I’ve made it to the river. Cruising on the Thames is both easier and harder than the canals up north. It’s huge, so wide and deep that it’s easy to go fast and steer straight. The shallowness and narrowness of the canals cause considerable drag, slowing the boat and occasionally making it turn suddenly and radically. The sheer size of the river is a bit intimdating however, it feels more dangerous somehow. I’ve got my anchor ready in case of losing power; wouldn’t want to drift to London.

Leaving Oxford and turning on to the Thames is a bit of a labyrinth. It goes from inner city to open and beautiful country in no time…

Cruising down the Thames is somewhat more relaxing than the canals in the sense that you’re not a couple of seconds of inattention from hitting the side or a bridge or another boat. I stopped overnight in Abingdon, as I’ve done on several other passes through. This is where I got very friendly with a load of swans during the Swan Upping a couple of years ago. This time I met a couple sitting on a bench next to my boat. It turns out that the bench was dedicated to her father, they were there to visit and replace his Father’s Day flowers. Such a lovey couple and wonderful conversation with interesting people. An example of another reason I love the canals and boating life.

I made it to Goring but I was a couple of days early. I couldn’t stay more than 24 hours for free, then up to 72 hours for a small fee (with a break in between). So I continued south for a couple of hours. Here’s a few of the sights on the way…

On this part of the Thames (and even more so the further south you go) it’s very obvious that this is where the money is. There are many large homes and estates along the banks and they make for some fun viewing and dreaming! Actually, I think some of these are classified as “cottages”.

I went as far south as a town called Pangbourne, I had information that there was a laundrette there (a very rare thing in England these days). So I moored up at the pub and walked into town to do my laundry. It’s a small town, probably a village, it has a couple of pubs, a small grocery store, and several charity shops. Oh, and two car dealerships…

Yup, an Aston Martin and a Lambo dealer. Right next to each other.

Moored now at a lovely, remote spot just short of returning to Goring. It’s been a while since I’ve moored on an actual riverbank (probably three years ago on the Weaver) but it’s very quiet and peaceful.