September 2024 - A sunbathing dog and a day off!

Clifton Lock Moorings (River Thames) – Tuesday 17th September

There was news on the TV this morning that the Environment Agency is going to make some accessible moorings at Wallingford.  I don’t need an accessible mooring but trying to sort out the height of the bank would help me!

It was a lovely morning and Rio took the opportunity to do some sun bathing. 

The first place you arrive at after Wallingford is Benson where RAF Benson has it’s home.  In 1937 the Royal Air Force was expanding to meet the threat of Nazi aggression so work began on building a new airfield beside Benson village. The land, owned by five families, was formerly part of the Duchy of Cornwall estate.  It was compulsorily purchased at a cost of £18 an acre. Construction of RAF Benson finished in 1939. Its establishment on land previously farmed, meant the destruction of the 18th-century Lamb pub, which once stood on the outskirts of the village.

Up through Benson lock and passed the Shillingford Hotel.  There is a deep history within both The Shillingford Bridge Hotel and the bridge itself. The hotel dates back to the beginning of the 1600s where it was previously named the Swan Inn. The bridge has records which suggest the presence of a bridge on the site in the 14th century but this structure was short-lived and the crossing was made by ferry from at least 1379 until a timber bridge was built in 1767 and changed to stone in the 1800s.  Stupidly I forgot to take a photo.

This is one of my favourite houses on the Thames, though it is in sections now. 

Day’s lock and then on to Clifton lock which gets my prettiest lock on the Thames award!  They also sell icecreams!  Clifton has short term moorings for £12 so we availed ourselves.  It was a very nice mooring with grass to sit out on and then a wide pontoon to sit on when the sun went round.  

Clifton is one of the few lock sites on the non-tidal river where there was not a pre-existing weir and flash lock, although there was an important ferry. Problems to navigation had long been recognised and the first suggestions for creating a lock "near Clifton Ferry"  was raised in 1793.  The construction of the lock cut was delayed because the owner of the land was "a lunatic", but it was eventually completed in 1822 together with the lock. No weir was built at the time, giving rise to complaints. The weir was eventually erected on the old navigation in 1835. I can’t get my head round the fact that there was a lock with no weir. 

9 miles
3 locks


Abingdon (River Thames) – Wednesday 18th September

We left Clifton lock for a short journey to Abingdon. 

Culham lock was on self service - it always is!  It has now got a name as being the slowest lock on the River! 

We passed the entrance to the proposed Wilts and Berks Canal and also the entrance of the disused entrance, which is now built over. The 52-mile canal was opened in 1810, but abandoned in 1914 – a fate hastened by a breach at Stanley aqueduct in 1901. Much of the canal subsequently became unnavigable: many of the structures were deliberately damaged by army demolition exercises; parts of the route were filled in and in some cases built over. In 1977 the Wilts & Berks Canal Amenity Group was formed with a view to full restoration of the canal. Several locks and bridges have since been restored, and over 8 miles of the canal have been rewatered. 

When we arrived in Abingdon there was quite a lot of choice for moorings.  We pulled over on the meadow side but there was a wasps nest right where OtM wanted to moor.  We had the same problem when we came downstream but this was in a different place.  Obviously the wasps must love it!  In the end we moored up on the town side. 

The trouble with the town side is that there is goose poo everywhere and Rio, like Muffin, finds it a tasty snack!  We tried letting him off the lead but he went through the fence railings and over to a concrete area where there were water fountains last time we were here in August.  It is obviously the place where the geese like to hang out.  It is absolutely disgusting.  There are no dogs allowed in the area but the geese are far worse than dogs.  The geese wander around in a line and then they jump into the water and swim in a line, it is amusing! 

After the debacle in Wallingford I had decided to order a new watch from Amazon which was delivered to Waitrose in Abingdon, so we walked up in the afternoon and did some shopping and I picked up my new watch.

We had planned a BBQ in the evening, but it was so windy we cooked in our boats and ate together outside.  It did get pretty chilly.

4 miles
1 lock


Abingdon (River Thames) – Thursday 19th September

A day off!  These have been few and far between.  We had a very lazy morning before walking into town and to the Nags Head for lunch.  The meal was good but not as good as last time we were there.  The Nag's Head is situated on an island which sits in the middle of the two Abingdon Bridges.  I wondered what the history of the name the Nags Head was, apparently the story goes that a pub named The Nags Head relates to the practice of providing an all-clear signal to pirates wishing to come ashore at night, which was achieved by hanging a lantern around the neck of docile horse, who was then led back and forth along the shore.  I’m not sure there were many pirates in Abingdon! 

