Friday 11 September 2020

Rediscovery Cruise: Day 9

Today started off quite bright but soon clouded over, and a fresh breeze meant it felt quite chilly at times.  With a shorter distance to cover today, we didn’t set off until gone 9.  There were more sharp bends to negotiate.

Radcot Lock was on self service.  By Radcot Bridge there’s a glamping site with some very impressive teepees, which judging by the chimney must each have a stove.

The site also has smart looking shower blocks, there’s a motor home section, and a cafe.  The pub on the other side of the bridge has a wood fired pizza trailer outside.  Grafton Lock was also on self service, and as we went up three boats arrived at the top to come down.  They all seemed to be together, and two of them took on water at the water point while we ascended.  As we also wanted to stop for water, mostly to put the washing machine on again, I came out of the lock, lingered while two boats went into the lock, then reversed back to the water point.  The third boat was big enough that it needed to lock down on its own.  There are some very pretty houses further along at Eaton Hastings.

As we passed Eaton Footbridge, a cruiser was just preparing to set off from the club moorings there, and it caught us up by the time we got to Buscot Lock so we went up together.  They went ahead to prepare the next lock, while Adrian closed the gates and emptied the lock; we’d been wondering why there are signs saying the locks have to be left empty, and the lock keeper at the next lock explained that it’s to prevent the growth of algae on the steps and lock sides.  After Buscot lock there some of the most extreme bends on the river.  At one point, you find yourself facing the lock again.  By the time we got to St John’s Lock, the lock keeper was just opening the gates and waved us in.  Cruisers prefer to have steel boats like our in the lock when they come in, rather than have eighteen tonnes of metal boat coming up behind them.

Once up the lock, we moored on the field before Ha’penny or Lechlade Bridge and had lunch.  Last time we came up here we continued right along to the last navigable point at the Roundhouse at Inglesham.  Turning around is tight there, and the river is very low at the moment, so we decided to walk up there instead.  I think it was a good decision, as the water is very shallow.

I’d wanted to see if we could see the first lock on the Thames and Severn Canal, which is being restored by the Cotswold Canal Trust, but it seems to be on private land next to the Roundhouse.  We then walked into town and did some shopping at the very nice butcher’s, and the relatively well stocked Londis.  There are roadworks in town, creating a huge queue of traffic.  The bridge has a little toll house on one end.



9 miles, 4 locks.  (104 miles, 67 locks)

No comments: