Lechlade

So far we've only found one of the mooring places listed in Nicholson's guide - but our copy is quite old so they've probably been discontinued.  That's not a problem though, as there are plenty of meadow-side moorings available and we prefer mooring away from the madding crowds anyway.

The bird life continues to be diverse and amazing. We've seen plenty of Swallows, Lapwings, Buzzards and a couple more Barn Owls hunting but the one bird that's noticeable by it's absence is the Kingfisher. We haven't seen any since we came onto the Thames.

The other morning we were awoken by this herd of cows grazing beside the boat. They were very curious about us and only moved off when the farmer came past in his van. Needless to say I had to be very careful where I trod when I took Chico out for a walk and although it was a lovely spot to moor we moved off early as the cow pats were attracting some horrid looking flies.

I couldn't quite decide if these swans were fighting or mating. The one in front was quite nonchalant while the one at the back was getting quite excited so I reckon they were having a bit of "afternoon delight" .

I've been surprised at the sheer diversity of craft on the river. We've seen rowing boats, many canoes and several of these punt type boats.

I have no idea how they manage to keep their balance but they were having a great time. Later on some teenagers come past punting on surf boards in the pouring rain!

Now this is more the type of craft I'd expect to see on the river. This Dutch Barge is just my type of boat. Maybe one day if we ever win the lottery this would be on my shopping list.

We're now moored at Lechlade and are planning on staying here for a few days. These are the first paid for moorings we've come across and the farmer was round at 8.45 this morning for his £4. I can't blame him for wanting to make some extra money from his land, but there aren't even any rubbish facilities or dog waste bins.

We had a quick walk into the village yesterday afternoon to see what's there but as it was Sunday most of the shops were closed. Some of the roads were closed too with diversions in place. This is because there's been a big music festival on over the weekend. We followed the "beer diversion" to the Riverside pub but didn't stop for a drink as they didn't have any real hand pumped beer, just Fosters and other gassy rubbish. There are plenty of other pubs in the village though, so we'll try again later today.