Day 015

It is hard to believe that todays pictures have been filed under 'day 015'! 15 days into the trip. Currently moored at Beale Park on the Thames having just squeezed into a lovely spot as the rain started - now, it is lashing down!

I shall start with a picture of last nights blog post being published!

An interesting and traditionally slow journey back down the few remaining miles of K&A, passing this chap heading towards Newbury.

Having reported of the 'helpful' farmer who snapped my boat hook on the way up, I can now report on even more 'helpful' cyclists who have managed to do this....

The last manual swing bridge and 2 cyclists decided to lend a hand by opening the bridge.... and then closing it again before I had passed through! The result is this little beauty on the name panel and right across the sign written name! And yes, it goes right back to bare metal - an absolute blinder and needless to say, I was not happy. Does anyone know of anyone who might be able to repair it or is a complete panel re-spray and re-sign write??

Ah well, I read a report last night that said that the K&A could be closed to navigable through traffic in as little as a decade due to poor maintenance and very low visitor numbers that make it a non viable navigation to plough endless money into. Good job we 'did it' while we could! An email from Tony Collins of the Coventry Canal Society and a fellow Save Our Waterways campaigner has asked if I would be willing to talk to the press to put the record straight regarding the state of the canal system. This comes in light of BW's latest report published that paints a very rosey picture. I now have sufficient facts to shed a little more reallity into the situation!

On the way down to the K&A I paid £29.50 for a 2 day Thames licence. On the way back up I have had to pay nearly £60! Thirty quid difference to cruise the same length of water - the difference is down to my timing. I arrived today at lunch time and so needed to pay for 2 days to be safe - rediculous!

OK, here's a question - how do you know you're on the Thames?

↓

↓

↓

↓

↓

↓

↓

....you see things like this parked in peoples back gardens!

Tomorrow, dad 'jumps ship' at Goring and I continue single handed up and onto the Oxford. The amount of work to do at school is now increasing in my mind and I'm at the stage of wanting to get back as soon as possible now in order to get it done and have a holiday!!