Another brilliant day

The sun was blinding at 8am when we left our mooring at Cookham on Tuesday (3rd Oct) 

... and we're soon ploughing through that leaf soup at Cookham Lock where a hire boat caught up with us and shared the lock

A grand staircase that now leads nowhere really on Cliveden Reach

... and Cliveden House up the hill; a view that I will never tire of seeing

Our spot at the Cliveden NT visitor mooring (please note Sue and Carole)

Boulters Lock next at Maidenhead

This fine gentleman lives at Mill Head, Boulters Island which was once the home of the BBC's first war correspondent Richard Dimbleby.  Today he's dressed for Autumn and over the years he's been a  fireman and dressed for summer too.  Say hello next time you enter, or leave, Boulters Lock!

We'd let the hire boat leave Cookham Lock before us so they were in front of us in Boulters. I saw to the lock operation and thought that the top right hand gate would never close as it was sooo slow.

Sun shining through the lovely lock bridge

... passing riverside apartments in the sunshine

... towards Maidenhead Bridge

Sharp left ...

... and looking back

... into Bray Lock cutting

Leaving Bray Lock after it took an age for the top gates to open.  It was the right hand gate too coincidentally; it would only open half way, not enough to allow Still Rockin' through.  I closed and opened the gates about 6 or 7 times until at last it opened but did not quite sit into its housing in the lock wall.  Once George was in and the gates closed I rang the Environment Agency to report the fault, he in turn would contact Teddington Lock so that the fault could be inspected and hopefully fixed quickly.  At that time there were no other boats waiting to use the lock.

This is the busy M4 where the motorway traffic would have no idea that workmen were busy underneath.  In September last year this is what we saw on this same bridge.

Monkey Island is at last getting its makeover

... they're actually gutting some of it

The link above states that it will be open late 2017 but I don't think that will happen!

I'm sure they do welcome boaters willing to pay that price for fuel!

Bray Studios still looking very dilapidated 

Trying to outdo each other for statuary in neighbouring gardens

Oakley Court

I'm still not sure what this structure is for, when it was first erected it was October time and I wondered if it was for firework displays

One day we'll pull in here for a morning coffee or an afternoon cream tea - on the lawn of course - but after a nosey around inside!

Passing Bray Marina

... and Barge Lobelia (click for the Travelling Bailey's blog)

Anyone know if the tug Gloucester is an historic nb?  I can't find it on HNBC

No problem finding a mooring here at Dorney

... in the end we decided on this one as we're only staying the one night

... and has good wide views too

Humber Keel Daybreak built in 1934 is moored nearby 

It's got quite a history - click on the above links

A dramatic moon scape after 8pm rounded of yet another great day.