Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : THE FELIS CATUS II YEARS

A SOUTHERN CRUISE : SUMMER 1994

Part 5 : The Main Summer Cruise continues
— Honeystreet to Wallingford

We resume the story with the boat on George Gibson's moorings at Honeystreet.

We had a lie-in and a late start at 09:04. As we were on the Long Pound we had breakfast on the move. At Wooton Rivers locks we locked with Juno. They turned at Crofton top lock to head for home, and we had to wait an hour in the hope of gaining a fresh partner, so we decided to have lunch.

By 14:37 we still had no partner, but the lock-keeper let us go when some boats came up the flight. At 16:45 we moored on the Bruce Trust moorings at Great Bedwyn on the assumption that their boats were out for the week. There were lots of fowl around : swans, geese (grey & white), ducks (some muscovies) and guinea-fowl and an interesting old tug/icebreaker (Sharpness, from the Worcs & B'ham Canal) on the bank, apparently awaiting restoration. Six years later we were to see her again at Braunston looking immaculate.. Orinthia caught a huge mouse.

I left by the 07:30 train to go home and write Excalibur. The others set off at 10:08, finding the locks heavy and not much traffic at helpful places. The ended the day before Hamstead lock at 1823, mooring with the plank out. Jeremy Fisher II was moored in front of them. Orinthia caught six mice before they stopped counting.

As Wendy & Ian were finishing the breakfast washing up just before 09:00, Jeremy Fisher II started her engine, so they hastened to join them through the locks. The boat was from Godalming with nice people. At Newbury wharf (11:40) they felt they needed a breather before compiling the shopping list. The new, big Sainsbury's we spotted before (not far from the main road bridge: by the station) was now open and was good. I arrived back about 16:00, but we decided not to go on that evening.

We made a dozy start at 10:23 (now back on the Kennet Navigation) and stopped very soon at Greenham Island boatyard for pump-out & water. We finished taking on the latter before we had as much as we really wanted, because Mithril came past and we decided to lock through with her, which we did until they stopped for lunch above Monkey Marsh lock.

Below Sulhamstead lock there is a very long landing: we were able to moor totally on it at 18:17 with about 90 ft free for other boats to use for locking. We barbecued. Hunting score (that we know about) Dido 2, Orinthia 1.

For once in a lifetime I was up to do early drinks before breakfast! We set off at 07:05. Some commuters were annoyed by having to wait for Theale lift bridge. At County lock in Reading, the current made it a bit tricky manoeuvering for the traffic-light switch which controls movements through the narrow, winding section called Brewery Gut, where we had no problems. There was one boat waiting at the other end of Brewery Gut. At High Bridge, Reading we were back on the NRA. Section and at Blake's lock we stopped to buy a Thames licence.

We passed through Kennet Mouth onto the Thames at 11:08 and headed upstream. By 16:00 we found all the good moorings in Wallingford were taken, so we moored just outside the town, to a high bank which I had to scramble up with the line. Then we built a cat bridge from the boat roof to the bank.