Easter Bank Holiday: Shillingford

On Saturday morning we covered the remaining 7.5 miles to Shillingford and moored up by the Shillingford Bridge Hotel. (It costs £10 to moor overnight and that includes electricity and the use of the hotel's facilities, which I think is good value.) The afternoon was spent walking up the river to Days Lock, enjoying lunch in the sunshine at the Fleur de Lys pub in Dorchester, walking back along the river to Shillingford and relaxing on the boat in the evening. There's a word for days like this: idyllic!

A frustrating start to the season...

We've been looking forward to getting back on the river for months! So we were very excited when we set off at 7pm on Friday night after a long and tiring week at work. The plan was to have dinner at the George and Dragon pub in Wargrave, overnight at the marina, and then head to Henley for our 'shake down' trip. The pub was fully booked and packed to the rafters (clealy a popular choice on a Friday night). So we drove to Henley and tried the Little Angel. Another very popular choice (judging by the car park). So we drove back to Wargrave and ate at the White Hart pub (not such a popular choice - we were the only ones eating - but a very friendly service). We were back on board by 10pm and asleep by 10.30pm. It was much colder than I expected (there's no heating) but lovely to be back on the river. Saturday morning was glorious. Warm sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. The perfect start to season. And it would have been ... if our engine hadn't konked out. And not just once. Four times in less than 10 minutes. Luckily we were just outside the marina so we managed to hobble back (or whatever the boating equivalent is) and moor up. As Dean the 'engine man' wasn't available to have a look at the problem, unfortunately there was nothing else we could do. So after a quick breakfast and stroll along the river in Henley, we headed home. Here's hoping that whatever's wrong with the engine can be sorted out this week - and that the glorious weather holds!

Last trip of the season: Wargrave to Wallingford & The Sweet Olive Restaurant

Our boating 'season' ended as it began - with clear blue skies and glorious sunshine. (Although somewhat colder. When we got up this morning there was ICE on the deck!) As it was our last weekend on the river, we decided to make the most of it: Sonning on Thursday night, up to Wallingford on Friday (a first for us), down to Goring on Saturday and then back to Wargrave on Sunday. The highlight of the weekend was a 14 miles walk around Goring on Saturday and the chance discovery of a gastro/gourmet pub tucked away in the village of Aston Tirrold: The Sweet Olive Restaurant at The Chequers Inn. It was superb. Great atmosphere, delicious food and a very impressive wine list. We'll definitely be back. That's the great thing about having a boat: you get to enjoy the river AND the countryside. It's what does it for us. Ok, so it's quite cold in October (we don't have heating on board). But on the plus side there's very little traffic on the river, you sail in and out of the locks in no time and when the sun breaks through it's divine.

A Family Affair

My sister, her husband and their 9 year old son came on board for the day on Sunday - and it was fantastic. They met us in Henley and we headed down the river to Hurley where we moored up, lit a BBQ and had bacon and sausage rolls for lunch. (We bought one of those £2.99 trays of coal and I have to say it was fantastic: small, easy to use and - most important of all when you have a small boat with no storage space - disposable!) Delicious food in an idyllic setting: boats coming and going through the lock, people milling around, glorious sunshine and lots of ducklings & goslings to feed. After a quick ice-cream from the local shop we went for a short walk through the village and along the river and then headed back to Henley for tea & biscuits and another walk: this time up to Marsh Lock and along the riverbank above it. Sunshine, good food, fresh air and brisk walks. A most perfect day.

Gorgeous Goring

Last weekend we made it up to Pangbourne and this weekend we put in the extra hour and went to Goring. We left Wargrave just before 3pm and moored up at 7.20pm. Four and a half hours is a long treck but I'd rather be in a boat on the river than in a car on the M4. Especially on a Bank Holiday Friday! Goring is really beautiful and we're looking forward to going on long walks in the surrounding countryside next time around. The only problem - apparently - is that it can be quite difficult to get a mooring because a) there aren't that many and b) it's a very popular spot. But it's worth if if you do. We had dinner at The Miller of Mansfield which is a restaurant, bar and hotel. The bar is very 'country pub' and the restaurant is very 'sleek boutique'. Great food and a very friendly service. My only complaint is that there wasn't enough lighting where we were sitting. I had to hold the menu over the tealight to be able to read it and couldn't really see all the yummy things that were in my salad, which meant I missed out on the visual pleasure of eating. And in the morning (as our toilet wasn't working - long story) we had a delicious breakfast at Pierrepont Cafe on the High Street. Then it was back to Wargrave to try and fix the toilet (which we did - hurrah!) and get to the bottom of why the engine cut out on us three times. After a bit of investigating we discovered there was a leak in the fuel system and air was getting into the engine. As it wasn't something we could fix ourselves, we decided to stay put at the Marina on Saturday night and head back to London on Sunday. A short bank holiday, but a lovely one regardless.

Theatre, Country Walks & Good Food

It's amazing how much you can pack into a weekend when you have a boat. We set off from Wargrave at 4.30pm and moored up in Sonning where, after a glass of wine on board, we walked to The Mill at Sonning for dinner and an Agatha Christie play: Love From a Stranger. (It's £42 p/person including a two course dinner and your theatre ticket, which I think is very good value for money.) On Saturday morning we headed to Pangbourne for the first time. The stretch of the Thames between Sonning and Pangbourne is quite dull but, on the plus side, there's a Tesco by the river in Reading which allows you to moor up, shop and go. Fantastic! We arrived in Pangbourne around lunchtime and headed to the high street for lunch: a deliciously fresh & crunchy salad at The Ditty. We then decided to walk the 8 miles to and from Goring along the Thames Path. It's a really lovely walk - but be prepared for some steep climbs! After a much needed half a pint of cider at the historical Swan in Pangbourne we went back to the boat and got ready for dinner at The Ferryboat in Whitchurch (just over the toll bridge). Great food and great service. The perfect end to a perfect day.

