We're out and about on the river ... but beware!

 10 am yesterday we're ready to go ... we need to reverse out of Hambleden Marina onto the mainstream River Thames

It's a bit tight!

 ... but manageable.

 Mary and Brian on Dutch Barge Kyrenia saying cheerio, if they haven't sold their boat before hand we'll see them here again for winter.

 Marina owner Peter came to say cheerio but we'll see him and Karin somewhere on the Thames in August.  We thank both of them for their hospitality during our stay.

 Starting the turn into the big wide Thames

Brian (Kyrenia) Peter and Marc a director of the marina

 We can now feel the force of the Thames (still on Stream Decreasing boards)

Looking towards Hambleden Lock upstream

Passing the Flower Pot Hotel where we turn back on our short circular walks

... and we're free!

Culham Court

Strange boat moored at Medmenham

Medmenham Abbey

Passing Danesfield House where the trees are being taken down and we've not notices these chalk cliffs before

Very picturesque on the ...

... approach to Hurley Lock on self service today

We had a shock when we arrived at Temple Lock and this red board! Although it states self service there was a lockie on duty who started to set the lock for us so I approached him to ask if he was ok letting us through and he said 'no he wasn't, he thought that we should stay on the landing all night' and I assumed this was because of the red boards.  I explained that I'd checked the river status the previous evening and all the locks on the reaches to Teddington (our eventual destination) were on stream decreasing.  He agreed that there was not too much flow on the river here and said that he would speak to the keeper at Marlow Lock but in the meantime we could descend the lock and tie up on the other side until he could sort it out.  This conversation took place as I was walking back to Still Rockin' and he accompanied me and wasn't until then that he looked and saw the red board - he'd had no idea! Apparently there'd been standby keepers on the two previous days he thought that they had perhaps forgotten to change the sign.

We were even more surprised when we'd tied up and looked back to see that on this side of the lock is says stream decreasing!

At least we found out why this lock is called Temple Lock!  

The keeper came back to us after a few minutes to say that we could carry on, the Thames hereabouts was not on red boards.

Passing Bisham Abby

... and approaching Marlow with it's lovely church spire and bridge

... and it was soon after that we could see our mooring for the night.

I would dearly love to live in this house!

Wide open river views here at Bourne End a different kind on beauty from our mooring at Hambleden.

After tying up alongside wb No Problem XL and having a very welcome cup of tea we relaxed to a couple of hours before the four of us ventured out to the Spade Oak for our evening meal and it was very good indeed. 

A perfect end to a perfect first day's cruising.

Lovely to wake up to this this morning at 6:30 too!