We’re off!
We had planned to stay at Dorchester (Days Lock) until after the weekend and spend the promised sunny Saturday checking out the village and generally taking it easy. But, the weather forecast for Sunday and Monday was threatening lots of heavy rain and the last thing we want when nearing the end of our Thames summer cruise was to be stuck behind red boards (making the river unnavigable) until the water subsides. So we decided that Dorchester will be for another time and sunny Saturday should be spent cruising ...
The view from our mooring at 07:20 as we try to decide to stay, or go ..
... we’re going - 09:20 leaving our snug mooring ...
... and Days Lock behind us.
Clifton Hampden was clear, so no hold up there today.
The cut above Clifton Lock is rather narrow with its overhanging trees, it’s a good job we’re only a narrowboat as it would have been an extremely tight fit if we’d been any wider.
Long Wittenham Church Spire with the three towers of Didcot Power Station behind it.
The approach to Culham is lovely in the bright sunshine
Rowing for charity from Abingdon to Maidenhead in two days ... the hilarity and screeching coming from inside the lock as the water emptied made us smile - good luck to them especially on Sunday in the rain.
Looks like a very large sardine tin in the lock cut above Culham!
Archimedes returning downstream - we saw him going up last week
Passing Abingdon Marina just south of the town ...
... and loads of rowers to make the cruise more interesting!
The beautiful riverside at Abingdon ...
... where the town cryer was doing his ‘Oh yeah’ bit and ringing his bell ...
... and where there’s plenty of free moorings when you don’t need one!
Approaching Abingdon Bridge under Molly’s supervision
Half an hour after lifting through Abingdon Lock we pass Culham Park Motocross Track where an event was in progress ...
... and a couple of rather desirable properties ...
... this one on the hill being Nuneham House.
The views are stunning ...
... and the river edge is clothed in the autumn flowering Michaelmas Daisy (Aster)
Approaching Sandford Lock, the deepest on the Thames above Teddington
A Pod, a very modern summer house ...
... in the garden of a very traditional house!
A different way to travel in a canoe
Approaching Iffley by far the nicest lock on the Thames (in my opinion)
The notice says ‘Self Service’ (lock keeper otherwise absent) but he had returned by the time it was our turn to enter.
We shared the lock with a Thames River Inspector in an Environment Agency boat
And pass the very elegant balustraded bridge above the lock.
The reach (stretch of river between locks) above Iffley was busy with rowers ...
... and ‘girly’ punting ...
... and people generally enjoying themselves on Christ Church Meadow.
... down here.
Looking back under Folly Bridge at the pub The Head of the River
The startling autumnal red of aVirginia Creeper draped over the skeleton of the tree
Osney Lock ...
... and Osney Bridge which severely restricts vessels larger than narrowboats and small cruisers from navigating the upper reaches
The cows are sheltering under the trees from the warm sun
I love the expanse and use of Port Meadow. Today as we rounded the corner under Medley Bridge we see these two sailing dinghies tacking (?) around the bouys; we had to put the engine into tick-over until they’d finished their manoeuvres ...
... but we can see ahead around that next bend that our cruising will be challenging to say the least!
but looking back towards the bridge, there’s an open view for miles
They appear to ‘know’ what they’re doing, I just wish that we did!
We’re safely through them now - I can count 17 sails in this short distance.
The wild horses on the meadow today are over on the far side
But we can soon see Godstow Lock, the last push-button operated lock that we shall pass through on the Thames this year ...
... where there’s the most fantastic bed of ...
... pink and white Cosmos flowers - I love them, they look good, flower for a long time and make great cut flowers for indoors.
Godstow Abbey ...
... an unusual wooden boat ...
... and a boat with a fitted carpet!
Kings Lock - the lock keeper here operates the sluices by brute force and a long pole and opens the sluices by winding a very large wheel
Above Kings Lock we turn immediately right ...
... and leave the River Thames behind us.
We turn into Dukes Cut which connects the River Thames to the South Oxford Canal ...
... is narrow with the trees encroaching on both sides and above us.
Through Dukes Lock and under Dukes Bridge where we turn left to the water point ...
... where we see this paraglider taking off and up through the thermals - I waved to him and waved back with his foot!
I was on my own at the helm from here, George going ahead to open Drinkwater’s Lift Bridge and Kidlington Lock. Just through Kings Bridge is a small boat yard and as I passed a lady in work overalls came to the fence and called to me - ‘Great blog’ she said! Amazing indeed - I was so surprised, thank you!
We are now moored at Kidlington at the same spot as we were on the way down to the Thames on 26th June with Geoff and Mags - when then, like today (Sunday) it is absolutely bucketing it down.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our 3-month summer cruise on the Thames and were very sad to be leaving it. The weather, apart from the first couple of weeks cruising the very upper reaches of the river when the river was high and red boards stopping us from cruising, has been spectacular - sometimes a little too hot (for me) but at least dry and warm unlike the weather some bloggers have experienced further north.
