Home Counties Cruise: Day 15

As it was getting dark yesterday evening, we crossed the gang plank and had a walk up the path by the river.  We eventually reached one of the lodges, available through the Cliveden hotel for £2000 a night; cars with Cliveden personalised number plates were collecting the guests, who were in evening dress, presumably to take them up to the hotel for dinner.

There was another tremendous thunder storm and heavy rain at about 6.30 this morning.  Being under the trees meant the sound of raindrops on the roof continued long after the rain itself had stopped, as the trees dripped.  However, it's only the second time it has rained this trip, and both have been at night.

As it was the weekend, we had scrambled eggs and bacon, and then set off at 8.30.  Boulter's Lock was on self service when we arrived, but the lock keeper turned up while we were decending and opened the bottom gates for us.  We stopped on the moorings next to the road at Maidenhead, so Adrian could go to shop, while I started a wash load and got the leaves off the roof.  The moorings are not very user friendly, with only the occasional ring half way up the wall; otherwise, you have to tie up to the railings, so the path (used only by boaters) has numerous ropes across it at waist or shoulder height.

Bray Lock and Boveney Lock are at either end of Dorney Reach.  The control consols are gold, in honour of the Olympic medals won at Dorney Lake.

Below Boveney Lock we turned into the weir stream to go to the water point, and Adrian took the rubbish over the lock to the bins.  In typical Thames style, the water point has a large hose and a good strong flow.

Windsor was very busy, with private boats, trip boats, and rowers.  The views are much better in this direction, though, even though it was a dull and misty day.

Lots of boats had come down Boveney Lock with us and while we were filling the water tank, but one by one they all moored up.  By the next lock, Romney (which is bigger than the ones above) we were on our own; the lock keeper says all the boats from the three marinas above Boveney Lock only even go to Windsor on a Saturday, before returning to their marina on Sunday.

Our target for the day was Runnymede; three years ago we stopped here when we had our friends Brian and Mike with us, and we walked up to the Airforces Memorial and were quite moved by it.  Adrian didn't come with us though, and wanted to put right the omission.  We moored in one of the better spots further back from the road, and headed up the hill.  The memorial lists the names of twenty-thousand Commonwealth airmen with no known grave.  It's an impressive and moving place.

Unfortuantely it was still a misty murky day, so the views from the tower weren't nearly as good as last time.  We'll have to come back again!  One of the halls of residence for Royal Holloway is next door, and there were dozens of families delivering their teenagers for the start of term.

We then walked down to the Magna Carta Memorial, and then the JFK memorial, which is on an acre of land given to the United States.

We returned to the boat and bumped into the National Trust warden, who relieved us of £7 for an overnight mooring.  The river has been busy; the French's trip boat has been going up and down, and there have been all sorts of other boats of various shapes and sizes.

13 miles, 5 locks.  (189 miles, 121 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 12

There was heavy rain overnight, although we didn't hear it, and the morning was very misty and murky.

From Teddington Lock we made the short trip to the John Lewis moorings at Kingston, for shopping.  When we set off again, we played leapfrog with the New Southern Belle, which stopped at various jetties before overtaking us again.

We passed Hampton Court (with Epiphany on the moorings outside) and made for our first lock, Molesey Lock.  As we waited, a large barge arrived; we were glad when it was called into the lock in front of us.

By our next lock, at Sunbury, the weather had improved a lot.  We stopped for lunch on moorings at Walton on Thames.  At Shepperton Lock, which is very pretty, the lock keepers appeared to be touting for votes -- albeit discreetly.

As we approached Chertsey, we were on the flight path for Heathrow, and spotted an Airbus A380.

We stopped for the night on a National Trust mooring at Runnymede, and a man in a Land Rover came to collect the £6 fee.  At first sight, it wasn't a great mooring, with the A308 running alongside and planes leaving heathrow overhead.  But when the traffic, both road and air, quietened down later on, it was very peaceful.

Brian, Mike, and I, set off to see the Magna Carta Memorial and the John F Kennedy memorial which is in woods nearby.  The Magna Carta memorial was easy to find -- indeed, it's visible from the river.

Our hunt for the JFK memorial was unsuccessful, largely because we headed off in the wrong direction.  We climbed the hill, where there were great views across London, and took a footpath which went to the top of the hill to the Air Forces Memorial.  The top of the tower is visible from the river, but in fact there's a significant cloistered building which contains the names of 20,000 air force personnel from the Second World War who have no known grave.  It's immaculately kept, and is a very tranquil and moving place.

I went up to the roof of the tower, from where there were spectacular views of Heathrow Airport and, in the far distance, the skyline of London from the BT tower at one side to The Shard at the other.

18 miles, 6 locks.  (168 miles,  121 locks)