Sunday, 27 April 2025

Basingstoke Calling Spring 2025 Week 8

Monday 21st April - Cookham to Marlow

Today we are going to Marlow where we hope to get a mooring and stay for a special meal on Tuesday.


The river was like a millpond, little or no wind and therefore a gentle cruise through to Marlow.

Once we arrived there were only a couple of boats moored so we had a choice as to where to moor.  We were very surprised!

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We went for a walk in the afternoon and found this statue of Steve Redgrave celebrating his Olympic gold medals.  He is the most titled rower in history. Born in Marlow, he was the first British athlete to have won five Olympic gold medals.


Our mooring in Marlow, although it is Easter Monday it is still relatively quiet with plenty of spaces to moor.


3.25 miles, 1 lock, 1hr 54mins






Tuesday 22nd April - Marlow


We had a quiet morning on the boat with Toby having lots of walks and playing on the field as he is going to be left on the boat whilst we go out for dinner later today.

I spotted a fuel boat on the other side of the river and Dave hailed him over for diesel.  An excellent service and good price for the diesel.


Dave was intrigued by the white box moored outside this property, we decided it was floating but probably didn't actually go anywhere.


In the afternoon we left Toby on the boat and walked to The Hand and Flowers to have my birthday dinner.  We had a drink before going to our table, all very swish and pleasant.  The food was delicious and we had a really good time.




Standing outside the pub under the sign, a super end to my birthday celebrations.






Wednesday 23rd April - Marlow


We had planned on moving on today, but it was wet and quite windy, so we decided to stay one more day and have another wander around Marlow.  We walked down to the church and took the photo of Marlow bridge and The Compleat Angler on the opposite bank.  The suspension bridge was designed by William Tierney Clark and built between 1829 and 1832


The inside of the church was really quite huge and flooded with lots of natural light.  There are wide open arches down both sides of the aisle which allow the light to flood the church.


The present Church of All Saints is a Victorian creation, built after the spire of the old church collapsed in 1831. The old building was demolished, and a new church constructed of Bath stone, topped by a graceful spire soaring 170ft above the town. The combination of spire and bridge form one of the most unforgettable Thames sights.



Thursday 24th April - Marlow to Henley, Mill Meadows



The weather today is going to be much nicer so we set off and left Marlow behind.  This is Bisham Church just outside Marlow and just before Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, a UK Sport Accredited Elite Training Centre providing world-class sporting facilities for individuals, the local community and some of the country’s leading sportsmen and women.




Leaving Temple Lock, the central arch of the bridge was blocked off so we had to go to the right or left.  The footbridge is closed due to safety concerns and it looks as though the issue is the centre of the bridge.



We stopped at Hurley Lock to fill up with water.  Just before the lock is Freebodys a famous Thames Boatyard.  The Freebody family have been trading on the Thames for over 300 years, and from the present site at Hurley as boatbuilders and restorers since the 1930s.


We continued towards Henley passing Temple Island. Temple Island is an elegant ornamental folly designed by the 18th century English architect James Wyatt commissioned by the Freeman Family and constructed in 1771. It was designed as a fishing lodge for Fawley Court , a nearby historic house also owned by the Freeman family.  It is now available for private hire.


Further along Henley Reach is Phyllis Court.  Granny, Dave’s Mum, used to visit here frequently for lunch with her friends.  Established in 1906, this beautiful private member club is situated in a grand riverside manor, nestled in 18 acres of manicured lawns and enjoys views of the River Thames and the Chilterns countryside beyond.



We continued under Henley Bridge and found a mooring on Mill Meadows, very quiet and peaceful.

8.25 miles, 3 locks, 3hrs 36mins

Friday 25th April - Henley


A quiet day in Henley.  We found The Willow Basket, a zero waste shop were we could refill our bottles for washing up liquid and toilet cleaner.  A fascinating story, Jane lives on a wide beam boat In Medmenham when the shop is open and lives in Weymouth when the shop is closed.  She also sells organic ice cream which sells really well during the summer season.  So worth looking up if you are ever down this way!





St Mary’s Church stands down by the river and there has been a place of worship here for over 1000 years.  The church has an outstanding choral and liturgical tradition.




Looking up Henley High Street, with lots of festive bunting, very pretty indeed.  We stopped for a spot of lunch at The Angel on the Bridge and then walked back along the river towards Marsh Lock.



We passed Thames Court on the opposite bank, Dave has stayed there when he played for the Berkshire Youth Orchestra preparing for the St Cecilia Concert when he was still at school.


On the way to the lock we saw a cormorant sitting at the edge of the river with its wings open. It must have been diving and was now sitting drying out the feathers.











