Rainmakers on Narrowboat Jade -- Chapter 4
(Personal Account of Our 1997 Travels in England)
Note: If you missed Chapters 1,2, and 3 and want to go back, Click here to go back to Chapter 1
Chapter 4 includes the following:
Wey Navigation (Hello, Stoke Lock -- Goodbye, Camera!)
Thames from Weybridge to Abingdon
Into Each Life A Little Rain Must Fall
Back to the Narrow Canals
Where passages are underlined, you can click on the underlined text to see a picture (usually jpg, 320x240 pixels in size, about 23 kb to download). If there is a thumbnail-size image, you can also click on that image to see the larger imageWey Navigation (Hello, Stoke Lock -- Goodbye, Camera!
12 June: We got our Wey Navigation License (GBP 36. for 7 days, less 10% for National Trust members) and checked out (GBP 10. deposit, refundable when the windlass was returned) the special windlass we needed to rent for the Wey locks. Then the friendly lady lockkeeper operated Thames Lock for us and we were off on one of our prettiest cruises yet. We met the lengthsman while we waited to go through the first lock, and made the mistake of referring to him as a Waterways staffer, though we knew this was National Trust territory instead of British Waterways territory (oops). It seems so strange that a river could be privately owned, let alone given to the National Trust, but so be it, that's the way that the Wey Navigation has gone.True to their reputation, the locks were very difficult to operate. An article we had read said that the "men struggled and the women retired gracefully," and Mary Anne struggled mightily to avoid "retiring." We were ready for supper when we hit The Anchor, below Pyrford Lock, and to our delight (we thought we might be too early), they serve meals straight through from 3 to 9 p.m. -- good ones, too.
The evening was perfect, so we kept
cruising beyond Pyrford Lock. We cruised beyond the ruins of Newark Priory before mooring near Newark New Bridge. As I took pictures of the sunset, in this perfect setting, with Jade nestled at the shore, the ducks rippling v's into the water as they swam towards us, another boat passing, and the deep pink to purple shades of the cloudy sky behind the trees, I was sure one of them would be worthy of an enlargement to hang on our wall at home. Pride goeth before a fall...
13 June: Friday the 13th, we remarked, but we've already had our bad luck for this trip...
The locks along the Thames are famous for being well kept and attractive, but they can't beat those on the Wey Navigation. The National Trust Lengthsman, in fact, lives at Papercourt and showed us a picture of his home that was in a British Airways travel brochure. Tidy homes in beautiful settings, locks any lengthsman would be proud of ... every time I said to myself, "Now that's enough pictures of locks" the next one would come along and I'd decide the lighting was better or we were approaching at a better angle, and I'd take more pictures.
My shoulder was feeling well enough that I was doing some rope handling with my one good hand, so I was wearing a work glove. I handed the camera to Warren at Stoke Lock, and the neckstrap caught on the cuff of the glove. We both felt instantly sick as the camera fell, and if I had had another hand I might have been able to stop it, but it only paused a second before plunging to the bottom of the lock! So, too, did my beautiful sunset and the travel-brochure-pretty lock pictures. That was the 13th film of the trip.
Somehow, the Wey didn't seem quite as pleasant after that. Our lunch at the YMCA cafeteria, eaten at a table on the balcony overlooking the canal at Guildford, was not quite as enjoyable as it should have been. Guildford itself, which we would have thoroughly enjoyed under normal circumstances, somehow wasn't as inviting. We were a little quieter than usual as we turned around before the lock at Guildford and headed back towards Weybridge.
Thames from Weybridge to Abingdon
14 June: We were warned that moorings would be scarce at Maidenhead since this was the day of their Carnival, but we found a spot just below Brunel's famous Railroad Bridge. Our neighbors were the crew of the cruiser Lady Victoria, which from our vantage point appeared to be about 7 stories high.15 June: Coming into Henley we also found a shortage of mooring spots, but there was one place that looked to be about 60 feet long. Luckily there was no adverse wind, and as Paul did a masterful job of maneuvering Jade's 56 feet into the spot without touching the cruisers on either side, we were surprised to see that Lady Victoria would be our neighbor again. Their crew had hopped off quickly to hold ropes for us, and would have moved back a few feet had it been necessary to make a space for us. They welcomed us like old friends, and we decided the rumors about cruisers not liking narrowboaters were, at least in some cases, highly exaggerated. Granted, it might have ended differently if we had rammed them! Anyway, they were most cordial, and we appreciated their helpfulness.
16 June: We went a little past the entrance to the Kennett and Avon Canal at Reading to get diesel and pumpouts at Better Boating -- also watched them hoist a 16-ton narrowboat out of the water on a sling. Diesel was as inexpensive here as anyplace we saw.
Crossing over to the Tesco canalside mooring, we made a stop there and then went back to the Kennett and Avon Canal.
This was our first experience with a stop light at a canal, but it worked fine and undoubtedly helps to get the boats through Reading in an orderly fashion.
17 June: By this time we were starting to count down the days before our Thames License would expire, so we decided not to do the whole K&A. We went as far as the mechanized swing bridge at Theale, then used the winding hole by Sulhamstead Lock, getting back to Burghfield Bridge for lunch at the Bridge Cafe. This is not the big pub nearest the canal, but the little place across the road (not open evenings). It was unassuming in appearance, a working man's lunch spot, but we were impressed -- we enjoyed one of the least expensive meals we had had yet on this trip. Warren's ham and pickle sandwich, my double-decker bacon-egg-chip buttie, and our coffees came to a total of GBP 4.06.
