Friday 12 April 2013

All Stop - Friday 12th April 2013

Our over night mooring in Theale was just the job after a days cruising with a lovely old mill opposite which was in the process of being restored, and great views up the canal.
2 Old Mill Theale
3 Theale mooring
Whilst we were preparing to leave the mooring this morning a Stoat decided to pay us a visit and a lovely little thing it was darting in and out of the staging.
1 Weasel
James steers Nb Chance out of the lock and down a canalised section.
4 NB Chance
It would appear that Phoenix has her own Canal Carrying Company and here is one of her boats.
6 Phoenix Canal carriers
June and Doug pass one of the more interesting wooden boats on the canal.
7 unusual craft
We soon reached Aldermaston Wharf where we filled with diesel and water and then negotiated the lift bridge over the main road before entering the lock. The Bridge is on a timer so that it can’t be opened again for another 10 mins to ensure that the traffic is not held up unreasonably. As we went up the lock a boat winded in the pound below us to go back through the bridge.
8Aldermaston Lock and Bridge
We motored on passing Nb Waiouru with Tom and Jan waving hello and then past Frouds Bridge Marina to Woolhampton Swing Bridge and Lock. We moored at the landing stage and I went to have a look at how the river would affect our transit only to find 2 hire boats waiting in the lock exit as they had reported the bridge would not work to C&RT who had visited the site and decided that the contractors would need to be called from Leicester. This meant that we would have to stay overnight as they are unable to come until Saturday morning. Fortunately we had a great mooring on the bridge staging and so were not too concerned as we had planned to moor above the lock for the night.
9 hire boats waiting for bridge
The problem bridge with its difficult angled approach.
91 Woolhampton Bridge
The Rowbarge Pub where the gongoozlers sit and watch the antics of us boaters negotiating the swing bridge and fast flowing river across the front of the lock.
92 The Rowbarge
Our mooring spot for the night on the bridge landing area.
96 mooring95 Mooring
After lunch I walked Pheonix into the village which must be very old since it still has the old corner shop building which dates back from the 1500’s and some interesting houses unlike any around the midlands. The new village shop is very good with papers and local produce for sale.
93 old corner shop 1500
94 posh house

2 comments:

  1. The Stoat!!!!! Wow.........Weaseley the best wild life pic this year! Stoatly jealous.

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  2. Just a little bit of patience and a lot of luck
    Glad to see Lola is enjoying the boating life

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