Saturday 26th April - Henley to Sonning



Time to move on, today we are aiming for Sonning on Thames.  A village with lots of memories.  The lock keeper at Marsh lock was very jolly and provided a motivational saying for the day.  The approach to the lock was quite rocky as the weir is very close, he told me the weir was producing 20kwh of power today, but three weeks ago it was producing 300kwh.  I don’t think I would have enjoyed that at all!




This is Henley Sailing Club where Dave, his brother and his Dad all used to go sailing.  Dave doesn’t have any good memories of this as he didn't enjoy sailing with them!




The Commodore of the Sailing Club used to live in this house next door to the club, I wonder if it comes with the job of Commodore?


We found a mooring above Sonning Lock, a new stretch of mooring with posts at suitable intervals and a paved area.  The lock was self service and we were the only ones in it again.  

We walked through the churchyard to The Bull and had lunch in the garden.  We expected it to be busy but there was no problem getting a table and we had a very pleasant meal.



Sonning Church where Dave and I got married, Dave’s sister was married here, Laura was christened here, and both Dave’s parents had their funerals here.  It really is a pretty church and we had wedding photos in the grounds even though it was February and bitterly cold!




Both Dave’s parents sang in the choir here and as a boy, Dave was the cross bearer and sat in the pews on the left hand side of the aisle.  As I said lots of memories!


6.5 miles, 3 locks, 2hrs 30mins







Sunday 27th April - Sonning to Pangbourne Meadow



This morning we woke to perfect blue skies and a very still river reflecting the line of trees opposite.  Not a ripple to be seen!

So we decided to cruise and enjoy the stunning weather.


Heading towards Reading we went along Dreadnought Reach.  When we lived in Basingstoke, our girls were all in the Sea Cadets and we used to make an annual visit to this part of the river for the Canoeing and Pulling (Rowing) Competitions.  Happy days!



The entrance to the Kennet and Avon Canal, still on our bucket list to get to Bristol but not this time!

Here we are approaching Reading Bridge, it was opened in 1923 and was quite an unusual design.  The new bridge would be an elegant modern structure with graceful lines, it would be made of concrete, reinforced by steel bars, it would be 600 feet long with a span over the river of 180 feet and the largest structure in ferroconcrete in the UK and the longest single span.


Moored on the other side of the bridge was Whittington’s Tea Barge.  Whittington's Tea Barge, which is owned by the Chi family, recently reopened after a tree fell on the boat during a storm last December. It certainly looked to be doing a good trade and we got a cheery wave from the owners.

We found a mooring on Pangbourne Meadow and went for a stroll into the town and to look for The Swan pub.  We also found the River Pang as it flows into the Thames beside the weir.

The Swan pub gets a mention in Jerome K Jerome's classic 'Three Men in a Boat' - it was here that they abandoned their boat in the last chapter before getting a train to London for a good meal.

9 miles, 2 locks, 3hrs 6mins





Monday, 21 April 2025

Basingstoke Calling Spring 2025 - Week 7

 Monday 14th April - Shepperton Village Moorings

We spent the morning having breakfast with Bea, playing cards and Bea playing on the tree swings.  Lizzie and Lizzie joined us on the boat and we walked down to Shepperton Lock to have lunch at the Thames Court.


On the walk down we passed this pretty church, St Nicholas Church of Shepperton.  There has been a church on this site since the 7th Century and the church has links with the novelist George Eliot and the hymn writer John Mason Neale.


Lizzie, Lizzie, Bea, myself and Toby after our lunch and before we walked back to the boat.  

I spotted a dog grooming parlour in the Courtyard just  opposite Shepperton Lock and a stroke of luck, she could groom Toby once she had finished the dog she as working on!



Toby beautifully cut and smelling gorgeous, he will be fine now until we get back to Worcester at the end of May.  I am really pleased about that!






Tuesday 15th April - Shepperton Village Moorings to Egham Towpath Moorings


A rather cloudy and overcast day but dry so we decided to move on to Runnymede.  Soon after leaving our mooring we passed this impressive building, Shepperton Manor House.


Here we are approaching Shepperton Lock and the river divides off to the left along the River Wey and then onto the Basingstoke Canal.  Unfortunately the Basingstoke Canal is still closed due to lock repairs and then re watering which will take until at least the end of April so we have abandoned that plan and are continuing along the River Thames.



Today we shared all the locks with a wide beam from Shepperton Marina.  ‘Berty’ is on its way to Windsor, so we shall leave it at Runnymede.  All the locks were self-service so it was nice to have someone else to help operate the locks.


