From Days to hiding for a long weekend

Thursday, 21 April 2011 14:38

Our wonderful mooring above Days Lock was sacrificed as we wanted to move downstream for the Easter weekend. We thought we might beat the rush!

Swans above Days Lock

Pulling the pins, turning around and saying goodbye to Dorchester we made for Days Lock .....

The River Thames does a sharp left below the lock and "goes around" Dorchester. The confluence of the River Thame (navigable for small unpowered craft if there is not too much overgrowth or any aggressive swans!) is under an iron footbridge.

Mouth of the River Thame

I won't go into the discussion about the name of the Thames v the Thame - suffice it to say that from here upstream can be called the River "Isis" and below the confluence downstream is the River Thames. Which is the father of which, I shall leave for those more knowledgeable to debate.

The next place worthy of note is Shillingford with the posh hotel by the lovely bridge. But first the large and very attractive bend with its boathouse, old wharf and rather splendid large house has to be negotiated. Watch out for the red channel buoy - keep it on your right going downstream!

Shillingford bend

This was once the site of a brewery, cottages and a coal wharf. The road from the village still comes right down to the waters edge.

Boaters mooring above the bridge on the Hotel moorings are required to pay a mooring fee, but apparently can then use the Hotel facilities such as the pool and squash courts. The beautiful bridge replaced a wooden one in 1827. Below the bridge are private moorings.

Shillingford Bridge from downstream

Benson is cruiser world. The camping site there has extensive permanent moorings and the hire cruisers of "Le Boat" leave from here too.

Cruisers at Benson moorings

The lock is beyond. The Lock Keeper was ready for us as a narrowboat had just come up. He was very friendly and was also careful as he emptied the lock. There is a small shelf towards the bottom and I could imagine narrowboats getting caught up on it.

Benson Lock from upstream

As luck would have it, as we passed the bottom of the weir, a Red Kite dived from the sky and caught a fish - of course, I missed it with the camera, as I have missed many a Red Kite in the last few weeks! One day I will get a photo of one of these glorious birds, once a rare sight and now often seen in the skies above Oxfordshire.

So we were now on the longest stretch of the Thames between locks. It is popular with rowers and the Oxford College crews because of this. This crew were from Exeter College in Oxford. There is a university boat house below Wallingford Bridge.

Rowing four

Wallingford Bridge is another Thames landmark and there are moorings either side above it.

Wallingford Bridge from downstream

£5/night is something we try to avoid paying, so we went downstream a little to see if there was anything suitable for us to moor against. There was, against the meadows, but as I am less than agile in the clambering stakes we decided to turn around and go back to one we had spotted upstream of the bridge.

St Peter's Church, now redundant, is best viewed from the river, I think, as is the wonderful riverside house near the University boat house.

St Peter's Church

Riverside House

So here we are, moored and "hidden" about 100 yards upstream, opposite the Institute of Hydrology. Here we shall stay too as we can explore Wallingford, go places on the buses and go to Church over Easter.

Hiding at Wallingford