To the Thames!

5.5 miles and 5 locks.

We had a lovely evening sitting in the sun and putting our wine holder thingy to its proper use.

Scooby was exhausted after a day of zealous boat guarding in the heat and went to sleep on the sofa cuddling a cushion.

We got up smartish on Friday to get the anchor set up (well tied on anyway) and dig out the lifejackets. After a lovely breakfast at Annies café (one of the best on the cut) we set off. It was broken cloud which gradually thickened through the day. We took Scoobs for his lunchtime constitutional in a sharp shower just before Dukes lock and the turn onto the Dukes Cut - a short length of canal which links the Oxford canal with the Thames. It didn't look as glamorous as it sounds.

Dukes lock

It did get better though, even with spots of rain.

After almost a mile we turned left onto the Thames proper and into Kings lock. Having negotiated the lock on our own, the lock-keeper got back from lunch and we paid our kings ransom for a week's worth of Environment Agency river license.  The locks and moorings are bigger and the banks higher, probably why its so expensive!

Harold moored by the Kings lock while we bought a license.

The lock-keeper recommended a mooring at just after the bridge at Godstow but we couldn't get in there. Instead the Godstow lock-keeper allowed us to moor at the end of his lock moorings. There's not much other mooring in the vicinity apparently so it seemed prudent to stop where we could. There are the remains of a ruined abbey and a plenty of open area for Scooby, although we can hear the A34 in the background.