Coming through Staines the river frontage was adorned with rather splendid river cruisers.  These are not unlike the ones we see when we are on holiday in Paxos, this one looks brand new!


The railway bridge in Staines is painted along the top with yellow sight lines to prevent swans flying into the solid grey girders according to Pearson’s Canal Guide.  I wonder how likely that is?

Finally passing under our last bridge and through the last lock and we moored up at Egham Towpath Moorings, just before Runnymede.

We were amazed at the number of aircraft taking off and landing at nearby Heathrow Airport and the noise level created.  River fronted properties sell in excess of 1.6 million pounds, but how do you live with that amount of noise?



8 miles, 4 locks, 4hrs 30mins

Wednesday 16th April - Egham Towpath Moorings


We have decided to stay on our mooring as the wind is in excess of 20mph and we don’t like cruising in windy conditions.  So once a sharp shower had passed the sun came out and there were brilliant blue skies and we took a walk along the river to Runnymede.



We came across a timeline on the stone slabs in front of this tree.  Two parallel timelines are etched into the paving stones. One timeline follows the succession of kings and queens, while the other highlights key moments in the development of British democracy.  


Across the river are the ruins of the Benedictine nunnery of Ankerwycke Priory.  It was founded by Gilbert de Montfichet in around 1160 and was dissolved in 1536. The surviving standing remains and associated earthworks occupy the north bank of a loop of the River Thames.

In the distance on Cooper’s Hill is the Air Force Memorial. The Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede commemorates by name over 20,000 men and women of the air forces, who were lost in the Second World War during operations from bases in the United Kingdom and North and Western Europe, and who have no known graves. The memorial was designed by Sir Edward Maufe with sculpture by Vernon Hill. The engraved glass and painted ceilings were designed by John Hutton and the poem engraved on the gallery window was written by Paul H Scott.

After lunch at the cafe we found three willow women entitled The Last Survivors of an Ancient Race. The artist Sarah Holmes drew on ideas of freedom and people whose livelihoods are connected to the land and wove them from willow. Inside them are messages which have been contributed by law officials and young offenders.

 

The Jurors is a permanent artwork designed for this ancient landscape to mark 800 years since the sealing of Magna Carta in this place. It is formed of 12 bronze chairs,  decorated with 24 panels of images and symbols relating to past and ongoing struggles for freedom, rule of law and equal rights. The Jurors is not a memorial, but rather an artwork which requires people to complete it.

Set in a symbolic acre of land donated to the United States of America by Queen Elizabeth II in 1965, this seven tonne block of Portland stone commemorates the life of President John F Kennedy following his tragic assassination.
Designed by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, it is maintained by the Kennedy Memorial Trust. Runnymede was felt to be the appropriate place due to the signing of the Magna Carta and its links to the American constitution.


Writ in Water is a large-scale architectural installation designed by artist Mark Wallinger, commissioned by the National Trust in association with arts producers Situations, which celebrates the enduring significance of Magna Carta. 

Set in the heart of this ancient landscape, Writ in Water reflects upon the founding principles of democracy and through a meeting of water, sky and light, offers a space for reflection and contemplation.


Thursday 17th April - Egham Towpath Moorings to Windsor Castle Moorings



After a very windy day yesterday we woke to a much calmer river and steam rising as the sun shone on the water.  Quite an eerie spectacle really.  

We decided to move on and aim for Windsor and hope we get a mooring.



We were chugging peacefully along until these two boats came tearing towards us.  They had come under the bridge and were obviously racing each other, it caused a vast amount of wash!
We were planning on putting on water at the lock but there was a boat moored on the water point, been there overnight according to the lockkeeper so we pressed on.
We eventually found a marina which was closed with an accessible water tap so we stopped there and filled up!


This lock keeper was very helpful, the lock was a side fill and he ensured we were moored in the best place in the lock so we didn’t get pushed around by the water too much.  It was also the first time someone had helped with the ropes. 


We found a mooring on the Island and had a wander through the town and across the bridge to Eton.

It was very busy with loads of small hire boats buzzing up and down the river and the French Brothers trip boats flying past every 10 minutes.  Too much for us and we decided to move on again tomorrow.



7 miles, 2 locks, 2hrs 42mins





Friday 18th April - Windsor to Maidenhead


It is hard to tell from this photo, but this is the first black swan we have seen this year, all by its self swimming down river.  This popular ornamental species, introduced from Australia, is occasionally encountered in the wild, mostly as single individuals but sometimes in small groups. The species favours rivers and freshwater lakes.  


