THE 50-year love affair began for Richard Mayon-White back in his days as a medical student at St Thomas’ Hospital, London.

In moments of stress or boredom as a young doctor-in-the making at the famous institution, he would gaze down from the window, never to be disappointed by the sweeping river below.

The attraction of the Thames has somehow never faded for Dr Mayon-White, who since retiring as the man responsible for combating infectious diseases in Oxfordshire has been working as a volunteer river warden.

The former county community physician and consultant in communicable disease control, has effortlessly moved from keeping Oxfordshire healthy to caring for the river.

“My old job prepared me for this,” said Dr Mayon-White, for so long preoccupied with the likes of measles, flu, legionnaire’s disease and vaccines.

Now at the age of 70, he has finally got round to writing a book, with Wendy Yorke, of the Thames River Trust, about the waterway he has spent decades exploring on foot, bicycle, and in boats – from canoes to a steam launch and coastal motorboats.

Entitled Exploring The Thames Wilderness, it offers a guide to the natural Thames, focusing on the 154 nature reserves along the length of the river.

And Dr Mayon-White has visited and photographed them all – from the source of the Thames at Kemble and Thameshead to a wildlife haven at Southend.

He is just one of 55 river wardens, charged with ensuring Father Thames remains in good condition, checking gates, signs and fallen trees.

His book presents the river as an often undiscovered haven of stunning scenery and wonderful wildlife.

For all the fame of its stretches through cities and towns, Dr Mayon-White suggests there is a hidden wild and natural side to the river for us all to find.

He said: “Everyone knows places like Port Meadow but there are places really difficult to discover like the Withymead Nature Reserve at Goring, which is only open on Sundays in April and May, when the lilies are in flower.

“I recognise the importance of one’s environment for health. One of the reasons in Oxfordshire why we should all be concerned about the wellbeing of the river is that we depend upon it for our drinking water supply.”

Writing the book brought back a lifetime of memories from days when his three children were growing up. The project was made more poignant because he began work on it shortly before the death of his wife Valerie 18 months ago.

He said: “A lot of people ask me how long have I been working on the book. In a sense I have been working on it for the last 50 years.”

  • Exploring The Thames Wilderness by Richard Mayon-White and Wendy Yorke is published by Bloomsbury (£14.99)