Lady Lindsay's Lawn (again)

Today's Navigations - Wey, Thames

As soon as we awoke we checked the Wey Navigation Conditions website and saw that at 7:00 a notice had been posted updating the river conditions and although the upper parts of the navigation had been declared safe, that immediately above where we were moored was not. So, we prepared Plan B. We would seek advice from Thames Lock (as all the notices, real and virtual) suggested but it seemed that we were already looking  at a difficult schedule go find somewhere tlo leave the boat for our next home visit. Thames Lock opens at 9.

We also checked the CaRT Stoppage pages for the situation on the Kennet and Avon - Plan A had been to go up towards Theale but a serious incident with Southcote Lock (just out of Reading) has led to its closure and a major repair. The heavy liftin gear needed was now in place but the first investigation revealed the problem to be even wore than a first thought. Whilst there are hopes that it will re-open soon, we could not plan on that basis since, if we did and the lock remained closed there was nowhere safe to leave the boat.

Right on 9, Christine spoke to the lock keeper (she had previously consulted him yesterday) and he was very friendly and helpful. The navigation was now fully open (in fact a new notice had been posted just minutes earlier, after we last checked around 8.30!) However, he fully expected that we more rain over night, the river will again have to close. This we had feared might be the case and we could find ourselves quite a bit delayed with nowhere else to go. As a result, Plan B was activated - we will go straight back to the Thames and make our way directly up to Oxford and then use what time is left to locate somewhere where it is easy to get back to Long Buckby - should be much easier than from on the Wey or even on the K&A. We will not have to rush so perhaps a little more laid back than the past few weeks - even before Andrew joined us we had been making quite good times!

So, just after 9.30 we reversed back to the marina entrance and turned around - this is the fourth time in a week that we have cruised between Pyrford and Woodham!

By now the early rain had cleared and there was good sunshine for our cruising time.the Basingstoke - the signpost remined us that we had at least done the canal we had never done before even if Guildford and Godalming still await a return visit.

Just after the junction the canal goes under the vast structures that carry the M25 - traffic looked a little slow this morning. We stopped at a service point nearby - this elsan and water point is not on all the maps but at least we could replenish the water used in the latest washing cycle.

The first lock was New Haw where we remembered that there is a small CoOp close by. A boat had recently gone down so that the bottom gates needed to be closed before the lock could be filled. Christine went in search of a few basic items whilst Mile set the lock. he had just brought the boat into the lock when Christine returned. Two boats arrived at the bottom of the lock so we were able to leave the opening of bates and closing the paddles to them.

In contrast, those boats had come up Coxes Lock leaving it ready for us to enter directly.

Only hope that the occupants of the top floor apartment have a lift!

New Town Lock has a rather angled exit from the lock, under a bridge and onto the main river (which the navigation up to Pyrford bypasses) At first it is deceptive . . .

. . .  until the wider view is seen!

At Thames Lock we met the lock keeper that Christine had consulted earlier - he was a friendly and helpful in reality as on the phone. We returned the borrowed lock key (glad to be relived of its weight!) and had quite a chat until another boat arrived wanting also to go down.

The lock keeper had hoped that the extra rain might have meant that he would not have to use the pound lock to give us clearance over the lock cill but that was not to be so he had to work that for us as well as the main lock.

After emerging onto the Thames we had hoped to find a mooring alongside the foot passenger ferry but the gaps were just too small (added together they would have been more than enough) So, we opted to go back downstream just a little to Lady Lindsay's Lawn mooring which we enjoyed on the way up. As we rounded the bend where the mooring came in sight it did seem that there was room right at the start. It is not entirely obvious because only one part of the frontage is usable for mooring, A couple of the party on the next boat along gave us some help to come alongside and we tied up, only protruding about a metre beyond the feared sign! That boat left mid afternoon so we were able to move back just enough to comply with the local council's requirements. There followed a lazy afternoon - but by later some  very, very heavy showers appeared, as well as other lighter ones. (sorry, no;pix to show how heavy but we were glad not to be on the move at the time)

6.4 Miles - 5 Locks