Floatingabode

I finally got our webcam working during the last couple of days of the journey. I have now strung the images together into a couple of videos. The camera took a picture every 30 seconds - you will see them played back at 5 frames per second (150 times faster!). Here they are:

Oxford to Wallingford (30.9mb)

Wallingford to Reading (45.5mb)

The camera also worked for a few hours at the start of the journey. At that point, the camera took a picture every minute, so these videos have a lower frame rate:

Cambridge to Bottisham Lock (4.8mb)

Passing Peterborough (6.4mb)

Enjoy!

Robin

We’ve been here three weeks now. We have yet to be woken by rowers, yet to spend our time moving the boat to a water or sewage point, yet to have to go by car to do our recycling, yet to have to adjust the ropes as the river rises, yet to be cast off in the middle of the night.. it’s extremely expensive but it has its perks! Here’s a picture of some of our avian neighbours, followed by pictures of a surprisingly large number of other airborne visitors we had over the weekend….

Hi everyone,

I’ve set up our blog for photos now and uploaded all of the pictures I have from the trip. There are more to come from guests - I will add these as they arrive.

I have added the gallery of pictures for a given day to the blog entry for that day. Or you can browse through the galleries below.

Enjoy!

Robin

[album=Cruise08,compact]

5 hours – 17 miles – 5 locks
Weather: sunny

We wandered into Wallingford this morning for some supplies. It’s an attractive, old town with a market and we stocked up on fresh veg. Being only a day away from Reading, we can see ourselves coming here for weekend trips.

We soon set off on the final leg of our adventure. Reading here we come!

Cruising along The Thames is always interesting. The countryside is beautiful and always changing. Here the river narrows with trees on both sides; there the river widens with fields and rolling hills. Although not clean and sparkling, the river is a lot clearer than the canals – Robin noted that swimming ducks have legs on the rivers, whereas they’re just sacks of floating feathers on the canals.

As we approached the first lock of the day just north of Goring, we realised that it was fast-approaching lockkeeper’s lunchtime, which meant the locks would be unmanned. After a bit of a crash landing into the landing stage (due to the fast current trying to pull us over the weir) we made it through the first lock just before the lockkeeper disappeared. But we had to manage the next lock by ourselves – luckily it was electric, and Robin just had to press the right buttons.

The Thames is littered with so many huge houses with vast, neatly-mown lawns that stretch down to the river bank. We wondered how much a house like that would cost. And then wondered, who lives in a house like this? We passed a small island for sale – Acre Island – with moorings, apparently. We considered buying it, but I didn’t think I had enough cash in my purse…

The approach to the next lock was made difficult by the weir stream pulling us over again, but also by the plastic boat that had stopped on the landing stage without leaving us any room (and without moving down to let us on). In the end we just had to try and fight the current to stay in the middle without bumping the boat on the landing stage, or the boats coming out of the lock.

We went into the lock with three plastic-fantastics – the last of which was the biggest, turned up just in time and only just fitted. They all overtook us shortly after leaving the lock, but we were determined that they wouldn’t get away and go through the next lock without us. Another narrow boat would wait; plastic-fantastics probably wouldn’t, especially as the boat that wouldn’t let us on the landing stage didn’t even say hello to us in the lock.

So we went full throttle towards the next lock. Needless to say they still pulled away. But as we turned the corner before the lock they were just heading in – so we joined them (much to their delight, I’m sure).

As we neared Reading, we passed a big campsite and lots of people and we realised we must be arriving at the start of the Reading festival. Sure enough, the further we went down, the more tents, people and parked cars we saw. There were high fences all around so we couldn’t see much of the stage or anything.

One more lock, at Caversham. Then we passed the mouth of the Kennet and Avon Canal. And then we reached our final destination – Thames & Kennet Marina!

We arrived just in time to book in and get our spot – N2, right at the back of the marina next to the exit to the car park. We’re quite pleased with our spot – we’ve only got other boats on one side of us (trees on the other); we’re as close as you can get to the car which is good for getting to school and for walking Guinness; we’ll get a lot of pedestrian traffic going past but that will keep Guinness entertained while he sits on the front step.

