We are on the move again - Reading to Dorchester (Day's lock)

Friday, 19 September 2008 20:31

Yesterday we had a rehearsal for today. Our friends on Nb Faith needed water and a pump out so decided to go downstream on Thames to just above Shiplake lock where there is a sanitary station.

Did we fancy a trip with them? You bet, it was a lovely day! We had an easy trip down and back, much quicker than any of us expected. Only one lock - Sonning, a pretty lock and lock keeper's house. My Boat of The Day (Thursday) was moored just before Blake's lock in Kennet reach.

Sonning Bridge, after the lock, is 18th century. The river was flowing but not too fast and it was not difficult to turn for the "necessaries" and then return back up stream to Reading. This is rather a good sign- spotted at Sonning lock on our way back!

So we were all primed to leave today, particularly as the boards were either amber or down altogether until Osney.

We left early as we needed to get diesel at Caversham boat services and then we only had to wait for a short time before the lock keeper at Caversham came on duty. Whilst waiting we could see where we had come from as the new building The Blade was clear over the trees and Kings Meadow. We needed to get our 2 day Thames licence and so comply with the rules!

By then the sun was coming out and stayed out for the rest of the day. At one point the outside thermometer read 32 degrees! The are many scenic views and lovely houses along the Thames. Caversham has possibly some of the best.

My Boat of Today was moored above Caversham lock. I plan to have an album of Boat of The Day, at the end of a year there will be 365! How many varieties can I photograph?

Brunel built bridges. The one we know best is the Tamar Bridge from Saltash joining Cornwall to the main land! Today we saw two more of his railway bridges. One at Gatehampton and his skew bridge at Moulsford. As on the Kennet and Avon the railway is never to far away from the river on this stretch.

So the locks came and went, none of them a problem as most of the weirs had been shut down to reduce the flow. A fair number of boats moving in and out but we only shared two of them.

Wallingford Bypass bridge is amazing - 17 arches. I thought the juxtaposition of the Institute of Hydrology and this sylvan scene rather comic. Wallingford Bridge (a different one!) and The Boathouse is one of my memories from the last time we both were on the Thames in the late 70s! That time we were stranded at Henley for 4 days!

As we reached the large bend at Shillingford we were met by a "noddy" boat who either thought he was a fire rescue boat or that he had a skier behind him. Such speed! The house and boathouse here is another 70s memory!

So we passed through our last lock for today - appropriately named Day's lock. Just above the lock we spotted a Cornish flag on one of 3 boats moored. We hailed them and discovered they were from Newquay (or as the lady preferred to say Crantock - Newquay has such a bad reputation now!). The other 2 boats also had Cornish crews, so that made 4 boats with us. As we moored another boat went by with a Cornish flag, and that makes 5. A flotilla of Cornish!

We moored up in a wonderful spot, the cooling towers of Didcot very much in the distance and no other boats within earshot! Not even the Cornish ones!

The river is flowing a little faster now so we think they may have opened the weirs a wee bit. However the good news is that Osney is on Amber so we can move off and onto the Oxford tomorrow. Hurray!

Many apologies - out t'internet signal is not so good this evening so no pictures here or in the gallery. Hopefully tomorrow!

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