I promised to tell you about the only lock along the way that I didn’t pass through. Well this was the one. When I was at Pinkhill lock the lockkeeper warned me that he was opening up the weir in order to increase the flow so that the storm surge from the heavy rains would pass through without causing any flooding. Because of this increased flow they were initiating a red warning which was intended to discourage boats from travelling until the water level fell. For me in my canoe this simply meant faster moving water to help me on my way. However the lockkeeper at Osney Lock had allowed three narrow boats into the lock and she would not let them through until the red warning was cancelled. So I was stuck on the mooring above the lock with a canoe weighing 90lbs and all of my equipment. Fortunately I had met six guys in three canoes earlier who were paddling the river as a fundraiser for Meningitis and when they saw my predicament they unloaded my canoe and carried everything down below the lock
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Another footbridge for the hikers along the Thames Path. The path passes along to the right in front of the garden wall for the houses.
When the water level in a lock has lowered to be the same as the river downstream from the lock, you can feel very small and insignificant sitting in a canoe. The view from my campsite at Pinkhill Lock early in the morning was misty and almost mystical. You could easily imagine an ancient army approaching the river on its way to do battle for their leader’s right to the throne of England.
One of the many narrow boats that I passed as I travelled along. Most of the people on these would wave as they went by.
The River Thames has been used as a transportation route for hundreds of years and London owes its beginning to the Romans who recognized that its position at the highest point of the tidal waters was ideal for establishing a port. In 1510 King Henry VIII regulated water transportation on the Thames by giving watermen licenses which gave them the right to carry passengers on the river. In the 18th century the growth of the Industrial Revolution saw the building of locks on several rivers, including the Thames, in order to facilitate the movement of products. Eventually a network of canals grew up all over England, all interconnected, and the Thames was part of this network. As modern transportation developed the canals were replaced by rail lines and modern roads and the canals started to fall into disrepair. In recent years many of the canals have been restored and they have become popular for recreational boating.
Along the upper reaches of the Thames the river banks are covered with trees and bushes that give the feeling that you are paddling in the wilderness. But within a few miles there are major towns like Swindon and Oxford. The Thames Path follows along on the bank of the river first on one side and then on the other as it crosses on one of the many footbridges along the way.
I paddled down the river until lunch when I went through Shifford Lock, the place where I had to stop my Thames trip in 2017 because of strong headwinds that were putting me behind schedule. As the weather improved so did the sighting of riverside wildlife. This swan with her cygnets was typical of the waterfowl that I saw along the way.
The weather for the trip down to Rushey Lock was grey and with periods of rain. 8.9 dreary miles until I reached the lock where I camped for the night. During the night it rained hard and there was a fierce thunderstorm raging not too far away.
On May 29 my brother-in-law, Tony, drove me from Kenton in North London to Lechlade in Gloucestershire. Much of the journey was on the M4 motorway which was an interesting experience. It was the first time I had experienced being in a three lane traffic jam travelling at 110kph. When we arrived at Lechlade we camped at the Trout Inn and enjoyed a meal and a pint of beer in the pub. The next morning we got up early so that Tony could get back to his shop and I could make an early start on the river. Unfortunately it was raining so loading the canoe and trying to keep everything dry was quite a challenge. I used the fence to the left of the boat ramp to attach my tarp so that I could cover all of my equipment while I took down the tent and moved the canoe down to the water’s edge.
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Hazel's PoppaI'm a grandfather who lost an infant granddaughter and who wants to help Gillian, her mother, provide support for other grieving parents through Hazel's Heroes. Archives
April 2020
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