Newbridge to Lechlade

Fri 13^th August  Newbridge to Rushey

It was cloudy this morning as we left our high bank mooring before Newbridge. We passed the unusual events venue, where you can stay in a double decker bus, a shepherd’s hut, or a widebeam canal boat. There were some large tepees where some shouting and cheering was happening last night until midnight. The moorings at the Rose revived were all full as we thought. The people on board would have had more noise than we did from across the river.

Moored before Newbridge

The events venue.

Rose Revived moorings

New Bridge (New in 13th Century)

Wildlife highlights: A muntjac in the meadow, and a butterfly passenger

Muntjac

Butterfly on the solar panels

At Shifford Lock, James had to go and announce our arrival to the lockkeeper and his assistant, who were deep in conversation. As we left the lock, and were passing along the lock cut, we met Sundragon, with Jason and Kate, returning from Lechlade. (See 31^st July at Henley). No time for more than a shouted few words.

This weir stream leads to Duxford Ford, built by the Romans.

A new bird hide at Chimney meadows

Ten Foot Bridge

We arrived at Rushey Lock, which was keeper operated. He let us in, closed the gates, and started filling the lock. Then he reversed it all again to let a small day boat in with us. We moved on to the sanitary station where we emptied two cassettes. While we were there, several swimmers arrived, with a support boat.

Rushey Lock

We wanted to moor on the meadows above the lock, but there were three cruisers moored spaced out so that there was no room between for us. We moored in front of the last one, with our bows in a bush, but at least we were in.

Spaced out cruisers

Moored at Rushey

A little later, everyone got excited, because a cow was swimming down the river for over half a mile. It got itself out near the weir stream for the lock.

Cow in the water

James went to take photos of the sunset, and found three deer in the meadow. One was a muntjac, but the other two were larger.

Deer

Sunset at Rushey

2 locks, 6 miles. Dep 0925, arr 1125 Tadpole Bridge. Dep 1350 arr 1450 Rushey.

Sat 14^th August  Rushey to Eaton Hastings

James spotted a post on Canal Market Place on Facebook, showing the same sunset near Rushey. He exchanged comments with the author, Julie Watson. She came past later with her dog, and we had a chat. She has a boat called The Power of Dreams.  They are going downstream so we may not coincide. We passed them soon after we set off.

We passed under Old Man’s Bridge, and encountered about forty fishermen setting up and waiting for a competition to start at 11am.

Old Man’s Bridge

Fishing competition

At Radcot Lock we found the same lockkeeper who had been at Rushey the day before. He mentioned the cow in the water, and said it had done that before. Just before Radcot Bridge we saw about ten wigwams in a field. There were some people with new bedding, so presumably this is a version of glamping.

Radcot Lock

Wigwamping

At Radcot, there are two bridges. The navigation passes under the newer of the two, built in 1787. The older one, on the original course of the river, now used as moorings, dates back to 13^th Century, and is the oldest on the Thames.

Radcot Bridge (newer one)

Radcot Bridge (older one)

We passed through the very remote Grafton Lock on self-service, and moored on a meadow opposite Eaton Hastings. James put out the plank as access was difficult.

Using the plank

Moored at Eaton Hastings

Sunset

We heard from Julie, who we met yesterday, that the cow had swum past them again. This is her picture (a lot better than ours)

Swimming cow

2 locks, 5 miles. Dep 1005, arr 1205

Sun 15^th August  Eaton Hastings to Lechlade

We left our mooring at Eaton Hastings under uncertain skies, and cruised past Kelmscott, where William Morris lived in the Manor House. It is closed at present for refurbishment. Soon after this is Eaton Footbridge, where there is a boat club now. Our map shows “Pit, dis”. An old gravel pit, maybe?

Cloud formation

Eaton Footbridge

We passed through Buscot Lock, where the helpful Lockkeeper showed us where to moor if we wanted to visit Buscot House. Just after that, another narrowboat appeared in front of us. They must have just left a mooring. We followed them under Bloomers Hole Footbridge, and shared St John’s Lock with them. Their boat was called Leonard.

Bloomers Hole Footbridge

Approaching St John’s Lock

Sharing St John’s Lock with Leonard.

The statue of Old Father Thames

Lechlade Church and a pillbox

When we moored up on the field before the bridge, a large herd of cows on the other side of the field headed towards us. We had heard stories of cows eating the plants off a boat roof, or of them licking the paint off a boat with their abrasive tongues. They came very close, and two of them sniffed the boat, and one tried to lick it, but James shooed them away, wielding a football rattle.

Cow vigil

We discovered that Buscot House was open today, but not Monday or Tuesday. We tried to find a taxi to take us the four miles, but the firms were a long way away, despite advertising themselves as Lechlade taxi firms. Cheapest we found was £14 each way. We have been there before, and we were tired and had not planned to go today. We gave up and fell asleep instead.

There were lots of noisy people walking by the boats, and others were on paddle boards, kayaks, canoes or pedaloes.

Moored at Lechlade

James met the guy off Lee Swift, who moors on the Wey at Walsham Gates.

Later we went into the village and had a very pleasant meal in Khushi Bangladesh Restaurant, followed by a visit to Londis to stock up on vital supplies.

Next: a visit to the Inglesham Roundhouse and lock before starting our journey downstream towards Oxford.