Leaving Newbury behind, again.

We intended to leave Newbury around 9:30 and head for somewhere around Thatcham, it was around 9:45 when Karl cast off his bow rope, as he did that a boat appeared through the vegetation obscuring the view behind us, typical, timing is everything,  he held position and let it pass, heading towards our first lock, Greenham (86) which was also obscured from view by a bend in the canal ahead, and then set off after it, I decided to wait a while to prevent too much congestion around the bend in the canal, it took a while as a boat was also coming up the lock but eventually we got through and another boat appeared just as I had started to close the gate, so I reopened it and headed off.

He's heading into Greenham lock, the footbridge passes over the entrance to
a small marina with dry docking facilities and moorings.

Passing the small marina housing  ‘Newbury Boat Company’ I had looked at a couple of boats here when I was searching for my new home, somebody else will be cruising those boats now.

On through Ham lock (87) where a pair of boats were coming out, so that was a nice little bonus. And then through a fairly overgrown section

before arriving at swing bridge 48, it had an offside landing before it so Karl stopped and opened it and was through before I arrived due to me struggling to get the gates closed at the previous lock, as I passed through I found it didn’t have an offside landing after it , so I had to reverse up to the brick abutment and clamber off, luckily there was a wooden stake to tie my stern to, before closing the bridge and catching up with Karl at Bull’s lock (88) just ahead.

We then passed  by the Thatcham reedbeds to arrive at Widmead lock (89).

At the next swing bridge (44) Karl had some help opening it from a father and son who were nearby and they closed it after we had passed through, nice people, and this meant I arrived at the next lock first, Monkey Marsh Lock (90), it is a turf sided lock that has to be left empty, so I went and closed the bottom gate paddles and then found the unofficial volounteer who had locked us through on our downward journey was there, so he helped lock us through again, a nice fellow who likes to pass the time on nice weather days by working the lock, it keeps him busy and fit and gives him some conversation with passing boaters.

We moored up shortly after at Thatcham visitors moorings which were completely empty, it’s river at this point and as we are heading downstream you need to tie the stern first or else it will be swept back out by the current before you can do much about it, as a boat mooring later, behind me, found out, I went out and gave the couple a hand to pull the stern back to the side as they were struggling with it.

Totals today: 4 miles : 5 locks : 2 swing bridges