Sandford on Thames

It was really too hot to cruise yesterday and if we weren't meeting up with friends in Oxford tomorrow we would have stayed in Abingdon. As it was, we only went as far as Sandford on Thames and moored on the rough ground above the lock as the dedicated moorings were taken up by cruisers.

Sandford Lock is huge and we easily managed 4 narrowboats with extra capacity for at least another 3.

Perhaps this photo give a better scale. This is the Abingdon to Oxford passenger ship.

After mooring up we went for lunch in the Kings Arms pub beside the lock and I have to say that we were very impressed. After the lack of decent pubs in Abingdon, both the food and beer here were excellent. I had seabass and scallops with crayfish rissotto and Roger had red snapper and giant prawns with lemon and herb couscous and both were perfectly cooked and piping hot despite being served outside. They obviously have a good chef.

When we got back to the boat the cruisers had gone and the lockie had just mowed the grass, so we pulled the boat back onto the visitor moorings and Roger played guitar to ward off the natives. I've been trying to teach Chico to sing along but it was too hot for him. Why is it that even though they are too hot in the sun some dogs just refuse to sleep in the shade? I've tried putting a parasol up for him but he won't go under it, just lies there tongue lolling out and panting.....that's Chico by the way, not Roger.........

I pottered about doing a bit of gardening

My tomatoes are coming along nicely. They're a dwarf variety and I already have a few green tomatoes in amongst the leaves.

I'm also trying a dwarf variety of sweet-pea this year. These have been planted for almost a month now and are only just starting to take off. Sweetpeas are one of my favourite flowers so I hope they are successful.

Once it had cooled down a bit later in the afternoon, we took Chico for a walk around the village. There's not a lot there to be honest but it was nice looking at the houses and gardens and it was cooler under the trees.  When we set off there were four people "picnicing" on the grass. 2 black men and 2 white girls who were getting drunk and smoking weed. When we got back they'd gone but had left all their rubbish and glasses behind. I was going to pick up after them once we'd taken Chico back into the boat but someone else beat me to it as it had gone by the time I'd got a bin bag.

Back to Abingdon

The weather continues to be glorious and the sunscreen is going down fast. 

There are lots of amazing properties beside the river. This was derelict but still stunning. I think it must have been an hotel.

How about this for a room with a view?

It's at the bottom of someone's garden

 It's been busy on the river for past two days and we've been queueing at most of the locks.

This family of swans was waiting in Goring Lock for a lift down river

I'm not sure this house was to my taste but it was certainly huge and impressive

This is more my cup of tea

I didn't blog last night as we met up with friends at Wallingford and had a great night out. It was one of those chance meetings where everything just falls into place. When we arrived at Wallingford at lunch time there weren't any mooring spaces as the plastic fantastic brigade were badly spaced and saving places for their mates....again.....  We then spotted Kotuku which we built in in 2006 and which we knew was being crewed by friends of the owners. They kindly let us breast up with them just as the owners, who are friends of ours, arrived. So after a spot of retail therapy, we all adjourned to the Boat House pub for a few drinks and a good meal. I love meeting up with friends and spending a few hours catching up.

We set off fairly early this morning so that Catherine and Graham on Kotuku could carry on their trip towards the K & A. It's been a bit cooler and cloudier today but still warm enough for this cormorant to sun itself on the river bank.

When we got to Benson Lock there were 2 brand new huge Dutch Barges already on the lock lay-by so we had to hug the weir barrier although there isn't anything to tie off to.

There was no movement at the lock and we couldn't get off to go and see what was going on and when other boats started arriving they had to breast up and hang on. An hour and a half later we finally made it through the lock. The new Dutch Barges weren't too happy sharing the lock with other boats and we never really found out if the delay was due to an electrical problem or an operator error because the lock was on self-service operation.