We took a short stroll round the town before heading back to the boats.

The County Hall was built between 1678 and 1683, primarily to house the Berkshire Assizes when they were held in Abingdon. Until the nineteenth century it was generally referred to as the Town Hall or the Market Hall, and the name County Hall was adopted only gradually. In 1869 Abingdon ceased to be an assize town but the building continued to be known as the County Hall.  The ground floor is an open arcade which was designed to house a market. 

Next year we are planning a canal holiday in France with Steve and Tracey, so I spent the afternoon researching canals and boats.  I think we will do the Canal du Midi and hire a Le Boat boat.  We did the Alsace and Lorraine back in 2016 hiring with Le Boat and we found them excellent.  The hardest part of that holiday was the handover.  The Le Boat staff all spoke German and had to translate into French.  My sister speaks some French so was translating back into English, it took forever, but we got there in the end!

We didn’t sit out for long as it got chilly.  I think blankets are called for in the evenings now!

September 2024 - Three lovely and lucky days

Marsh Meadows - Henley (River Thames) – Saturday 14th September

It was a misty morning, however Steve got the photo and not me! 

This is my photo of all the geese on the opposite bank.

We moved up to Henley as we were completely out of milk.  Last time we were in Henley there was so much mooring but today there wasn’t any!  However a wide beam was leaving so we had his spot.  We decided to stay put for the day as it was such a lovely day.

Steve, Richard and I walked into town.  Tracey stayed to dogsit.  Henley is a very pretty town with lots of hanging baskets, but guess who forgot to take any photos ☹️

The men decided that there were two pints with their names on in the Angel!  We sat down by the river which was very busy.  Dating back to 1728, The Angel on the Bridge is a grade II listed pub and is one of the most photographed and painted pubs in England.  I, for one, always take a photo from the river. 

Back at the boats we sat out on deck and watched the world go by.  Firstly there was a very large yellow duck floating down the river.  The yellow duck, known as Lily, is owned by Timothy Dodd-Wilson, from Woking, and is a regular sight on the River Thames at Henley. 

Next was paddle steamer, The New Orleans, with a wedding party onboard, they even had a jazz band playing.  We had seen the wedding coming out of the church and wondered where they were going. 

There was an illuminated boat parade - so I discovered via Facebook after the event!  We had walked into town and hadn’t seen any advertising for it.  I was very disappointed that we missed it. 

2 miles
0 locks


Pangbourne Meadow (River Thames) – Sunday 15th September

We wanted an early start and we got one with a hot air balloon being inflated only a few yards from the boat!  Apparently it is a local balloon and can frequently be seen going up.  Steve took these photos as he was outside, I was watching through the window from my bed!

We left our mooring at 8.45am and were through Marsh lock by 9.05am!  The Lockie at Marsh has a great sense of humour and there is usually a joke written on his chalkboard. 

The sky was full of zips!  One of my children once said this and it has always stuck. 

There are two archimedes screws at Caversham lock.  With a drop of about 4 ft 7 insand an average water flow of 37 cubic metres per second, it can generate 46 kilowatts of electricity. 

The other side of Reading there is a house which I covet!  Every time we go passed I look at it longingly!  I probably wouldn’t want to live there, I just love the turret. 

After Mapledurham lock we started to look for somewhere to moor.  It appeared that the free spots were too shallow and the better ones were taken by long term moorers.  These people are becoming a nuisance.  All the places we used to wild moor are gone and even places like Pangbourne Meadow, where you have to pay, are being taken over by long term moorers.  £3,500 a year is cheaper than putting your boat into a marina and, to be honest, I’m pretty sure a marina wouldn’t take some of these boats.  Could this be the end of our visits to the Thames - I really hope not.

We found one space at Pangbourne, which we grabbed.  We sat out as usual on the decks but with the rain pouring down.  We couldn’t find a weather forecast that said there would be rain in our area!

15 miles
5 locks


Wallingford (River Thames) – Monday 16th September

A lovely sunny and warmish morning.  Let’s hope it doesn’t rain today.  (It didn't!) 

Our mooring last night was just below Whitchurch Bridge which is one of two remaining private toll bridges across the Thames, the other being Swinford Toll Bridge and is Grade II listed.  A bridge has stood here since 1792 when it replaced a ferry. The structure was renewed in 1852–3, 1902 and most recently in 2014. The original charges ranged from a halfpenny per pedestrian, sheep, lamb, boar, sow or pig to twopence for each wheel of a vehicle and twopence for the drawing animal (though one and a half if an ass). 

