Windsor

I have lived all my life in Staines with the town of Windsor on my doorstep but never fully appreciated just what a lovely town it is until we had our own boat and passed through on the river.

On Friday we had a good trip from Boveney to Staines.  Passing through Windsor fairly early in the morning, it was not as busy on the water as we have experienced in the past.  As the day wore on, however, more and more Bank Holiday boaters emerged.

If you are passing through Windsor on the river for the first time I would thoroughly recommend that you stop for a few days,  become a tourist, spend some £££'s and explore the town.  There are plenty of moorings but, yes, you have to pay a fee.

The castle is wonderful - St George's chapel is stunning, the changing of the guards toe-tapping, the grounds interesting and the portrait paintings in the Royal Apartments are fantastic!!

The open top bus tour around Windsor and Eton is well worth doing.

There are lots of little side streets to explore full of a wide variety of shops.

Approaching the Castle

The Windsor Wheel

We have been spending the Bank Holiday weekend seeing family and friends.  At times it's all been a little bit crazy!  The weather has not been any where near as nice - in fact we have had quite a bit of rain - so much so that down as far as Boveney is now back on yellow boards.  That's one of the scary things about rivers!

Snippets

Snippet 1

We were waiting at Caversham Lock (just outside of Reading) preparing to go in.  I was standing at the bow, ropes at the ready.  A chap in a wheelchair came along and started chatting away telling me what a nicely turned out boat we had. He then went to John at the stern and carried on praising the boat.  On departing, his final comment to John was:- 

"I think your figure head needs a few more coats of varnish but ............ don't tell her till I'm out of here."

          I actually think this was very witty but I'm still trying to decide:-

                            - Was he referring to my 'Boudica' pose at the front of the boat?
                                                                      OR
                              - Am I looking decidedly rough these days?

                              NO NEED TO COMMENT .......... THANKYOU!

Snippet 2

I can thoroughly recommend Wargrave fish and chip delivery service which  is fantastic!  Just moor at Wargrave Marsh opposite the posh pad reputedly owned by Vince Hill (remember him?) and amazingly kind and efficient residents of Wargrave - chaperoned by Betty, the dog - deliver freshly prepared fish and chips to your saloon.  Marvellous!  Thankyou, Gary and Joan.  xxoo

 This may well be - Vinces' pad.

Snippet 3

Ric & Eileen:-  

We met Ric & Eileen about a year ago when we were helping to deliver  "April Love" to Braunston marina.  They wanted to buy a narrowboat with the view of becoming liveaboards.  They now own "Our Serendipity" and moor at Boulter's Lock.  We paid them an impromptu visit on our way past and it was lovely to catch up with them and find out what they have been up to.  Not only have they got a lovely boat but their mooring spot is lovely too.  They have lots going on in their lives and we wish them well.

 Snippet 4

 For a short while today, some 'wet stuff' fell from the sky today!  How dare it!!!  

           We are now just outside of Windsor, 'rapidly' approaching Staines, where we intend to stay
           for a week as we have things to do and people to see!

Whatever Floats Your Boat

For Megan .......... it's nightclubs.

For Rodney ............ it's sticky buns.

For Derek ............ it's old antiquities.

For Glyn & Don ............ it's tea shops.

For Gill .............. it's chocolate.

For Anne & John  .............. it's cream teas.

For Mick & Lynn it's barbecues.

For me ........................... it's birds!!  And, at the moment, I am in paradise!

AN UNADULTERATED MOMENT OF INDULGENCE FOR WHICH I MAKE NO APOLOGIES!!

Tightrope walking coot.

Red Kite

Nesting swan

Mandarin Ducks

Cheeky Duck

Egyptian Geese

Mute Swan - We have take off

Great Crested Grebes - Love is in the air.

Black Swan ..... with  hitch-hiking babies!

Isn't nature just fantastic?  

xxoo

The Domain of the Rich

We are now moored up just below Goring Bridge.  We have passed some amazingly opulent abodes!

We couldn't even afford the boathouse!  Liberal Democrats - their manifesto - creating a more equal Britain?

I might just vote for them this year!!

Anyway, we are now at Goring.
Ken, Sandra, don't miss this place out!  Lots of good moorings to be had below the bridge and if nothing else, you must have a walk up into the village.  The 'perfect' Thameside village, I think, with a really good selection of shops.  Excellent butchers in The Arcade - sells meat, veg and fish.  W.H.Napper - 'old fashioned' grocers.
If I was going to choose somewhere to live by the Thames I think this could be it ................. lottery win necessary though!  The original builders have used lots of flint mixed with brick and it is really attractive.



This afternoon we went for a challenging walk!  We crossed over the bridge to Streatley (which is also lovely) and climbed up onto Landon Chase - a sort of a ridge which overlooks the Thames and is a bit of a smaller version of Cannock Chase.  It was a tough climb but the views were well worth it.



Goring is situated between the Chilterns and the Berkshire Downs - this is known as the Goring Gap.  Two long distance paths cross over Goring Bridge - the Thames Path and The Ridgeway.  The village obviously attracts long distance walkers and tea shops do very well.

                                                                                                               Goring Lock

An 'inconsequential' lane in Streatley.

How the 'other half' live!!!!!!!