 Yet another palatial residence

and the beautiful 6 arch brick bridge at Cliffden Hampden

The sun has certainly brought out lots of wild flowers and there are buttercups and daisies and poppies everywhere. I'd love to have some in the boat but it's not worth picking them as they die so quickly

We're now moored at Abingdon again in almost the same spot as last week, although this time our back end is nowhere near the bank. It's not a problem as we can easily get off the bow. 

We'd just sat down for dinner tonight - gosh that sounds posh, must be the "suverners" rubbing off on me - and a brass band started rehearsing on the opposite bank. They were quite good and made a nice change to Radio 2. 

Wallingford

The forecast storm never arrived although we did have a bit of drizzle yesterday morning, but by noon it was full sun and scorching hot. It was Abingdon's Fun In The Park Festival with children's sports and games in the afternoon and Music In The Park in the evening. The event was sold out so we couldn't go, but we were moored directly opposite the park and could hear the music from the boat. There were some good bands playing and the music went on till way past bedtime with an interval just as it was going dark for some spectacular fireworks.

It's been another fantastic hot and sunny day again today and we left Abingdon shortly after 10 o'clock.  The Thames locks are huge and we shared Culham Lock with another narrowboat and 2 cruisers and there was still room to spare.

This is one of the many boat houses on this stretch of river. This one has been filled in and is being used as a summer house at the bottom of someone's garden.....you should have seen the size of the main house!

Boat hire is a bit different round here

they're a bit different to Anglo Welsh and the prices are a bit different too. £650 - £4,000 for a week!!!!!

This is the weir at Benson Lock. The sky has been quite spectacular this afternoon but it looks like the weather is changing.

We're now moored at Wallingford. We would have liked to moor at the Boathouse Pub but a large hire boat was inconsiderately moored and taking up enough room for 2 narrowboats so we carried on through the bridge, avoiding swimmers in the middle of the river, and moored on the meadow. It's a bit tricky getting on and off the boat and Chico isn't too happy about having to be carried, but it's only for one night so we'll manage.

Onto The Thames

We spent a couple of nights at Shipton on Churwell, taking advantage of the fantastic weather while it lasts.

There are some beautiful houses tucked away up the back streets.  This was the back of a very large property, complete with it's own private lake.

The wisteria and honeysuckle smelt lovely

Everywhere we walked there were trees in blossom and wild flowers; buttercups, clover, cow parsley and wild angelica being the most common.

After walking through the village we decided to walk back up the river towards the oddly shaped Shipton Weir Lock.

Despite it being such a gloriously sunny day, there wasn't a soul about and we had the river bank to ourselves. It really is pretty round here.

On Monday we decided we'd spent enough time at Shipton so, after chatting to Maafi while filling up with water at an exceptionally slow tap at the service block, we continued our journey and left the Oxford Canal and went onto the River Thames at Duke's Lock.

Duke's Lock is a disgrace. It's overgrown and not a good welcome to the Thames.

As soon as you come out of the lock there is a stretch of really scruffy boats which are obviously continuous moorers judging by the amount of outdoor furniture they have lying around. There was also a strong smell of cannabis smoke wafting around.

We soon left them behind and moored up for the night beside a meadow filled with buttercups.

It was a lovely peaceful spot and I spent ages at the side hatch watching a flock of black headed gulls swooping over the surface of the water catching insects.There was also a cormorant fishing but he didn't seem to be having much luck.

We were just about to sit down for our dinner at 8pm when this woman swam past.

She floated about while we had a quick chat (very posh accent) and she told us she swims here regularly and that the water wasn't as cold as you'd expect, although when Roger stuck his hand in after she'd gone he decided it was way too cold for anyone normal.

The weather changed today and it's been quite overcast and windy, although it's still warm enough for shorts and T-shirt.  We bought our River Thames license at Eynsham Lock and moored up just above Pinkhill Lock. Once again we're beside a meadow and after lunch we took Chico for a long walk along the Farmoor Conservation walkway and to the village shop at Farmoor.

Being on the Thames is like being on holiday. Not only is it really peaceful but all the locks are manned, so unless we want to travel through one between 1 and 2pm or after 6pm the lock-keeper will do all the work.