Messing about on the River

We have just returned from a sun drenched upriver cruise.

Idyllic is not the word. Many thanks to Keith Robbins and his able helpers for the planning and, even harder, managing to find moorings for us all in the right place at the right time. Lovely memories of all 14 boats that joined at one time or another – Bilbow, Brainwave, Circe Ann, Conway Star, Darkest Dreaming, Etta, Flying Colours, Harbour Lights, K-ser-a, Lexicon, Pisky, Severa, Tosca B and White Onyx. Not forgetting those who fought traffic jams (should have come by boat…) to get to the Group dinners at Bray Marina and Harleyford Golf Club.

BBQ at the club the night before the cruise

Cliveden Reach gives a taste of idyllic times to come

Commodore at the helm..

Etta sneaks under Cookham Lock Cut bridge

Moored up at Marlow

Darkest Dreaming tucks into the smallest possible mooring at Marlow, just behind K-ser-A who apparently moored with total aplomb 🙂

We pass Miss Hardy at Fawley Meadows

Lexicon makes it under Henley Bridge

We are in Sonning and moored up at Upper Thames MYC. This, girls, is George Clooney’s boathouse. If only…

Lexicon takes the eco route to moving the boat.

The ever so handy post box in the middle of a wall in the middle of nowhere

We moor up at Goring and go for a long walk on the Thames Path. we spot Severa in the distance who has gone on ahead for a quiet life . Highly recommend the Miller of Mansfield as a dinner venue. We were very impressed.

The perfect setting for a house, off an eddy of the Thames, with the cutest bridge from which this photo was taken.

Our moorings at Goring

Drinks on Brainwave, and we hear that Mike and Lorna have just got married. Cheers Mike, cheers Lorna.

Things go awry at Bensons lock when the electric controls become fused. Muscle men Richard and Keith to the rescue (well its the nearest thing to muscle men we had)

Change over day at Bensons Boat hire, and the riverside bar is teaming. Nice awning.

Further up river the vista is all fields and farms and sheep and cows. Look at those impossibly perfect fluffy white clouds. Chill.

We moor in the Weir Stream at Days Lock and have the lock island all to ourselves. The nearest village is Dorchester-on-Thames

Dorchester is this sort of place

The view from the top of Wittenham Clumps looking down on the Thames at Days lock

The walkers having a rest at the top

The view from our lock island. Sometimes cows, sometimes geese.

BBQ at Day’s Lock

Captions on a postcard please! Tim looses his vinaigrette down the side of Etta …

Sunset at Day’s Lock

soo cute

On our way home now, moored up at Pangbourne.

Drinks party at Pangbourne. Don’t know what Roy and David were up to…

Moored up at Henley

Drinks party at Henley, hiding from the sun is not good for photos!

Henley prepares for next week’s regatta

Fabulous location for our Commodore’s Dinner – Harleyford Golf club. Special thanks to Keith and his golf buggy and Richard and his car. It was a long walk up from the marina! After Harleyford the cruise pottered home at various speeds. Etta managed 11 locks on the Wednesday and was home at 4pm. Tired but happy.

And thinking of absent friends…..

Margaret

and Mike

One response to “Messing about on the River”