Narrowboating – Oxford and Thames

Our long term friends Keith and Jill mentioned last year that narrowboating was on their bucket list. It’s always on ours so all that was needed was a route. We found a new boat layout that was geared to couples where the cabins each had an ensuite. It operated out of Lower Heyford about 15 miles North of Oxford. Our first evening’s stop underpinned the appeal. Nothing but calm with activity limited to a preening swan.

The crew’s view of the level of activity was abruptly changed the following day as our supervisor gave instructions on operating lift bridges.

A 15-mile dawdle saw us in Oxford. As this was a one week down and one week back up trip we had two opportunities to explore the various towns and villages. The Ashmoleon museum was first item on our Oxford list thanks to a recent Helen book reading. A half day barely scratched the surface of what was a well laid out museum with small galleries focussed on specific areas of interest. The coin section was particularly interesting as it gave a real insight into who minted coins and why they did (often to demonstrate power/wealth).

Of course we had to take in Hereford bridge that links the college of the same name (sometimes referred to as the Bridge of Sighs given its similarity to the Venice version).

We took in a few streets slightly off the beaten track and were rewarded by an unexpected jazz evening and also the spectacular brickwork of Kemble college.

At Oxford we changed from the canal to the river Thames. There were so many beautiful locations (and pubs!). This was looking South towards the Nags Head near Abingdon.

Many of the locks had keepers – they were not always on duty probably because they were working on the presentation of their cottages and gardens. Clifton Lock was a good example.

The main goal of the first week was to get to Marlow for a lunch planned earlier in the year with Helen’s cousin. Marlow is steeped in history with the 1832 chain suspension bridge built by William Clark (MICE). His other remaining bridge joins Buda and Pest across the Danube (see Feb 2018 blog). We were also lucky to moor near DAYBREAK the last vessel built in UK to carry cargo under sail. The lee boards were huge. She was purchased privately and converted and restored by a couple who now live on her. On our return leg she had moved upstream.

A close up of the bridge and adjoining church (of similar vintage) seemed appropriate.

Our lunch with John and Jane was at the Hand and Flowers. A colourful pub, good food and excellent company ensured it was a particularly long lunch!

The weir at Marlow is also spectacular although being built in 1939 it is by comparison a comparatively modern affair.

Needless to say a stop at Windsor was essential. Helen and I went through the castle which was a fascinating experience. The restoration of nine staterooms destroyed by fire in 1992 was particularly impressive. I also found the ‘Order of the Garter’ engrossing. Behind the choir stalls in St Georges chapel are plaques with the coat of arms of all those elected to the order. Banners of the coats of arms also flew above the stalls – but only of those that are alive. There were a couple of vacant spots...

Pictures inside the castle were not allowed but the grounds are manicured.

With the formidable moat fulfilling a new role of appealing garden.

Viewed from the Thames in the early morning light it is a colourful but still imposing structure. 

This trim stretch of land was Crown land. The trees had some of the largest mistletoe ‘balls’ I have ever seen.

We made our way down river to more crown estate in Runneymede where several interesting structures reside. This is a sculpture by Hew Locke called the Jurors. Its twelve chairs had pictures of world wide good deeds – the idea being for viewers to reflect on and then consider a similar number of other worthy deeds. Here a volunteer clearly enjoyed regaling two new jurors.

 

We visited both the JFK and (below) Magna Carta memorials.

Helen and I also hiked up to the Air Force memorial which flies high over the valley including a massive view ranging from Windsor castle through to Wembley (not in shot).

There is a lot of fun to be had on the river with many diverse topics and 'bubbly' conversations.

Each lock cottage seemed to be in competition as to which was the most photogenic. This is Bray lock.

What I hadn’t appreciated was was Jill's fascination with morbidity. At Cookham there was a dig at the abbey which we were obliged on our return journey to visit. I confess to finding the foundations of an 8-9^th C Anglo Saxon abbey of interest. However, Jill could not be dragged away from the graveyard where numerous bodies were being exhumed. She delighted in telling us the bodies had been buried in shrouds so were well preserved. (Coffins tend to collapse after a while and distort their contents…told you she was morbid….)

Henley on Thames was also a beautiful historic and bustling town. It was busy but I imagine nothing compared to when the Oxford/Cambridge boat race is being run. One unique component was its streetscape of Gingko trees. Somewhat larger than the one that sits in a pot on our home veranda.

It is difficult to pick the most attractive town of the trip, but Abingdon would be near the top. Viewed from our mooring the lights of the Nags Head were difficult to resist and Keith and I found ourselves drawn into consuming a couple of pints.

As for fauna there were three standouts. Red kites were everywhere and on one occasion there was four pair circling. A wonderful sight and a remarkable turnaround from my all over England teenage cycling adventures when seeing any bird of prey was a very rare affair.

Herons were also a daily sighting. Some have really adapted to their urban surrounds. This one seemed frozen in time as we walked into Oxford. On our return an hour later he was still there unmoved. Coincidentally, as we floated past the following morning, he flew into the upstream end of the culvert to once more take up his fishing station. Clearly a creature of habit.

At Oxford the canal and Thames run in parallel and we opted to navigate the latter on our return. It comprises a huge flood plain which was enjoyed by many animals with numerous horses and cows eating and wondering into the river to drink. There were also plenty of dog walkers although some had less control of their pets than was desirable. The dog is in full flight after a squirrel. It appears to be a regular affair given the horse's disdain....

Alongside the canal were many blackberry bushes and inevitably that meant a bit of scrumping. As were waiting to go into a lock Keith opted to cut a few small branches of fruit and then remove the berries once we were underway. The end result was a wonderful crumble.

This shot rather says it all. Basking in the sunshine with a G&T in a picturesque spot not 50 metres from a pub. Is there any wonder we keep being drawn into a week or two of narrowboating.

And that wraps up our 2024 Northern venture. Plenty of countryside, fresh air with some reasonable activity (but counterbalanced with much more leisure), good food and drink and in in particular great company.