Through the pretty locks of Goring and Cleeve, then a decision had to be made.  Do we stop where we did on the way down or risk going on to Wallingford.  We decided to go on to Wallingford which was just as well as there was already a boat in our spot. 

We got up to Wallingford and couldn’t believe our eyes, there were only 3 boats moored there.  We have passed this way on many occasions and never seen it as empty as this.  We moored up on the town side, I sat out on the bank while the others sat out on the boats.  I needed to go on board for a wee, only to discover that the bank was so high that I couldn’t get on!!  I had managed to get off the boat as Steve gave me a pull but the jump down was a step too far (pun intended!).  As there were only two boats on the other side of the River, the others moved the boats over and I walked over the bridge to join them! 

My watch had stopped at 11.45am for some reason so I walked into town to see if I could find a jeweller.  Google had said that there was one in an antiques market, but that had gone two years ago, however I was told that a cobbler changed watch batteries.  I walked and walked, checked Google and there was still a way to go.  I found the shop, pushed the door and it was locked.  The shop closed at 4pm - the time was, in fact, only 3.58pm!  So it was a walk back to the boat but not before stopping for an ice cream and sitting in the Square.

From the town side of the River I could see a lovely church spire.  St. Peter’s Church is a Georgian church marked by a distinctive spire and an octagonal belfry.  The church was designed in 1763 after the medieval building on this site had been destroyed during the Civil War.  The original St Peter's was one of 14 medieval churches in the town. It was badly damaged during the 1646 siege of Wallingford. The town was a Royalist stronghold, and King Charles had a major base at Wallingford Castle.  The body of the church was completed by 1769, while the slender spire and belfry were added by Sir Robert Taylor, Architect of the King's Works, in 1777.  The last service at St Peter's took place on 29th  June 1969, exactly 200 years after its first service. The church was then declared redundant and passed into the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. 

After moving across the River I had to cross the lovely old bridge.  The first reference to a bridge across the Thames between Wallingford and Crowmarsh Gifford is from 1141, when King Stephen besieged Wallingford Castle. The first stone bridge is credited to Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, and four remaining arches are believed to contain 13th century elements.  The bridge is 900 feet long and has 19 arches.

We went to the Boat House for dinner.  The food was OK but nothing special.  There was a quiz going on which we didn’t take part in which was just as well as we couldn’t answer many of the questions!

This photo is of the Boat House from Mary H last night. 

10 miles
3 locks

September 2024 - A day off and sunshine at last

Windsor (River Thames) – Wednesday 11th September

We had a day off today though we did move a short way from the Eton side of the River to the Windsor side.  The bank on the Eton side is very high and we were all experiencing difficulties climbing the plank!

We walked into town.  Steve and Tracey hadn’t been before so we wanted to show them around a bit. 

First stop was for a coffee.  We went to the Windsor Royal Shopping mall which was once a part of the Windsor Central station.  Here a significant portion of the station has been converted into a shopping complex.  There is still a ticket office and truncated platform for services on the Slough – Windsor line.  There are two stations in Windsor, Windsor Riverside and Windsor Central.  The reason for this was that two rival railway companies that reached the town vied for the patronage of Queen Victoria – building two overly-specified stations to win her over. 

By the time we had finished coffee, Richard’s stomach was telling him it was nearly lunchtime!  We remembered going to a quirky old pub once before so headed off in its direction, passing The Shambles Bar on our way.  This old building was built in 1687 and Grade II listed. 

We found the Two Brewers which is situated right by a gate onto the Long Walk.  It was originally built as an annex to a pub called the Black Horse and was opened as the Two Brewers in 1792.  In September 1869 it was reported in the local press that the Black Horse Inn had been run in ‘THE MOST DISGRACEFUL MANNER‘.  It was frequented by prostitutes and the public house was thought to be run as a brothel. The licence was revoked and the Black Horse closed down for good, ending 160 years of a public house on that site.  This left the Two Brewers on its own.  It is a tiny place with only 9 tables and a few seats round the two bars.  Three of us had lovely ciabattas with strips of beef, red onion and a fried egg on the top.  An unusual combination but it worked really well. 

From lunch we walked down Peascod Street, the main shopping street.  We frequented a few shops and I bought a blouse and a pair of jeans for Richard.

On our way back to the boats we walked through Alexandra Gardens.  Plans to create a riverside garden in this area date from 1893 and by 1902 the gardens were sufficiently complete to permit the planting of this London Plane tree in August 1902 to celebrate the Coronation of Edward VII and his Queen, Alexandra.

As we got back to the boats the rain came down and it continued to rain on and off for the rest of the day.

 

Cookham - Bell Rope Meadow (River Thames) – Thursday 12th September

We awoke to a lovely day though the forecast was for rain later and it was pretty chilly. 

