A leisurely cruise to Lechlade where Kim will join us

We left Radcot late morning on Sunday moving to the end of the navigable Thames at Lechlade.  Prior to leaving we were 'treated' to this rather violent display of swan mating ...

                           The chat up ...                                                     the action ...

 followed by the gloating performance - who's the man!!  Nature can be so cruel, there was nothing romantic about that courtship

The school holidays have certainly begun with a vengeance; there's noticeably more boats around and along this stretch of the river a number of places alongside where people can camp and/or park their caravan, along with such paraphernalia as their dogs, boats, BBQ's and fishing gear.

 The school holidays have started - oh joy!

                 Hire boats moored by The Swan Hotel                         Ducks hitch a ride in the lock

 Lots of happy people around - England is a glorious place to be when the sun's shining

 Arriving at lunchtime again so the lock was self service - Sandra had to hold the boat alone

 The Trout Inn and weir at St John's Lock - scene of yesterday's the folk festival

 Just the place for relaxing in the sun or shade at St John's Lock

Everyone lends a hand - it's a large lock cottage here

 A kayaker takes advantage of the spare lock space      Advertisement for crayfish nets £10.00 

We arrived in Lechlade late in the afternoon, and after travelling as far as we were able to on this part of the Thames (it's another 23 miles to the actual 'source'), turned around and moored up alongside a field full of cows. 

 Swans, mallards, people and cows - a busy little riverside meadow!

 The only Environment Agency moorings in Lechlade - but nothing to tie up to!

 Happy days

The Canal Trust short trip boat turns around under the weeping willow tree

The Round House - the last navigable stretch and an abundance of watery activities to be found

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Such a graceful bridge and the Cotswolds' stone blends easily into the environment

 

 

 

It certainly has an air of relaxation, despite being quite busy with holidaymakers, and we had a long walk around the 'Market Town' to familiarise ourselves with the area and check out the bus stop to get me to Carterton and then Oxford on Monday morning.

 

 

 

Need any last minute Christmas decorations?

 

 

 

 

A new housing development built with Cotswold stone to harmonise with the rest of the village and surrounding area

 

 

 

 

 

The High Street of Lechlade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St Mary's Church beside the market square

 

 

 

We were most amused to return to Northern Pride to discover the tamest cows you've ever met almost aboard - they were licking the sides with relish, not sure why, maybe it was salty on the paintwork?

Northern Pride fourth in line - St John's Lock Cottage in the distance - note the cows randomly licking our boat!

 And still they slurp until we nudge them off - bizarre behaviour!

 

 

 

 Cow watching through the porthole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kayaking past the second world war German lookout - these line the river all along to Lechlade but were luckily never needed 

 

 

 

Returning to the boat in the light of the full moon

This looks as though it could be a type of Lily?

Lovely locks on the Thames

I did most of the driving on Saturday so Barry could get up to date with his photos, though he did emerge at each lock as we have to go in, bring the boat to a stop using the engine rather than the ropes, whilst at the same time attempting to get a rope around a bollard at the side of the boat fore and aft and then turn the engine off!  It's a bit of a feat to manage simultaneously, and I failed much of time!  Luckily the Lock-keepers are friendly and help out whenever they can - there's so many inexperienced hire-boaters, never mind experienced owners who can't manage it - they'd have to be patient or they'd go crazy every day. 

 

 Leaving Newbridge - The Maybush Inn on the right

The locks are all so well kept, with beautifully manicured gardens, so despite the frustrations of boats coming through the locks (!) it must be a sought after job.  Having spent a few years of my career specialising in recruitment and retention projects, I'd love to see their person specification and job description.  It's quite refreshing to have the locks done for you, apart from lunchtimes when they're on 'Self-Service' - but even then it's so easy to open the gates with the large wheels that they're a pleasure to operate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self Service at Shifford Lock - it's a doddle!

 

 

 Much of the Thames to Lechlade is very rural, here's some photos of the journey today ...

 

 

 

 

 Lots of kayakers on the river

 

 

 

 

 

These tall,straight trees are grown for Bryant and May - the match-makers!

 

 

 

 

 

 Most buildings and bridges are made from 'Cotswold Stone' - it's one of the features of the area

 

 

 Look at these gardens!  And even a frog watching over as you pass through

 A conglomeration of crafts - anything goes for messing about on the river!

 

Teeming with the Queen's birds - the male on the left was chasing the female swan until she finally found the strength to fly away and spurn his advances

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing but rare to see a swan in flight

 

 

 

    Not much room for anything else in the lock with this widebeam - less than  six weeks old so still very shiny

Wow!  Look at this for topiary! 

They watch over the lock after hours - lit up at night they'd be a sinister presence

We moored for the night at Radstock, and went for a drink at The Swan Hotel which was amazingly quiet for a Saturday night, but there was a Folk Festival on at The Trout Inn at St John's Bridge a few miles up the river so maybe that's where everyone was?

This time we discovered the oldest surviving bridge on the Thames, to the left of another bridge that was built more recently after the Thames split into two.  The triple-arched old bridge was the scene of a skirmish during the Civil War when Prince Rupert's Royalist Cavalry pounced on Oliver Cromwell's men and marched to an attack on Farringdon, two and a half miles south of Radcot.

 

 The Swan Hotel - Housemartin nests in the eaves of the building busy with birds feeding their young

 

Front of The Swan Hotel and the barn out the back

We moored against the river bank a little precariously, and had to use our plank to exit and enter the boat - but as the Thames is fairly shallow at the moment due to water shortages, we were lodged on the bed of the river so the boat didn't move once we were pegged in!

We had it confirmed on Saturday that Kim, my younger daughter, is coming to stay with us next week for a few days, so we'll get to Lechlade on Sunday and I'll travel back into Oxford on the bus to meet her and bring her back to the boat - how wonderful!

 

 

Very tame ducks patrolling the pubs gardens seeking food!

 

 

 

 

These are truly stunning - would love to know what they're called?