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