Sunday 28 May 2017

Turning around ...

 Promise of a lovely day at 6am Thursday 25th May
 ... the river is flat calm and the sun already burning away the mist
 7:40 and we're ready to leave Medmenham
 We've pulled away from the bank and winded (turned) in the wide water and a moment later pass the Abbey cruising downstream
 There's still a bit of mist hanging around the hill on which stands Danesfield House Hotel

 There are lots of babies this morning click on any of the photos to enlarge

20 minutes later we've reached our destination, well the first one anyway at Hurley Lock services
Rather nice cruiser for sale moored here
 Half an hour later George reverses us out of the lock cut

 A very old warning sign can be seen here.  The Thames Conservancy founded in 1857 was the body responsible for management of the River Thames until the tideway was transferred to the Port of London Authority in 1909 and the Conservancy to the Thames Water Authority in 1974.  After privatisation in 1990 management of the river passed to the National Rivers Authority and eventually to the EA (Environment Agency in 1996).


Once we'd passed the weirs we winded the boat once more and continued upstream

 Our Medmenham Meadow mooring ... we'll be back again before too long
 The Ovaltine boat was moored also moored on the meadow a little further upstream


 Looking back at Culham House
 Into Hambleden Lock cut
 ... where the cruiser following us will share the lock





a narrowboat just leaving the lock

 Passing Hambleden Marina George thinks he could just squeeze Still Rockin' down there but we know that there would be no space to moor up.
 It's always a good view over the weirs
 Waiting for the lock to be ready


The swan followed us in and went straight to the top gates and shot out as soon as they started to open.  The lock keeper said that the pen went up the lock with her brood a little while ago, they do this quite regularly apparently!
 A splash of colour in all the green
 Looking back down the mill stream

 The rowers are out this morning
George had to sound the horn to alert these rowers - why anyone would want to row backwards I don't know, I mean, you wouldn't drive a car backwards without mirrors would you!

We pulled over onto the moorings a few minutes afterwards mooring about two miles from Henley.

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