After arriving we put our feet up! It’s been a long journey and now we’ve reached our new home. The journey wouldn’t have been the same without all of you who came along – thank you for your help, your energy, your food, and your entertainment. We hope you had a good time.

We’re looking forward to discovering Reading and meeting new friends. But we’re also looking forward to seeing old friends, so let us know if you want to visit, or are passing our way! We hope to see you soon.

In the meantime, here’s some figures from the journey…

189 hours
389 miles
209 locks
5 tunnels
7 lift bridges
1 swing bridge
3 breakdowns
1 tow
48 guests, consisting of: 36 adults, 3 children, 1 toddler, 1 baby, 6 dogs, 1 puppy
1 swimmer

7 hours – 22 miles – 9 locks
Weather: sunny

Last night we caught up on some of our emails, and saw an email from Chris which had a file attached to it showing our webcam pics back-to-back to form a video. This is what Robin had hoped to do with the webcam, but since all the trouble we had early on, the camera has been sitting on a shelf gathering dust. But the video Chris made was great (thanks Chris!) and inspired Robin so much that he cycled out to Maplin to buy a new cable and then set the webcam up on the back hatch.

Our mooring spot in Oxford was right at the end of the canal, by Isis Lock. As we went through the last narrow (& unmanned) lock of the journey, we said goodbye to the canals (for now). After the lock, a short channel (Sheepwash Channel) takes you under the railway bridge and then joins the main flow of the River Thames. The channel itself is fairly calm – although quite noisy as there were some workmen putting some piling in by the riverside. There’s an interesting old railway swing bridge on the channel. The trees growing between the rails suggest that some time has passed since it was last used.

And then we joined The Thames. It felt like we’d been sucked out from a quiet country lane and spat out onto a high-speed motorway. The river was easily five times as wide as the canal, and the current made us fly along at a fairly frightening speed. We barely had the motor on, and yet we were still whizzing along. All of a sudden, negotiating bends, weirs, trees and other boats became much more tricky. Hold on to your hats (and the webcam) – Uisce’s coming through!

We’ve now entered Environment Agency territory, so we picked up our new licence at the first lock. The locks are much bigger, electric and (most importantly) manned most of the time. So our lock handles have been safely stored away somewhere and all we have to do is hold onto the ropes as someone else presses the right buttons. All very civilised.

We sailed past the Oxford University rowing clubs – luckily all the student rowers are on holiday so there was no-one for us to bash into. After the first lock, the river seemed to settle down a little – well, either the current got slower, or we got used to this new, fast-moving pace of life.

The countryside running along the river is beautiful – green, leafy, trees and hills. As the river passes through towns and villages, it runs by huge houses with even bigger lawns. In one of the locks we met someone who lives at the marina we’re heading to in Reading. His reports were very positive, so all bodes well.

Yet again, time went by without us noticing, and before long it had passed 7pm – bedtime for lockkeepers. So the final lock of the day (Benson Lock) was unmanned and manual and hard work. These locks must be twice the size of those on the Great Ouse or River Nene. We made it to Wallingford, and turned round in order to moor up facing upstream. It feels a little unusual being able to turn around wherever it takes your fancy, rather than having to trudge on to the next winding hole on the canals. The first spot we picked for mooring (just south of the bridge) was too shallow, so we went back through the bridge and chose a spot hidden by the trees.

We had a yummy Italian meal in town to celebrate my birthday. What better way to spend a birthday than cruising down The Thames! This morning Robin gave me a very clever and cunning card that took the form of a homemade cryptic crossword, with clues all about the trip.

Some of these clues might jog a few memories for some of you…

Smashing time lass…… [Margaret]
Special K meal…… [Seven bowls of chips]
Paddles weren’t enough for him…… [Callum]

And my personal favourite (even though it took me ages to get it):

A stout fellow?…… [Guinness]

Still working on some clues though… any ideas?