We left Windsor before the boats starting moving again and headed towards Maidenhead.  In the break in the trees is Windor Racecourse, which is renowned for its distinctive figure-of-eight track, making it one of only two such tracks in the UK. This unique layout adds an element of excitement and challenge to the races, with different sections of the course demanding varied strategies from both horses and jockeys. 


Heading towards Bray we passed Bray Film Studios.  With an 18th century former English country house at its heart, the studios have provided creative space for some of the greatest talent in film and music. Ridley Scott built and shot the miniatures for his Academy Award winning sci-fi thriller, Alien, at the studios in 1978 and a few years before, the cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, was brought to life here.  


We shared a lock with this boat which is from Southampton.  They did a 22 hour stint from Southampton, around the coast and in at the Thames Estuary.  That sounds quite a trip!


On the riverside in Bray is The Hinds Head with The Fat Duck behind in the High Street, both are owned by Heston Blumenthal.

Coming into Maidenhead we pass under the railway bridge and then the main Maidenhead Bridge.  Brunel’s railway bridge is the flattest and widest brick arch in the world and the gracious lines of Maidenhead Bridge date back to 1772, trains and horse drawn stage coaches in close proximity!



We went for a wander around Maidenhead, a trip down memory lane for Dave, he was Headmaster of Desborough Boys School in Maidenhead for nine years and also went there as a boy himself when it was Maidenhead Grammar School for Boys.
Here he is standing on the bridge over Boulter’s Lock.  

5.5 miles, 2 locks, 2hrs 42mins






Saturday 19th April - Maidenhead to Cookham

Today we made an early start from our mooring to go through Boulter’s Lock and get to Cookham and secure a mooring for my birthday. When we got to the lock we were closely followed by 5 professional rowing boats going up to Cliveden Reach for training purposes and we were asked if they could go ahead of us.  We agreed and by the time the lock was ready for us we were joined by 3 other cruisers.



We left the lock first closely followed by the cruisers in a convoy, leaving the last one to close the lock up behind them.


We were very quickly overtaken by all three boats as we trundled along to Cookham!


In the distance on the hill is Cliveden, now a hotel.  Waldorf Astor married Nancy Langhorne in 1906 and received Cliveden as a wedding gift. Cliveden entered a new, glittering era as the venue for many parties and one of the centres of European political and literary life.
In the 1930s the house parties were seen as having a more serious agenda and the group became known as the ‘Cliveden Set’. Following the ‘Profumo Affair’ the Astor family left Cliveden. Waldorf Astor had given Cliveden to the National Trust in 1942 and in 1966 the Trust took over the management of the estate, opening it to the public.


We found a lovely mooring in Cookham and moored up for the day.  We went for a walk into Cookham and Dave bought me some flowers for my birthday tomorrow.


We stopped at the Tea Pot Tea Rooms and had a cream tea, delicious scones, clotted cream and homemade jam, very good indeed!
This house has a blue plaque on the wall saying that it is the birth place of Stanley Spencer.  An English painter, one of the most original figures in 20th-century British art. He lived for most of his life in his native village of Cookham, which played a large part in the imagery of his paintings. He said he wanted ‘to take the inmost of one's wishes, the most varied religious feelings…and to make it an ordinary fact of the street’, and he is best known for pictures in which he set biblical events in his own village; his visionary attitude has been compared to that of William Blake.


Stanley Spencer died in 1959 and during his lifetime he was awarded the CBE and knighted, and had been elected to the Royal Academy. Hilda remained the love of his life, and he continued to write to her even after her death. He was a most sociable character who has often been called eccentric and Patricia in her diaries even called him ‘mad’. As a character he was certainly different and unusual. The small man with twinkling eyes and shaggy grey hair (often wearing his pyjamas under his suit if it was cold) became a familiar sight wandering the lanes of Cookham pushing the old pram in which he carried his canvas and easel. He was also undoubtedly one of our greatest British artists.  This is his gravestone in Cookham Churchyard.

3.25 miles, 2 locks, 2hrs 18mins

Sunday 20th April - Cookham

Happy Easter everyone!  Today is my birthday so we are staying here in Cookham for the day.


We went for a walk along the river and Toby had great fun running in and out of the river and generally having a splashing time!



We stopped at The Bounty for some lunch and then continued across Cock Marsh and back into Cookham across Cookham Moor.




Later in the afternoon we saw this car being driven down the river, it did look a bit odd!


A lovely glass heart in the colours of the boat, a gift from Dave and it is hanging in the window beside the table, very pretty!






Basingstoke Calling - Spring 2025 - Week 11

  Monday 12th May - Banbury We are beginning this week with a day in Banbury and a wander around the shopping area. We called into this pub ...