Wallingford once more

After a peaceful night on the meadow edge above Day’s Lock, we had a lazy start this morning. Sheila wanted to run the washing machine, as we’d changed the bed yesterday, and there wouldn’t be time for the full 60ºC cycle in the short run to Wallingford. We started the engine early and did the first part of the wash sitting on the mooring.

Since there was no one behind us, this wasn’t a problem for anybody. What was trickier was that we were just a bit aground, with the boat heeling ever so slightly. It took a bit of shafting and reversing to unstick her, but in the end off she came, and we pottered down to Day’s, where the keeper told us the reach had dropped two inches overnight, for no good reason that he could see. He’d closed in a weir, and the level would soon be back up.

By the time we reached Benson, the washing was done. It’s a lovely bit of river, this, especially past Shillingford, and the weather was spot on, with a gentle breeze and little fluffy clouds in the sky.

There were just a couple of boats on the moorings, the quietest we’ve seen them so far, so we had a wide choice. We’ve tied just below the Salter’s section, as the edge is at its lowest there, more convenient for a narrowboat than the higher stuff further down or on the other side of the river.

(Short pause here: we’ve got our “Feel free to moor alongside” sign out, and a socking great motor sailer has just taken advantage. The moorings filled up in the time we took to shop before lunch, once again showing the importance of timing in these matters.)

After a pleasant stroll round town, we had lunch, Sheila polished the port side portholes, and I cleaned up around the well deck, removing evidence of spiders, and some bird poo. If asked to choose, I'd be hard put to it to decide between Wallingford and Abingdon as my favourite Thames-side town, except that it costs £5 per night to stay here, and nothing at all in Abingdon. This is why the latter had about £250 off us over the five days we were there, and we spent more like £30 today.

It’s been a quiet afternoon, helped along by the latest edition of Canal Boat. A news item in there confirmed something we’d been told in confidence a few weeks ago; next year’s National Festival will be back in Burton on Trent, at Shobnall Fields, which last played host in 2004.

That was the first National at which we worked as red shirts; it was one of the very wet ones, and the mooring arrangements were pretty fraught, with boats tied two abreast from Branston Lock to Horninglow, so it will be interesting to see how it turns out next year.

Later: We've just had a tour of the motor sailer, courtesy of Richard and Jackie, who have owned her for just three months.

It's truly a classic boat; called Shahjehan after the guy who built the Taj Mahal, she was built in 1903, took part as a patrol boat in the Thames Estuary in both World Wars, and at one time was owned by Semprini, the popular pianist.

It really feels like a set for The Riddle of the Sands, all polished wood and signal flags in racks.