Ben or bean? (5, 4)
War orders near Peterborough (3, 6)
A light and airy atmosphere (6)

0 hours – 0 miles – 0 locks – 1 fish and chip shop
Weather: cloudy

Having not achieved everything we’d hoped to yesterday, and being completely exhausted, we decided to set easy goals and spend another day in Oxford.

We found a field for Guinness – possibly the first proper field where he could play proper ball games since Cambridge. Guinness was a happy chappy.

Robin fitted the newly-mended motor. I went shopping.

Later we had good fish and chips from Posh Fish. Robin claimed that the excessive quantity of chips (double the amount we could eat) was due to a misunderstanding about a special offer, but I’m not so sure. The shop is a 5 minute walk from the moorings by the Jericho boatyard. There were also a good selection of bars, restaurants and take-aways.

Walking back along the towpath we saw a sunken boat – a small plastic boat. Neither of us had noticed it in the morning when we walked past, so it might have happened today. A bit of a sorry sight.

2 hours – 3 miles – 2 locks – 2 lift bridges
Weather: cloudy, showers

This morning it looked like there were three sleeping-bag-shaped sausages in the bed at the back. Then it was feeding time at the zoo.

We finally got underway and cruised the last few miles into Oxford, our next stopping point. We needed to pick up the repaired motor, fix it, check it and send the loan motor back.

Just two locks and two lift bridges. Even Callum and Ilana were heavy enough to lift the bridge.

We arrived at Oxford at a good time of day for finding a spot to moor – most people had set off already, and not many had arrived yet. We moored up near the centre of the city, opposite what used to be Castlemill Boatyard in the Jericho area of Oxford. The boatyard is no longer and it’s a sad sight, all boarded up. British Waterways decided to evict the boatyard and sell the land to developers who are planning to build flats – all totally against the wishes of the local community. There are “Save Our Boatyard” posters up all over the place and the community launched a huge campaign. Philip Pullman set some of his stories in Jericho and has also fought hard to save the boatyard. The planning application was rejected but the developer appealed. The final decision is currently in the hands of Oxford City Councillors. If their wish is granted, it will turn another historic part of Oxford (and the canal system in general) into another modern, soulless place.

I went into town for lunch with The Days while Robin removed the loan motor and picked up the old, repaired one. Then the Day tribe caught a train back to their car, and we were left in peace and quiet.

We spent the rest of the day feeling exhausted but sad that our final guests had gone. We packed up the loan motor and took it to the post office. We did a spot of shopping (for my birthday present ) and then collapsed for the evening.

6 hours – 10 miles – 7 locks – 3 lift bridges
Weather: cloudy, showers

This morning, Anna and Mark caught an early train from Heyford so that they could make it back for half a day’s work. This left us with a spare few hours to fill up with water, and so on, before the onslaught of our final guests…

The Day Family: Lottie, Kieran and their three children, Jamie (15), Callum (12) and Ilana (10).

I did warn Robin – he said it would be fine.

As we waited for them to arrive, I reminisced on the days when I used to teach Callum…

I warned Robin again – he still said it would be fine.
Then they arrived.

They all bundled on, sleeping bags and all, and we set off. About two minutes into the journey, the three children had found their sea-legs and were at the back with Robin, inside with Lottie and me, at the front with Kieran, back with Robin, back at the front, inside, outside, walking along the side of the boat, peeking through the side-hatches… In short, it was a little bit like driving through the monkey section in a safari park.

Luckily the first lock came along fairly swiftly, so we put them to work. Then it was lunch time, so everyone was sitting down for more than 5 seconds. Then it started raining, so we banned any walking along the side of the boat for fear they might slip and fall in.

Hmm, falling in. It was only the other day, when we were being towed, that I had a little wobble on the side of the boat and realised that no-one had fallen in yet on our journey.

The rain didn’t dampen spirits and everyone got to grips with the locks quickly. There were a couple of lift bridges to tackle which added to the adventure. Ilana and Callum took Guinness for a walk and he certainly enjoyed the attention – sticks and children to chase, almost as good as tennis balls!

