Tesco on Thames and a lovely sunny day

Wednesday, 19 October 2011 11:00

It was much colder and windy today but bright and sunny too. However we still have not lit the Morso, how much longer can we last?

Caversham has many swans, don't feed them or they will not leave you alone!

It was shopping time - our cupboards and freezer were ready for a top up ......

We set off down stream for Tesco on Thames (or Kings Meadow as they call it) near the junction with the K and A at Kennet Mouth. Before Caversham Court Gardens there are a number of end of garden moorings. Another one is being dug out in front of a boat house.

Working on a private mooring

I will return to this scenario later. 

I only really noticed the detail on Caversham Bridge today. The bridge has been a timber and stone one (around 1530s) and subsequently an iron one (1869), which replaced the ruined wood and stone bridge. The current bridge was opened in 1926 by Edward, Prince of Wales.

Detail on Caversham Bridge

As we approached Reading Bridge we saw the tug Churn approaching. It look as if it had a few barges in tow. 

Reading Bridge from above

As it drew near I counted four boats in tow

We went down Caversham Lock and found a mooring at Tesco - there was only room for one other boat on the pontoon once we had our space. One large barge has been there since before we went to Banbury Folk Festival - maybe they have a problem. 

Re-provisioned, we returned up stream - mooring behind Fry's Island as we had to be at Caversham Boat Services early, for the bits and pieces to be finished. As we moored, a tug and floating pontoon carrying a skip arrived. It was the men from the private mooring mentioned above. It was time for them to off-load the skip full of the stuff they had dug out.

Skip Lorry and pontoon

For the next half hour or so we were entertained as they found that the skip was too heavy for the lorry. Follow this sequence of photos!

Oops - perhaps they will all end up in River Thames

Perhaps we can empty the skip a bit

Is that any better?

The lorry driver tries to lift the skip again

"I give up" - the lorry drives away 

Apparently they are going to unload the skip onto the wharf today. Then reload it and hope the lorry can lift it from dry land. We will miss the entertainment! Hopefully we will be off, away from Reading too. Hooray!

River Thames, Caversham to Tesco on Thames and back to Fry's Island
1 hour 21 minutes, 3.0 miles, 2 locks