This section is 13.5 miles (21.6km) long - a map of it can be downloaded below.
Starting and finishing in historic towns, this section also encounters several villages on or close to the Thames Path varying in size from the tiny settlement of Little Wittenham at the foot of Wittenham Clumps (also known as the Sinodun Hills) to the far larger one of Benson just before Wallingford.
Meanderings
South of Abingdon the river makes an almost 90 degrees turn to head east past Culham and then on towards the Wittenhams where it loops north, skirting the Wittenham Clumps, before once more turning south. As the crow flies, the distance between the two towns is 8 miles whilst you walk over 13!
Castles
Castle Hill, one of the Clumps, above Little Wittenham with its Iron Age fort and views from the top is well worth both the detour from the Path and the steep climb. For the less energetic the remains of Wallingford Castle, built by the Normans and demolished by Cromwell in the 17th century after the Civil War, can be explored.
And Abbeys
There are two impressive abbeys to enjoy on this stretch: the remains of Abingdon Abbey at the start of the day and the great abbey church in Dorchester built around 1140, just a mile east of the Thames.