The Thames Summer 25

Highlights

• friendly lock-keepers
• mooring on the meadows and swimming
• river birds especially flocks of geese, egrets, kingfishers, cormorants
• the weather has been lovely mostly sunny and got steadily hotter!

The journey up to Goring is like travelling along a narrow corridor through other peoples gardens where you must keep moving. Public moorings on both sides in many places are in short supply and the opportunity to stop for a lock was welcome break especially for single handing boater. I was especially pleased to find the lock on self-service as this meant you could linger a while on the lock moorings.

Above Cleeve lock the river opens out and becomes more rural. There are lots more visitor mooring although for many you still have to pay for. Me and Lenny have been for loads of dips, him much less keen than I. The number of bigger fast boats drops off and more narrow boats and smaller boats creates a more gentle pace. I am looking forward to do the section on the Thames upstream to Lechlade one day.

The 240v adapter is very clever and switches itself off if there is not enough power draw, unfortunately a laptop charger draws very little power so I am unable to charge my laptop. Annoyingly I cannot find the correct adapter for my 12v charger so unable to use to my computer! This has set a nice tone to my trip, forcing me to put aside work and relax. I had to buy a fan in reading which draws enough power to keep the invertor on so the laptop can charge, clearly a priority to find a 12v charger for the laptop!

I have noticed on long road journeys how the hours pass easily in way they don’t on a shorter journey. The 3 hour drive to Birmingham seems so long when you are trying to get to Birmingham but if you aiming for Scotland somehow time seems to pass easily. The same with boating the first few hours getting to Shepperton lock passed pleasantly along familiar sections of the river.

Full Trip report

80 miles in 9 days, 75.5 hours

Tuesday 10^th June we departed from Teddington at midday. Saw the Seal on the sailing club slipway, he so asleep he looked dead I am assured days later he is seen swimming in the river so clearly indifferent to my boat passing. Kindly lock keepers at Penton Hook point wearier travellers to some excellent free moorings just upstream of the lock with easy access to the 24hr lock toilets. We pass a pleasant night.

Wednesday 11^th June an 8 hour travel day gets us Cliveden reach and we find a mooring in the shade of Cliveden’s beautiful grounds and ancient trees. It is lovely moored under trees and in the river after a day in the hot sun, there is no shade whilst driving the boat but we are making good progress. £10 per night plus entrance fee on top if you want to have a wander round the grounds

Thursday 12 June and we are awake early and have a stroll round the grounds. It is very steep valley and the house is at the top, there are few paths which wind you up and some steep steps. Lenny has taken well to his buggy but its tricky on such steeps paths. Clive visited and we had lunch in the local pub before walking back thru the Long Garden. Stayed another night as it such a lovely spot.

Friday 13 June departed at 9am and by 2pm it is so hot we have to stop. Found a mooring on Westfield farm near Medmenham, £13 a night just to put your own stakes in the ground and no facilities of any kind seems a little steep but I was glad of the stop as the heat was intense and the rive cool! Nice spot for a campavan £18 a night on grass pitches by the river.

Saturday 14^th June off promptly at 8am with a 4 hour stop in Henley. The moorings on the meadow where busy and free during the day. Had a wander round the shops in the town and popped to a super market. Tried to do the first pump-out but not working at Shiplake and the middle rope has got very worn in the middle so had to be shortened. Continued on to the visitor moorings upstream of Sonning Lock.

Sunday 15 June arrived in Reading and moored by the Kings Meadow. Made use of the supermarket and managed to get a fan heater (with cold setting ) which has solved the charging problem! Lots of boats clearly lived on here on the visitor moorings who where friendly. Simon visited in the evening.

Monday 16 June away late which meant travelling later into the heat of the day than I would like but could not be helped. Pump-out was working at Mapledurham and I am glad to have got that figured out! Had planned to stop at Goring visitor moorings but lots of spaces which are all too small. Very helpful lock keepers suggested the meadows above Cleeves lock which where exactly what I needed and were beautiful, wide water meadows in a perfect spot for swimming, glad Goring was full. Loving the vibe above Goring and keen at some point to do the rest of the Thames.

Tuesday 17^th June it was so hot yesterday that I was up and on the move by 6.30am keen to make the most of the cool of the morning.`meet up with a couple of fellow single handing narrow boaters which makes the locks easier. We all got moored on the Abingdon visitor moorings by 1:30 which is a very good thing as it was too hot to be crusing in the afternoon. Had a wander round the town which is very pretty and see that there is also lots of mooring on the meadow upstream of the bridge.

Wednesday 18^th June hung around till 10am waiting for (£1.79 a litre!!!) fuel, they should have opened at 9 but really cannot risk it. So hot again that I stop on visitor moorings downstream of Iffley lock at 1pm and rest up for the afternoon. Regular dips in the river for both us and staying in the shade!

Thursday 19^th June off at 5:30 there is a mist on the water and its cool. Choose to go via Dukes Cut and avoid lots of lift bridges in town centre, rewarded with vista of flocks of geese and horses on the meadows. The cut is very weedy narrow and full of live-aboards it is hard to believe that you are meant to be there but it drops you a the Dukes lock and a very helpful local and helps me and I am off the Thames onto the oxford and the change in pace is noticeable. Had a stop for a few hours in the afternoon to let the heat of the day pass then couple more hours in evening to Allan’s lock.