Below Cleeve Lock (River Thames) – Tuesday 16th September

We left Reading at 10am and headed up stream.  Whitchurch Bridge is looking better than it did when we passed at the beginning of July with parapets up now.  I forgot to take a photo but will try and remember on our way back.

A lovely boathouse between Goring and Cleeve locks

Our destination for today was our favourite spot below Cleeve Lock – we have always been lucky in getting in here and have never passed by.  It was completely empty so we chose our spot and moored up. 

Between Goring and Cleeve locks there is an island which seems to have been invaded by Virginia creeper.  It is all up the trees and makes a wonderful scene.

Virginia creeper covered trees

We had a nice quiet afternoon – just what the doctor ordered!  Richard managed to quieten down the water pump which has been driving us round the bend since he put it in when we were in Bristol back in May!  There were dishes and water everywhere but it is certainly much quieter though he is going to move it from under the kitchen sink to closer to the water tank during the winter.  Meanwhile I caught up on blog reading – I really do read too many!  If I miss a day’s reading I seem to end up with about 40 to read then I can never catch up by just reading them in bed at night.

Steve and Diane washed Daisy’s roof and then Diane started to do some polishing – I sat in the sunshine and watched thinking that maybe I should be doing something similar but, guess what, I didn’t!  Just sitting in the sunshine was lovely.

BBQ scene

Swirling mist

We had a BBQ in the evening and managed to sit out until about 8.15pm but by that stage it was way too cold and damp.  We watched the mist swirling around the meadow at one stage – it was lovely.

9.93 miles
3 locks