towards the lock, we hadn’t expected to cross the weir — diversion signs still warned it was closed. Music drifted from the Nags Head as we followed the Thames. A longboat selling Hasbeen Handbags was moored beside Happy Heron, a Viking cruiser up for sale.

Contractors were repairing two sections of riverbank — one unstable, the other worn into an inlet by flood flow. Several swimmers, a couple of generations older than those seen a month ago, were steadily crossing the river and back.

At the lock, three rowing boats from the Weyfarers Rowing Club in Weybridge passed through with a long way to go.

Further on, quite a few people were crossing the weir walkway. The warning boards had been pushed aside again. I don’t know how unstable the walkway is, but the Environment Agency, who put the diversion in place, clearly didn’t think it safe. (The fish pass has become overgrown since its closure).

Beyond it, the mill stream was clogged with reeds and bent trees. Large rhubarb-like leaves grow along the banks. It seems to be getting more overgrown year by year. Carry on like this, and the district council won’t need to repair the wooden bridge (featured on the blog a few weeks ago) — we’ll be able to walk across on dry land.

There are quite a few visitors wandering around Abingdon at the moment — cameras at the ready or following the treasure trail that includes a clue near our house in West St Helen Street. But the bigger town events are missing — no Excellent Markets, no festivals filling the Market Place with music and colour.

The Swan Upping came through Abingdon eight days ago, but anyone who went down to the river at 5pm on Friday 18th July — the time announced by the town crier — will have missed it.

For those unfamiliar, Swan Upping is an annual ceremonial event in which swans on the River Thames are counted, checked, and marked by a team in traditional uniform, travelling in skiffs.

What I heard is that David Barber, the King’s Swan Marker, didn’t give the crews time to order a pudding at the Barley Mow in Clifton Hampden. The menu there includes choices like Salted Caramel Sundae, Rose Petal & Pistachio Panna Cotta, and Sticky Toffee Pudding. As a result, the flotilla made good time, and by 5pm they had already raised a tot of rum to the King at Abingdon Bridge and were safely inside a local pub.

For four days, including the weekend, the gate barring access to the weir walkway was open — likely forced. Two padlocks were added to secure it on Monday morning.

The walkway remains officially closed due to concerns about corrosion in the steel supports. No date has yet been given for repairs or a possible reopening.

While I was there, I watched insects circling the bright spotlight at the near end of the weir. Spiders moved along their webs, catching an easy meal as the light drew prey straight into their traps.

The footbridge across the weir at Abingdon Lock remains closed, with no indication of when it might reopen. Despite being shut for safety reasons on April 22nd due to corrosion in the structure, there is no visible work on site and no updates on site from the Environment Agency on a repair schedule.

This closure cuts off a popular circular walk across the Thames and leaves many walkers, runners, and visitors upset. The route is particularly well-used during the summer months and has long been part of daily life in Abingdon.