It makes you want to sing?

When the weather is fine, there's no better time
For cruising along on the river.
If you take our advice, there's nothing as nice                            
As cruising along on the river.
There are big boats                                         
And small boats

And all sorts of craft.                                               
Narrow boats
And wide boats
And boats with big draft.
If you're not in a race, there's no finer place
Than cruising along on the river.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


If you manage to stop, you can shop till you drop
When cruising along on the river.
It is no surprise that you'll need fresh supplies              
When cruising along on the river.
The anchor, the tiller
The rudder, the plank
For polishing the paintwork you need a good bank
With the wind in your face, there's no better place
Than cruising along on the river.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Skippers and mates and rowing club eights
Out enjoying themselves on the river.

Wear shoes with good grip                                                      
If you don't want to slip
When cruising along on the river.
Daily walks for doggies to keep them in trim
The first thing they learn is the right way to swim.
If you have too much gin
You too could fall in
When cruising along on the river.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



Ducks, swans and geese that disturb total peace

When lounging around by the river.                                      

See brightly painted poles and shy water voles
When cruising along on the river.                                     
Fishermen snoozing and joggers who run
Cyclists and hikers all out having fun
Well, we must leave you right now
And cast off our bow
To go cruising along on the river.

Godstow to Abingdon

For me, boating doesn't get much better than it is at the moment - on the beautiful River Thames in lovely weather and very few other boats on the move.

The cruise from Godstow to Abingdon took us about three hours.  The waterfront at Oxford is both interesting and attractive and, if you want to stop, there's lots of free mooring on the towpath side overlooking a very nice park.                                          

                                 Passing Port Meadow on approaching Oxford.
                                 Some of the spires of Oxford can be seen in the
                                 distance.




Rowing clubs abound and so do rowers!

Approaching Oxford  

               These are all rowing clubs!




There's more to Abingdon than at first meets the eye.  There are interesting old buildings, a wide mix of shops, (both Maggie and Maisie thought the pet shop was heaven!  Maggie for the treats; Maisie for the toys!) a lovely town park and .......... well maintained,  free 5 day moorings for boaters!

Moored above the bridge at Abingdon.

Unlike Abingdon, not everywhere welcomes visiting boaters.   For example, the message from places like Henley and Windsor seems to be:-

"We don't need your custom, we are doing very nicely on our own, thank you very much.  However, if you must stop, the privilege will cost you dearly."

There are no free overnight moorings to be had in Henley and Windsor.

Good for you, Abingdon!  And thank you for providing us with nearly everything we wanted!

      

"Classic Waterway Walk"

So says an article in "Waterways World"!  "The Oxford Circular" - approximately 6 miles starting from Godstow.
So.................. we managed to moor (just about) opposite the ruins of the Abbey at Godstow and off we went.

Moored opposite the ruins of the Abbey - this is the first brood of goslings (Greylag geese) this year

 - so says the lock keeper and he should know!

We walked along The Thames Path as far as the low Osney Bridge, then through a bit of the city of Oxford before arriving at the terminus of the Oxford canal.  It was so much better than I was expecting!  All I 'knew' up to this moment was what I had read and what I had been told by other boaters and neither had tempted us to travel by boat into the centre of the city.  The terminus itself is actually really quite nice.  There is mooring for about two boats but nowhere to turn - you would need to reverse.  There is a stretch of residential mooring for about eight boats - electric, water, post boxes(!) and really nice surroundings.  To get onto The Thames from the canal you have to go through Isis Lock.  As you walk along the canal towards the junction with Duke's Cut there are sections where mooring is forbidden as they are dedicated conservations areas.  On the other side of the canal are, I think, terraced Victorian houses whose long, thin, well-maintained gardens are lovely.  There are places for visiting boats to moor albeit a bit of a walk into the city.  Next time we go down the South Oxford I think we will carry on and go down to Isis Lock.

Then we encountered 'Agenda 21' , Residential Mooring Sites.  There were, I think, four stretches of the canal where new mooring rings had been installed and there were lots of residential boats - some OK, some scruffy and some really scruffy.  I don't think I have a serious problem accepting this but I do have a problem accepting the unsightly 'tut' piled up along the tow path.  I know that there has been a problem with continual moorers along this stretch of canal but I don't know details - I must find out.

We walked into Wolverton and went to find the famous 'Trout Inn' - made famous because it regularly  featured in episodes of 'Inspector Morse'.  What a lovely old building in a fabulous location but ........... it was heaving with people! 

It's not surprising that this pub is so popular given it's character and it's lovely location over-looking the weir stream.  After a six mile walk we didn't have the energy to cope with these crowds so slunk back to the boat for our own gin and tonics.

                                                The Trout Inn at Wolvercote.  Business 

                                                                     is booming!     

Our friend, Les, could well have painted this pub sign.

The lovely warm sunshine this weekend has certainly encouraged babies to be born!

These little goslings have been  regularly foraging around right outside our boat.

The adult geese are really good parents.

Yesterday I saw my first brood of ducklings of the year and today we saw some little baby moorhens.

A brood of twelve.  Imagine that!

                                                            A ball of black cotton wool?

                                                            One of four - a baby moorhen.

Tomorrow it is our intention to reach Abingdon.