A good cruise to Day's Lock

Monday, 24 October 2011 13:44

We left Goring after church at St Thomas of Canterbury'. We received a good welcome there and the service was good.

We had a stowaway on board

We had a fair way to go as we wanted to get above Day's Lock .....

Cleeve Lock has water above so we took some on as I did a couple of wash loads to take advantage of the breeze and sun. 

The Red Kites were very much in evidence

The Leatherne Bottel looked busy with a number of cars and the Beetle and Wedge further upstream had no boat customers

Leatherne Bottle

Beetle and Wedge

There were a few rowers out at Wallingford, most emanating from the Oxford University Boat House below the bridge

OU Boat House

We did not stop at Wallingford - we had spent plenty of time here on the way down. There was room on the moorings - but we carried on.

Wallingford Bridge

Benson Lock gates look as if they need some TLC, both the bottom and top gates had vegetation growing on them. I guess that because they are being replaced this winter (1 Nov 2011-16 Mar 2012), they decided not to bother with dealing with that. The steam launch in front of us joined us in the lock and then moored up by the slipway at Benson Waterfront. 

Benson Lock from below

So we came to Shillingford with the lovely 1827 bridge, hotel (once a small pub) and immaculate lawns. The stone balustrade makes the bridge rather distinctive. It was once a toll bridge and the story goes that tramps would trick the toll-keeper by putting mud and stones into his hand as he put it through the hole to receive tolls. Once they tied a slip knot around his wrist, pulled his arm out and tied it to a post, leaving him all night to suffer. No wonder the tolls were done away with by the late 1800s.

Cruiser at Shillingford Bridge

The river takes a sharp left hand bend just after the bridge, with the large, much photographed waterside house at the site of the old Keen Edge Ferry. It looked very nice in the late autumn sun,

House on Shillingford bend

We could see Dorchester Abbey over the fields and, passing the entrance to the River Thame, we pulled into the sani-station below Day's Lock. The Lock Keeper kept an eye out for us and when we left he was ready for us.

Day's Lock and weir

What a beautiful sight awaited us above - we moored just after the lock cut.

We were not quite where we wanted to be, as another narrowboat and hire cruiser had nabbed our ideal spot, but we were happy for one night.

River Thames, Goring to Day's Lock
4 hours 2 minutes, 10.96 miles, 3 locks