Up through Boveney and Bray locks which were manned and then we came to Boulters which is pretty deep and there was no lockie!  I did my bit but it was less easy for the people on the boats.

During Victorian times, Boulter's Lock won fame - and notoriety - across the country as thousands of people flocked to the river here to mess about and watch the wealthier classes indulge themselves.  This was especially so on warm summer weekends, and particularly on the Sunday of Ascot Week, when there were pageants, carnivals and regattas. Holidays were spent on houseboats and the favourite pastime of the wealthy was to enjoy a leisurely punt along the meandering and slow-moving river. Boulter's Lock was formerly called Ray Mill Lock, after the adjacent mill owned by the Ray family who produced flour. The first-ever lock keeper was the miller's son, John. The mills became Boulter's Inn in 1950. The word 'bolter' is an old English word for miller, hence the name Boulter's Lock.

We went up Cliveden Reach in the glorious sunshine.  It has to be one of the prettiest stretches of the River.  

In front of us was Cliveden.  There have been three houses on this site: the first, built in 1666, burned down in 1795 and the second house (1824) was also destroyed by fire, in 1849. The present Grade I listed house was built in 1851.  Cliveden has been the home to a Prince of Wales, two Dukes, an Earl, and finally the Viscounts Astor. As the home of Nancy Astor, wife of the 2nd Viscount Astor, Cliveden was the meeting place of the Cliveden Set of the 1920s and 1930s - a group of political intellectuals. Later, during the early 1960s, when it was the home of the 3rd Viscount Astor, it became the setting for key events of the notorious Profumo affair. After the Astor family stopped living there, by the 1970s, it was leased to Stanford University.  Today it is Cliveden Hotel and I was lucky enough to have stayed there once many years ago with work. 

Cookham lock was manned and then we were in Cookham itself.  We found a space on Bell Rope Meadow where we breasted up and settled down for the afternoon.  Richard took Rio for a walk and came back saying there was now a gap further up for two boats, so we both moved.

During the afternoon we had some really heavy showers, one of which was making the boat rock - I thought I was going to be sea sick!  The rain cleared up later so we sat out but then suddenly the wind got up and the rain came down so we fled back to our boats.

10 miles
4 locks


Remenham Farm Moorings (River Thames) – Friday 13th September

A beautiful morning.  Sunshine and blue skies though it was chilly.  The forecast is looking good now for next ten days 😎

As we left our mooring we found Alaska tied up and obviously getting ready for something - a wedding maybe?  Alaska was built in1883 as a hire boat to take parties on day trips.  She was subsequently purchased by Salter Brothers of Oxford in 1886.  In 1887 Salters used Alaska to inaugurate their famous Oxford to Kingston service. This trip took 2 days going down to Kingston and 3 days for the return leg to Oxford.  Passengers stayed in boarding houses and hotels along the route and the fare for the trip, excluding accommodation, was one pound ten shillings (£1.50).  She then had two more owners, Jackson Brothers of Putney and then Mears of Twickenham.  She was later sold to Putney Sea Scouts, who took out the steam plant and used her as their headquarters, but the enterprising Boy Scouts chopped up the wooden superstructure and sold it as fire wood in order to raise funds for a new hut.  Around 1948, she was sold as a hulk and was used as a hire boat pontoon at Medley Boat Station in Oxford.  When she was rediscovered there in 1974, she was sat on the bottom, decked over with plywood being used as a boarding pontoon for hire boats.  Alaska was brought down river wrapped in plastic sheeting with an outboard motor attached and then spent 12 years in Peter Freebody's boatyard at Hurley, being restored to her former glory.  She was reunited with her original engine and fitted with a new boiler and finally relaunched in 1987. She is now based at Marlow and is operated by Thames Steamers. 

Marlow lock was on self service.  It is quite a violent lock! 

Leaving Marlow lock I took a few photos of Marlow below the bridge.  It really is a beautiful place. 

Marlow's original prosperity was brought about by the Knights Templar who had a house at nearby Bisham and built the first bridge over the River Thames here in 1832.  Marlow Lock itself was built as a timber (fir wood) pound lock in 1773 and reconstructed in stone in 1825. In that same year, a new lock was built alongside the old one which was filled in. The new lock was rebuilt by the Thames Conservancy in 1927.  The weir at Marlow Lock is recorded in Domesday book.  The name, Marlow, is recorded in 1015 as Mere lafan, meaning "Land left after the draining of a pond" in Old English!

We stopped at Hurley lock to fill up and empty.  We hadn’t filled our water tanks up for 6 days and were both pretty low.

