Wallingford

Here I am Rune

Distance 10.5 miles

Total 2094 Locks  90 Tunnels

Running total mileage 2965.2 miles

A further gentle day’s travel along the Thames brings us to Wallingford, moored just above the main bridge. No great problems today although I got a minor ticking off by the lock-keeper Whitchurch Lock. The procedure in Thames locks is that you are supposed to moor at the bow and stern and switch the engine off whilst in the lock. Back at Caversham lock yesterday I tied off the boat with the centre line whilst I got back on board to switch off the engine. Whilst I was doing this the lock-keeper opened the paddles on the top gate. It’s not a big deal but I don’t like to be tied off when a lock is filling so had to rush a bit to get back on the lock-side to release the rope and then hold onto it around a bollard. To try to avoid this happening today as I went into the lock I slowed the boat right down and then switched off the engine before getting off onto the lockside to completely stop the boat and then hold onto it on the lock-side bollard. The lock-keeper was unhappy with this and advised me that I should stop the boat on the engine completely before getting ashore. The idea is good but when you put a narrow boat into reverse to come to a total stop it pushes the stern away from the lock-side, making getting ashore difficult. I have to say, to be honest, I don’t really like the way the locks are operated because I have always found it safer to hold the boat on the centre rope rather than using the stern ropes which can easily come off the bollard on the boat. We didn’t have any real falling out over it though.

Tomorrow, weather permitting we should be in Abingdon.