Yesterday morning was miserable a complete change to the sunshine on Monday, although it wasn't raining it was quite breezy and overcast.
We left Sonning around 8.30am, there was a boat that had been moored a bit further back behind us just pulling away from his mooring as we were letting go and so we followed him to Sonning lock.
Approaching Sonning bridge
Sonning Lock
The lock was on self service as the lockies don't start work until 9 am. The man on the boat ahead went to the lock and there was a cruiser coming down so he worked the lock for them and then when the cruiser came out of the lock we went in. By the time we were going into the lock we were joined by a 3rd narrowboat and once we were in the lock a man came to work the lock as he was on another cruiser coming down.
This old wooden boat didn't look like it had been far in a long time!
We wanted some shopping so we managed to moor close to the entrance for the Tesco, as we had just got moored we were visited by 2 Black Swans....
It got very busy here at the moorings for Tesco, with 2 boats berated up ahead of us & the inside boat had to tie onto our bow. Once we had got our shopping and it was all way I took Jaz for a short walk through into a small wooded area and thought I was seeing things...
A Muntjac deer! I had to take the photo with my phone.
I was quite surprised to see this little deer in a place where there were plenty of people and the big Tesco shop, I expect that there are quite a few about and it was funny that all the time we had been on the river Nene we never saw one! It stared at both Jaz and I and was very calm about us watching it that it didn't run off and just sauntered away slowly. I got back to the boat and Kev was ready to untie the ropes of the boat that was tied onto our bow, so I got on board and went to the tiller and then a man off one of the boats helped Kev. we backed out a bit and once we were clear Kev jumped on board. We needed a gas bottle replacing so we didn't have to go far when we got to Better Boating and topped up with Diesel @79p per litre (domestic) and paid an expensive £27.25p for the gas but the staff there were very friendly and efficient I have to say.
The next lock was Caversham which wasn't very far away.
On the lock landing at Caversham lock
Reading Bridge
Looks like new buildings just after the bridge
Then a new looking footbridge!
The skies now were actually blue and it started to warm up and made the cruise a lot more pleasurable.
This property has its own bell tower
This little boathouse needs some TLC
A very strange place for a post box! The railway line is above the wall. Collection is @5pm!
Passing an Alpaca farm, there were loads of Alpacas in the surrounding fields.
Mapledurahm lock, workmen at the wire & people on the cruiser sat having drinks!
When we got to Pangbourne meadows there were plenty of boats moored, mainly cruisers but we saw one of them getting ready to leave so we managed to pull over and moored where he had left.
Kev hammering the mooring pin into the ground.
I went for a walk with Jaz and found Kev sat outside when I got back!
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