Hambledon lock was our last one for the day as we moored up at Medmenham.  It was a lovely afternoon and early evening, but when the sun went down it was pretty chilly. 

7 miles
3 locks

September 2024 - Three more grey days

Hampton Court Palace (River Thames) – Sunday 8th September

At long last some sunshine.  The last few days have been so grey, yet warm.

We were heading for Kingston for our last night of heading downstream.  It has been 15 days since we left Lechlade.  It has been nice with the current with us but now it will be against us and with all the rain we have had recently, it will be a bit more difficult than usual.

Just two locks - Sunbury and Molesey, both manned.  The river was busy with lots of rowers and dinghy sailors who don’t seem to look where they are going! 

We got down to Kingston but the moorings were full.  Half of it was taken with long term moorers and it looked like the other half with people like ourselves.  We turned round and hoped that the moorings at Hampton Court were still empty.  When we went down there were only two boats there.  They have increased the size of the mooring at Hampton Court Palace so it is now double what it was.  There was plenty of room for the two boats so we moored up.

Tracey and I took the dogs for a walk and Rio went berserk - mad zoomies!

In the evening, Richard and I were joined by two of his step-daughters who both live in Thames Ditton.  It was lovely to see them even if it was only for a short time. 

11 miles
2 locks


Thames Court - Shepperton (River Thames) – Monday 9th September

I was sent this photo by Julie Fosbury from Ubique.  She took it from the River as they passed us on Sunday.

Yet another grey morning and as we approached Molesey lock the wind was howling straight into our faces.  Rio had his jumper on and snuggled into his donut! 

As you leave Walton-on-Thames you have a choice of going round the old river course or down Desborough Cut.  This was created to improve flow and ease navigation on the river, and was completed in 1935.  We have been, how can I put it, horrified by the amount of liveaboard boats down there now.  They are all really tatty and are a disgrace to the River.  This one has been there so long it has become part of the bank!

While we were in Shepperton lock we decided to stop at Thames Court if there was a space and there was.  During the afternoon the sun came out and it was very pleasant sitting on our decks with the pram cover sides in as there was still a nasty wind.

We went into Thames Court for dinner.  It was an OK meal though my rib eye steak was full of gristle.  I complained and got a free pudding!

These are two photos that I took this evening.  The first is the sunset and the second is the house opposite us which was all lit up. 

Below Shepperton lock is D’Oyly Carte Island.  I have known Shepperton since 1978 and it has never been lived on in that time.  Originally Richard D'Oyly Carte bought the island in 1890, and built the giant property which has 13 bedrooms, a grand ballroom, 5 bathrooms, 40 boat moorings and, on the mainland, parking for 45 cars.  Andy Hill bought the island in 2021 for just over £3m.  The house is now being restored and there is a cafe which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.  Sadly we just haven’t had time to visit it but the island is certainly looking much better now.  There is a story that Richard D’Oyly Carte had a crocodile on the island, but it escaped!  So if you think you have seen a crocodile on the Thames, then you may well have really seen one!

6 miles
3 locks


Windsor (River Thames) – Tuesday 10th September

We started the day with a Tesco delivery.  It made much more sense than tying up in Staines, trudging over the bridge, walking round Sainsburys and then walking back to the boat again!

It was cold and windy and I was glad that I wasn’t steering, though I took over while Richard had his lunch and it was hard work. 

Our destination was Windsor as there is very little mooring between Staines and Windsor.  There is some along Runnymede but it is right up against the road.

All of today's locks were manned which I was surprised about.  At Old Windsor lock we had to wait for quite a while.  Rio took the opportunity to do some ferreting!

As we approached Romney lock it started to rain, though not too hard thank goodness.  We had to share the lock with a huge trip boat which we didn’t think was going to get in. 

We hoped to get moored on the Eton side of the River and managed it though Steve had to breast up as they draw more than we do and he couldn’t get in.

We sat and chatted until the rain came down in stair rods which was for too much for us!

Under Staines Bridge we found this blue plaque.  The Dirty Water Campaign highlights the need for government and industry to act urgently to stop poisoning, and then start cleaning up coastal waters and waterways across the UK and was put there by Extinction Rebellion.  Over 80 blue plaques in the style of English Heritage’s London blue plaques appeared on UK beaches and rivers. The plaques hoped to highlight the decision made by UK politicians to block a law that would see better protection for rivers from raw sewage dumping. The plaques have been installed around the UK by various environmental groups including Extinction Rebellion (XR) and Surfers Against Sewage. The plaque in Staines was removed by the authorities but has obviously been put back since! 

14 miles
5 locks