We all seemed to sleep particularly well last night; even Macc was still asleep at gone 7, which is pretty unusual. As we had nice bread from yesterday, we had toast for breakfast which is also pretty rare! As Whitchurch lock was definitely open yesterday, we set off at about 9, heading the few hundred metres under Whitchurch Bridge to the lock cut.
When we got to the lock, there was a Lock Closed sign up, and the gates were padlocked. There were a few boats waiting above, one of whom had gone up the lock yesterday and been told by the lock keeper that whatever the problem was hadn’t been fixed, but staff would be operating the lock from 9am. He phoned the EA who said they were trying to find a lock keeper to come and run the lock. We couldn’t do anything other than wait, but a bit later Adrian also phoned and then at about 10.30 a lockie and a volunteer turned up having been sent down from Cleeve Lock. They quickly got things going, getting a couple of boats down and then calling us into the lock.
A big cruiser that had arrived a while before had turned around and gone to Pangbourne Meadows, but then we were joined in the lock by a Caversham hire boat. The queue above the lock was about 8 boats long by the time we were leaving, with more arriving all the time.
As you leave Pangbourne going this way, you pass a series of large houses known as the Seven Deadly Sins. They’re Gothic style villas commissioned by DH Evans (him of the department store). The story is that they were supposed to accommodate the seven mistresses of either Evans himself or the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), but apparently it’s not actually true. They are all very striking, but they’re sandwiched between the main road and a cliff, so we’re not sure we’d want one.
The next stretch is very pretty. It passes Beale Park, where we went to an IWA National, Festival many many years ago. There are tree lined banks and dramatic hills on one side.
Then we saw a house that Adrian really liked: Ferry Cottage, which is where a ferry used to run. It’s quite small but still apparently worth around £2million.
There’s an impressive bridge which takes the railway line over the river, carrying GWR trains to places including Bristol, Cheltenham, and Cardiff.
On the approach to Goring, the glass box summer house cantilevered out over the river has definitely seen better days. It looks as though people have been shooting at it from the other side.
We were hoping we’d timed it right for a space on the EA moorings at Goring. It’s a popular spot; boaters in the queue at Whitchurch had said it was full last night, but some of the boats waiting had come from there. There were a few spaces, although not ideal; there was the very high wall at the end, then a bit where we’d have been sticking out a bit, but a space nearer the bridge looked long enough. We fitted, but the back half of the boat is under a damson tree so the path is very sticky, and every now and then a few drop off onto the roof.
Having got a space we quickly decided we’d stay a couple of nights. The first night is free but the second is payable, although it’s cheap compared with most, so I went to pay the lock keeper. He was very chatty, and told me the reason we’d had the wait at Whitchurch this morning was because the lockie there phoned in sick. He also made sure we knew about lock restrictions that are coming in on Monday morning between Goring and Culham: there will be one lock up and one down each half an hour during lock keeper hours, and the locks will be closed at other times. The aim is to try to reduce the number of lockings, and pack more boats into each one. Goring Lock and weir is very pretty, but their lawn is really suffering with the drought.
After lunch, I took Macc for a walk and we went over Goring Bridge to Streatley, which is back in Berkshire. The church has a blue plaque saying that Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, preached there in 1864.
It’s rather a pretty village, and the pub and club by the weir stream look very smart.
I also went to the Goring Grocer and got some very expensive little quiches for dinner tonight, so we’ll see if they were worth the money. And a bit later we got an ice cream from a cart outside the village hall — again, Goring prices were charged.
4 miles, 1 lock, free mooring. (55 miles, 21 locks, £74)