18 June: Back on the Thames, we moored at
Abingdon, the Mecca of MG owners everywhere (Paul and Mary Anne have an MG). I hadn't planned to replace my camera, but Warren couldn't stand it any longer, seeing me not taking pictures (somehow taking them is almost as much fun for us as seeing them afterwards), so when we found not one, but several camera shops in Abingdon, we shelled out about twice as much as the camera would have cost in the U.S., for a camera almost like the one at the bottom of Stock Lock, and I was back in the picture-taking business. I have to admit, it did feel good, even though I worried about how blurred these would be when I was holding the camera with one hand. Believe me, I kept the neck strap around my neck!!
Into Each Life A Little Rain Must Fall
19 June: So far, we hadn't really held true to our self-designated nickname of "The Rainmakers." We had had rain, yes, but not the all-day, day after day rain we have come to expect on our British canal trips. Today we knew our presence was beginning to be felt. We woke up to rain, and it rained off and on all day, pausing only long enough for us to deliver to the Lockkeeper at Osney Lock the letter we were given by the Lockkeeper at pretty Iffley Lock.We moored behind Narrowboat Ragged Robin at
Newbridge, and enjoyed a hearty supper at the Rose Revived. We even found room for dessert -- though we all felt stuffed, we had watched them being delivered to other tables and finally decided not to resist the temptation.
20 June: Yes, we Rainmakers are really getting the hang of it now. It poured rain most of the day (also was one of the coldest days we'd had so far). It did pause while Paul bought strawberries at Rushey Lock, and again as we walked into town from our mooring spot near Lechlade, but it resumed again in earnest just as we got back to the boat from this antique-store-packed town, so we spent a quiet evening on the boat watching British comedies on TV and playing dominoes with the "travel dominoes" Warren and I had made especially for Mary Anne and Paul for this trip.
21 June: The drought is definitely broken. Now the weather reports are all about how much rain Britain is having -- our mission as Rainmakers is complete! It was so windy when we started out that we had to take a second run at St. John's Lock before we could get there without being blown against the far bank (the lockkeeper said Paul did well -- he's seen boats pinned against the bank for hours with the wind like that).
Back to the Narrow Canals
22 June: Leaving the Thames via the Duke's Cut, we came to Oxford, found space to wind just beyond Isis Lock,, and were able to moor not far above the lock while we walked into Oxford. Most of the shops were open on Sunday afternoon, we found, and there were a lot of people out even though the rain poured down now and then.We went on to Thrupp, where there were two inviting-looking pubs, but we were too late for them to be serving food, so we had to retreat to the boat for a late supper.
23 June: We usually plan for two meals on the boat and the third at a restaurant or pub. Our plans are going awry lately, however. Thrupp's pubs weren't serving yesterday, and today we ended up somewhere in the quiet countryside within view of King's Sutton but not close enough to walk there. We didn't want to go into Banbury for fear of having problems finding a mooring late in the day.
24 June: Breakfast (no problem finding a mooring spot this morning) at Banbury. We enjoyed the town (I know, the bus station is an eyesore, but we thought the historic shopping areas beyond the new shopping center were very attractive). Of course we had to take a look at historic
Tooley's Boatyard, now Morse Marine, where L.T.C. Rolt had Cressie outfitted and painted. Paul's opinion: "Time has not been kind to it." It will be interesting to see how the plans develop for the marina and/or museum there.
No pub again tonight -- we can't believe this. Paul is having withdrawal symptoms, Mary Anne is having to plan meals (not her favorite pursuit, though we always have groceries on hand), I am seriously in danger of getting a dishpan hand (only one dishpan hand, since my other one is useless -- I can wash, but I don't dry dishes), and Warren is about to wear out the dishtowel.
After leaving Banbury we had cruised through some of the nicest rural scenery yet. We stopped at Cropredy, where we decided to order house signs from
Pan Signs, since the artist was right there and willing to accommodate our need to have them sent to Wyvern Shipping Company in time for our departure for home. We had looked at a lot of places that advertise house signs, but most places send away to have them done, and they would have to be shipped to us in the U.S., which the artist agreed is a prohibitive expense.
Since we arrived at Claydon Flight too late to start through the locks, we tried walking into Claydon to eat. Unfortunately, the museum tea room wasn't operating (nor was the museum, though it looked like we would have enjoyed it), and although a sign by the canal had indicated that there was another place where meals were available, all we ever saw of that house was a closed gate. Our half-mile walk to town did answer one question for us. We had wondered where Britain gets all those peas (they serve them with almost every meal, from what we can see). Well a lot of them come from huge fields right here in this area!
25 June: All five locks of the Claydon Flight were set for us, so we got up to the top in about half an hour -- must be a new record for us. After cruising in nasty rain through the long top pound (such a shame, as it was so pretty otherwise), we had the opposite experience at Napton -- only one lock in our favor without waiting for someone to come up. At least the rain had stopped for the most part by then.
We had anticipated lunch at the
Folly Pie Pub and couldn't believe it when we FINALLY reached the door at 2:45 to find they closed at 3 p.m. The young man at the bar took pity on us, and served us anyway. We owe him sincere apologies and much gratitude. Those steaming chicken and mushroon and steak and kidney pies tasted even better that cold, damp afternoon than they would have on a sunny day when we hadn't done 14 locks!
Beginning at Calcutt we went back on the Grand Union Canal, with double-wide locks.
In
Chapter 5
read about the Cosgrove Experience
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cruising beyond Pyrford Lock.
Abingdon,
Newbridge,
Tooley's Boatyard, 
Pan Signs, 
Folly Pie Pub 
