Over the Hill

Monday, 11 July 2011 16:41

Over the Hill... but not far away. In fact, as the crow flies we moved about 2 miles over Remenham Hill.

Riverside house near Conway Bridge - the bridge was built of stones from Reading Abbey.

But following the River Thames it is quite a few miles more ......

We made for Marsh Lock and joined nb Hallmark (Dave Futcher) to wait for the cruisers to come out.

Above Marsh Lock

The stream to the right of the lock is the mill stream to the other mill (one of two) as mentioned yesterday.

Cruiser leaving Marsh Lock

Once below the lock, the river became very busy as cruisers and narrowboats came upstream . . .

. . .many of them leaving their moorings at Marsh Meadow beside Rod Eyot.

Moorings and Rod Eyot

We took the main channel to the right of the island, passing Henley Rowing Club and Hobbs Boats. I quite fancy the motor home parked there!

Henley Rowing Club

Hobbs Boats

Opposite, on the Henley Riverside, their trip boats waited for passengers.

Henley Riverside

Beyond and before The Angel on the Bridge pub is "Henley Public Landing" - the only boats that can get in here are small ones and the boats on the private pontoons.

Henley Church, the Angel and moorings

Henley Bridge has Isis on one side and Father Thames on the other and once through the bridge the Regatta Course confronts boaters. The first bridge may have been built in the C12th: 1985 excavations discovered stone arches at either end of the existing bridge, dating from about that time.

Henley Bridge

A later wooden one was swept away by floods and the bridge was rebuilt in 1789. The first Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race finished here in 1829 (Hambledon to Henley) - giving rise to the Henley Royal Regatta when the race moved to Putney to Mortlake, nearer London. The link I found makes fascinating reading if you are interested in the history of the Regatta.

The Regatta Course stretching before us

This looks impressive, but we are a narrowboat, not a rowing boat, so have to take a detour ........