Forbury Loop Reading Thru 5 June 2014

Just as we were considering setting off the boat that was moored behind passed us heading for the lock so we decided to give it a short time and get ourselves organised before leaving. Looking out as we were getting ready to go he was still waiting for the lock and a rather smart launch had just come down and turned up the weir stream,  so we made a quick getaway to catch the lock as well. despite several blasts on the horn the lock gates closed as we approached. A few more blasts and they opened again, what I didn’t realise was that there were already 2 Narrowboats in the lock, but the locky told us to slide down the middle which we did with ease. Once the top gates opened we were first away giving Marlow weir a wide berth.

At the next lock a cruiser joined us and I felt uneasy as the first boat in Marlow lock was not allowed entry and had to wait, whereas I should have been the late comer. Mind you, he caught us up at Marsh lock and guess where he was in the lock, piggy in the middle and first out, so overall it all worked out.

I think some of the bridges on the Thames are quite elegant like this one at Temple.

We were still officially on “Strong Flow” but it has greatly improved since yesterday, for some reason lots say its increasing.

In the next reach there is a monument to Hudson Ewbanke Kearley who was the one who suggested food rationing. One of the things that has always intrigued me on this stretch of the river is Culham Court, not the big house on the hill, or the chap trying to push the lawn dower up the grass beside the steps running up from the landing stage to the house, but what looks like a door going into the hill side, could this have been an air raid shelter or an Ice House, even a tunnel leading up to the house, who knows?

We had just moored up at Henley for lunch, its free mooring between 10 am and 3 pm by the Rowing and River Museum when the Dunkirk Little Ship, L'Orage came by looking absolutely splendid.

3 pm and we were off, heading for Marsh Lock in company with one of the boats we had shared with at Marlow, once in the lock nb. Falcon came steaming up, again from first thing this morning and joined us. We all pulled over at Shiplake Lock to fill or empty tanks and we left Falcon there still emptying. Whilst we were waiting for water I wandered to the tent area to photograph this Thames Conservancy boundary marker.

We pushed on arriving at Kennet Mouth at just on 6 pm and as we had heard that there are good moorings on the Forbury Loop of the River Kennet and we had never been there we decided to try that, so once again it was through Blake’s lock and then hard right above the weir, I wouldn’t have wanted to have done this last time we came up here as even now there was a pull from the weir on the bow, found to the left passed the mooring fingers and a quick stop to take the exhaust, flags and weather station down to get under the low bridge. Past the island with the fisherman and under the road bridge to pull in on the left and moor for the night.

Today’s Map, although we are going up the Thames we have been travelling south most of the day.