The facts: it's 12 miles from Wargrave to Pangbourne. You go through 4 locks - Shiplake, Sonning, Caversham and Mapledurham - and it takes between 3.5/4 hours.

A perfect start to the Boating Season

We went out on Happy Chance for the first time this year and it was idyllic: warm sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. And when you run your own business (findatvexpert.com) it's the perfect weekend away: no phone, no TV, no computer, no internet & no email. All I have to think about is what papers I want to read, which post I need to moor up to and whether or not I should put on sunfactor (which I did last weekend as it was so warm.) We were hoping to have a stereo installed but there's still some wiring to be done. The new cockpit lights are in though and they're fantastic: warm white LEDs. I like them because they give off a warm glow (instead of that cold, white LED light) and JJ's happy because they don't use much electricity and, as a result, don't run down the battery. Re the trip itself, we went to Henley, moored up, had a friend join us on the boat for cocktails at sunset and then headed to La Bodegas for dinner. For some reason we woke up at 6.30am and spent the next hour and a half (!) trying to access a radio via JJ's BlackBerry. We failed. As I'd forgotten to pack the milk - and as the water pump wasn't working (don't ask) - we had breakfast in town and then pootled down the river towards Hambleden Lock, where we moored up and went for a two hour walk. Still not a cloud in the sky. After a quick bite to eat at the Stag and Huntsman - and a lazy hour on the boat spent reading the papers and chilling out in the sunshine - we headed home. Other than a short delay at Marsh Lock (technical problems with the gates) it was the most perfect start to the boating season.

We have a name!

We were going to keep part of her original name - Lady - but we've changed our mind. We've decided to call her Happy Chance, which I think is lovely.

You don't have to go far to have fun: Henley

Although it was raining on Friday night, we decided we'd spend the weekend on the boat regardless. And I'm glad we did because Saturday was absolutely glorious. We didn't go very far - just down the river to Henley - but we had a lovely time. Moored up past the bridge on the right, had lunch, read the papers in the sunshine (I even got the sun block out!), went for a walk around town and then had dinner at The Little Angel (not to be confused with The Angel just beside the bridge), which was superb: great food, great atmosphere and great service. The perfect end to a great day. And this morning we were treated to a display of fit & disciplined athletes: rowers on the river and runners (the Henley Half Marathon) on the towpath. So all in all a superb weekend.

You can tell we're new to this!

As gale force winds were forecast for yesterday, we decided we wouldn't go out on the river. Instead, we'd go to the boat, drop off all our latest purchases - plates, lump hammer, wind up torch, kettle, cups, etc - and give her a good clean. So we packed up all our bits and pieces, including the hoover (I wanted to hoover all the upholstery) and set off along the M4. At about exit 6 (and our exit is 8/9) we suddenly remembered we'd forgotten to pack the most important item: the boat key! Luckily we didn't have to drive back through all the traffic and roadworks because when we bought the boat it was suggested we leave a spare set of keys at the Marina. Which we did. Phew!

Naming the boat

As the previous owners are retaining her name - Ambient Lady - we have to come up with a new one. We thought we'd keep part of her original name - Lady - because it means she's graceful, gracious, sophisticated, elegant, etc. But what do we add to 'Lady' to describe her/how we feel about her? Dutch Lady (she was built in Holland)? Lady of Leisure? Lovely Lady? Joyful Lady? Serene Lady? The search goes on.

Introducing our lovely boat

As the boat (name still tbc) is going to have a fairly major role in all my boating stories, I thought I'd introduce you to her. She's a Dutch made, Antaris 720 Family. Just over 8 metres long, with enough room to sleep 6 people (but you'd have to know them VERY well because there aren't any cabins). There isn't a shower or any hot water on board either but, like camping, you can make do with wet wipes. That obviously works for short, overnight stays. If you're planning to spend a week aboard, you'd have to use the showers (and hairdryers!) at the riverside Marinas. So pretty basic, but lovely nevertheless!

Maiden Voyage: Wargrave to Sonning Lock (26/09/09)

Our first lock was a bit stressful but we made it through without damaging our boat - or any of the other boats - and moored up just below Sonning Lock at around 5pm. The sun was setting, the man on the boat moored opposite us was fly fishing and, to top it all, a multi-coloured hot air balloon was gliding through the blue sky above us. It was idyllic. Dinner was at the riverside pub/hotel (must remember the names of these places) and after a glass of wine aboard we crashed out in our v-shaped bed. I was expecting to fall asleep to the sound of lapping waves (or the river equivalent) but instead I fell asleep to the sound of loud rock music: Queen, Kings of Leon, Dire Straits, etc. You see, there was a wedding at the aforementioned pub/hotel and they'd hired a live band. This morning - feeling rather scruffy (no shower on board) - we headed back to Wargrave passing swans, ducks, cows and rowers along the way. And it was so warm that I pulled out a sleeveless t-shirt and slapped on the sun factor! A truly great start to our boating weekends.

The Boating Stories Begin

JJ (my partner) and I took delivery of our river boat this weekend: an 8 metres Dutch cruiser (name still tbc as the owners have retained the name they gave her). JJ had a yacht several years ago but this is his first river boat. And this blog is the start of our boating stories on the Thames.