We love the diversity of this great river, its meandering, its historic sites, its good moorings (albeit sometimes expensive), its wide open water and amazing houses (no two alike) along its banks.
We’re now planning 2013’s cruises - can’t wait!
We had planned to stay at Dorchester (Days Lock) until after the weekend and spend the promised sunny Saturday checking out the village and generally taking it easy. But, the weather forecast for Sunday and Monday was threatening lots of heavy rain and the last thing we want when nearing the end of our Thames summer cruise was to be stuck behind red boards (making the river unnavigable) until the water subsides. So we decided that Dorchester will be for another time and sunny Saturday should be spent cruising ...
Rowing for charity from Abingdon to Maidenhead in two days ... the hilarity and screeching coming from inside the lock as the water emptied made us smile - good luck to them especially on Sunday in the rain.
Looks like a very large sardine tin in the lock cut above Culham!
Archimedes returning downstream - we saw him going up last week
Passing Abingdon Marina just south of the town ...
... and loads of rowers to make the cruise more interesting!
... and where there’s plenty of free moorings when you don’t need one!
Approaching Abingdon Bridge under Molly’s supervision
Half an hour after lifting through Abingdon Lock we pass Culham Park Motocross Track where an event was in progress ...
... and a couple of rather desirable properties ...
... this one on the hill being Nuneham House.
A Pod, a very modern summer house ...
... in the garden of a very traditional house!
A different way to travel in a canoe
The notice says ‘Self Service’ (lock keeper otherwise absent) but he had returned by the time it was our turn to enter.
We shared the lock with a Thames River Inspector in an Environment Agency boat
And pass the very elegant balustraded bridge above the lock.
The reach (stretch of river between locks) above Iffley was busy with rowers ...
... and ‘girly’ punting ...
... and people generally enjoying themselves on Christ Church Meadow.
Folly Bridge can be bypassed by two different passages - one through the arch you can see alongside the trip boats, or to the side of the house ...
Looking back under Folly Bridge at the pub The Head of the River
The startling autumnal red of aVirginia Creeper draped over the skeleton of the tree
Osney Lock ...
... and Osney Bridge which severely restricts vessels larger than narrowboats and small cruisers from navigating the upper reaches
The cows are sheltering under the trees from the warm sun
I love the expanse and use of Port Meadow. Today as we rounded the corner under Medley Bridge we see these two sailing dinghies tacking (?) around the bouys; we had to put the engine into tick-over until they’d finished their manoeuvres ...
... but we can see ahead around that next bend that our cruising will be challenging to say the least!
but looking back towards the bridge, there’s an open view for miles
They appear to ‘know’ what they’re doing, I just wish that we did!
The wild horses on the meadow today are over on the far side
But we can soon see Godstow Lock, the last push-button operated lock that we shall pass through on the Thames this year ...
Godstow Abbey ...
... an unusual wooden boat ...
... and a boat with a fitted carpet!
We turn into Dukes Cut which connects the River Thames to the South Oxford Canal ...
... is narrow with the trees encroaching on both sides and above us.
Through Dukes Lock and under Dukes Bridge where we turn left to the water point ...
I was on my own at the helm from here, George going ahead to open Drinkwater’s Lift Bridge and Kidlington Lock. Just through Kings Bridge is a small boat yard and as I passed a lady in work overalls came to the fence and called to me - ‘Great blog’ she said! Amazing indeed - I was so surprised, thank you!
We are now moored at Kidlington at the same spot as we were on the way down to the Thames on 26th June with Geoff and Mags - when then, like today (Sunday) it is absolutely bucketing it down.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our 3-month summer cruise on the Thames and were very sad to be leaving it. The weather, apart from the first couple of weeks cruising the very upper reaches of the river when the river was high and red boards stopping us from cruising, has been spectacular - sometimes a little too hot (for me) but at least dry and warm unlike the weather some bloggers have experienced further north.
We love the diversity of this great river, its meandering, its historic sites, its good moorings (albeit sometimes expensive), its wide open water and amazing houses (no two alike) along its banks.
We’re now planning 2013’s cruises - can’t wait!
Yes, it was a good trip down to Hampton Court and the Wey. Happy memories. Thanks for your company.
ReplyDeleteReally lovely pictures Carol. I do love reading your blog and traveling along with you and George. It has seemed over the past three months that you two were almost in a different country than us folks up North in the relentless rain. We are curious to read where you plan to winter and what your 2013 cruise plans shall be.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Jaq and LesXX
Welcome back among the ditchcrawlers...
ReplyDelete