We came across a ‘floating shop’ which everyone got excited about, so Robin did some reverse manoeuvring and we moored up alongside. There was no-one home to serve us cream teas, but the shop was still open – with an Honesty Box for payment. Unfortunately the ice-cream store had just one ice lolly left in it, but there were plenty of homemade jams and cakes, vegetables, wine and beer. Lottie bought an apple pie, lemon cheesecake and a bottle of wine for later, and some bread for toast in the morning.

Back on the move, Jamie had a go at steering. Once she’d got to grips with having to steer in the opposite direction to the one you want to go in, she got on quite well. She seemed to think that Uisce was alive, though, and kept talking to her. Honestly, I don’t know what they teach kids at school these days…

By now the rain had stopped, so we were back in the safari park. Robin had asked Kieran earlier in the day, if anyone was going to fall in, who was it most likely to be? Callum – and he didn’t fail to live up to his reputation. I missed all the action while I was walking with Guinness to the next lock. But Jamie soon filled me in.

No harm done, just a bruised ego. Apparently a swan “distracted” him. Maybe it was Evil Swan making a come-back after the incident in Peterborough. At least Lottie was able to relax now – it was at least 2 hours before he was clambering up and down the sides again…

We stopped for the night just outside Oxford. Dinner was a doddle because Jamie had cooked a yummy spaghetti bolognaise the day before and brought it along. That, along with an enormous bottle of champagne that Kieran had brought with him, plus the puddings from the floating shop, made for a very satisfying evening!

It was soon pyjama time. Then we taught Lottie, Kieran and Jamie how to play Zilch. Jamie really didn’t like this game, all the way through – until the very end, when she came from behind to win! Another novice winner? We’re obviously giving too much away when explaining the rules…

7 hours – 11 miles – 7 locks – 1 lift bridge
Weather: mixed

A leisurely start, punctuated by Robin having to fill the stern-gland with grease to stop Uisce filling up with water, and with Guinness trying to pierce his own eye with a bramble.

After leaving Banbury, the canal was back in the rolling countryside. Anna and Mark were both keen to do their share of the steering, which was great for us! They got the hang of it fairly quickly, and we soon had them steering into the locks (top marks!). It was a bit bizarre being with Robin on the bank watching Uisce going through a lock.

Nearly at our day’s destination, Mark was zooming round a bend. Looking at the map, I warned him that there was a bridge coming up so that he could slow down. We all stood there watching out for other boats and the bridge.

There’s the bridge.
It’s a bit low, isn’t it?
Aagh, it’s a lift bridge!
Slow down! – Stop!

And so we came across our second lift bridge. This time no handle to wind, just a chain to pull. They’re amazingly light which surprised me (I’m sure Robin would be able to explain the physics behind why they feel quite so light).

Safely moored up in Heyford, we were all picked up by Beth and Adam who live nearby and treated to a delicious home-cooked meal (thank you, Beth!). Guinness also had fun because Beth lives with three cats!

8 hours – 9 miles – 13 locks – 1 lift bridge
Weather: mixed

After eating so much dinner last night, Copper’s enormous tummy didn’t allow room for much else – so he needed to go out for a wee nearly all night. I wouldn’t have minded at all if he had just come back in quietly and gone back to sleep. I didn’t even mind too much when he played around with his toys for a while. I did mind when he leapt onto my head with cold, wet, muddy paws… I don’t think any lasting damage was done when he found himself flying off the bed. (Sorry, Copper…)

Needless to say it was a rather sleepless night. But we battled on, determined to get a little more shut-eye, even after Roland’s offer of tea at half five…

Roland and Elaine helped us with the first five locks of the day before they departed. Then we cruised on to Banbury. We stopped for lunch at another pub in Cropedy, The Red Lion – this one apparently has at least two ghosts (maybe more).

The rest of the journey was pleasant and fairly uneventful (for a change). We picked up our next guests, Anna and Mark, in Banbury. The canal runs right through the centre of town and we were soon confronted with our first lift bridge. Not sure what to expect, it turned out to be very easy – just wind the lock handle to lift the bridge up.

Dinner onboard, followed by a game of Zilch. Anna and Mark were both novices, but at the last moment Anna came from behind, risking all the way, and went through to win!