23rd/24th June
The last two nights we moored on the Beale Park towpath moorings. We had been told by fellow boaters and a lock keeper that travellers had moved onto Pangbourne Meadows having broken down the gate to get on there. We were intending to moor there as we like the spot and the Pangbourne butchers for supplies so we were hoping they hadn't taken over the whole area down to the water's edge. We thought about mooring at Mapledurham but the lock keeper informed us it was quite shallow there, so we carried on. Approaching Pangbourne around lunchtime, it looked as busy with boats as it always does and we couldn't see caravans until we were halfway along the meadows - there were very few travellers. Seems it's the usual Chinese whispers causing an escalating concern about them - the story becoming exaggerated so that it seemed there would be a takeover by these gypsies! Anyway there were no moorings to be had (no boaters had been put off by the travellers) so we were forced to press on regardless.
The Beale Park moorings are very peaceful. Unless you want to visit the park and see the birds there, or maybe look at Basildon House, there is nothing to do. The banks are left wild with pathways through and consequently it is not busy. The gate off our boat did not coincide with a clear piece of bank, so I couldn't get off with a rope but Pete managed to jump off. This situation made me think we could do with the fender two step after all as we could hang it from another part of the railing.
The weather was fabulous, sunny and breezy with a stunning sunset on our first night. Being boat-proud and because she needs it, we cleaned and polished Mariana. We are still puzzling over the hot water system onboard, having not located the Eberspacher heating system in order to check the valves that friend, Sid has suggested might be the reason we are getting the central heating working but no hot water. It might be that we should leave it running for longer than the hour we tried it, but we certainly don't want the heating on in this weather. We still have a generator when we stop and of course the engine which provides plenty of hot water after a day's cruising, so it's not an enormous problem and is just part of us learning the boats systems.
Sunday had us waking up to fishermen chatting and finding their pitches for a competition. We have a ' duck window' above our heads in bed which I had so wanted which provides a special view at water level and also carries voices in from the bank. They were there from 8am until about 3pm. I have never understood this pastime although I can see it is probably very calming just staring at a float for hours on end! Oops, fishermen would shout me down for that of course - it's a skill!
The lady on the narrowboat moored in front of us came out at the same time of evening as I did to take a photo of the sunset and stood on the stern of her boat in her pyjamas and chatted to us. She and her husband had been on motorhome holidays all around Australia, New Zealand and Canada and she had wanted to do the same in Europe, but for some reason they bought a narrowboat instead! I think she was quite happy with it though.
An evening glass of wine or two which Pete fetched by canoeing back to Pangbourne and a laze on the back deck's comfortable seating in the fading sunlight with just the odd cries of the peacocks in the park and the whistling of the kites in the sky and we were very happy.
The last two nights we moored on the Beale Park towpath moorings. We had been told by fellow boaters and a lock keeper that travellers had moved onto Pangbourne Meadows having broken down the gate to get on there. We were intending to moor there as we like the spot and the Pangbourne butchers for supplies so we were hoping they hadn't taken over the whole area down to the water's edge. We thought about mooring at Mapledurham but the lock keeper informed us it was quite shallow there, so we carried on. Approaching Pangbourne around lunchtime, it looked as busy with boats as it always does and we couldn't see caravans until we were halfway along the meadows - there were very few travellers. Seems it's the usual Chinese whispers causing an escalating concern about them - the story becoming exaggerated so that it seemed there would be a takeover by these gypsies! Anyway there were no moorings to be had (no boaters had been put off by the travellers) so we were forced to press on regardless.
The Beale Park moorings are very peaceful. Unless you want to visit the park and see the birds there, or maybe look at Basildon House, there is nothing to do. The banks are left wild with pathways through and consequently it is not busy. The gate off our boat did not coincide with a clear piece of bank, so I couldn't get off with a rope but Pete managed to jump off. This situation made me think we could do with the fender two step after all as we could hang it from another part of the railing.
The weather was fabulous, sunny and breezy with a stunning sunset on our first night. Being boat-proud and because she needs it, we cleaned and polished Mariana. We are still puzzling over the hot water system onboard, having not located the Eberspacher heating system in order to check the valves that friend, Sid has suggested might be the reason we are getting the central heating working but no hot water. It might be that we should leave it running for longer than the hour we tried it, but we certainly don't want the heating on in this weather. We still have a generator when we stop and of course the engine which provides plenty of hot water after a day's cruising, so it's not an enormous problem and is just part of us learning the boats systems.
Sunday had us waking up to fishermen chatting and finding their pitches for a competition. We have a ' duck window' above our heads in bed which I had so wanted which provides a special view at water level and also carries voices in from the bank. They were there from 8am until about 3pm. I have never understood this pastime although I can see it is probably very calming just staring at a float for hours on end! Oops, fishermen would shout me down for that of course - it's a skill!
The lady on the narrowboat moored in front of us came out at the same time of evening as I did to take a photo of the sunset and stood on the stern of her boat in her pyjamas and chatted to us. She and her husband had been on motorhome holidays all around Australia, New Zealand and Canada and she had wanted to do the same in Europe, but for some reason they bought a narrowboat instead! I think she was quite happy with it though.
An evening glass of wine or two which Pete fetched by canoeing back to Pangbourne and a laze on the back deck's comfortable seating in the fading sunlight with just the odd cries of the peacocks in the park and the whistling of the kites in the sky and we were very happy.
the Brunel bridge I have photographed a thousand times before for my father's interest
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