After filling up with diesel at the marina, we left about 10.30 in sunshine. The first bit of the journey was rural but not particularly pretty, although we saw moorhens, including these just hatched chicks being fed by their parents.
Then it was a mile or so through Thatcham industrial estate where we were reminded that the working world continues without us. There was a queue of cars waiting to cross the railway at Thatcham station. We sailed blithely underneath.
We hardly saw any boats until we got to Newbury. The locks and swingbridges were all different and a couple quite difficult. Jo was helped out by various people as we went through them; an elderly man with long hair at one, some schoolboys relaxing after a morning exam at another and a self-styled yob from Woolhampton at yet another. At one lock a Canal and River Trust man was doing something with a camera and a tablet. He didn't help; just asked Jo to move so he could photograph the paddle mechanism.
Old Monkey Marsh lock, the other of two turf sided locks remaining on the canal, is listed as an ancient monument by English heritage. You have to leave it empty so the plants don't rot or drown.
The locks were slow and it was four o'clock by the time we approached Newbury. These lovely houseboats moored by the Newbury Boat Company are the first thing you see as you come out of Ham lock.
Newbury was busy and we couldn't find anywhere to moor. We met more boats on the move and went through our last lock with a hire-boat full of Swedish holidaymakers. We went through the town centre and both town locks before finding a less than ideal spot on a bend near a winding hole. It was gone 5pm by now though (the crew was tired and almost revolting) so we stopped there.
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| Harold on the bend in Newbury. |
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