A nice mooring just below and in sight of the famous Maidenhead Bridge was our stay for a couple of days, the shopping expedition to the Supermarket next day being made in a torrential downpour, so we chickened-out on the return, and called a cab!
The Brunel Bridge at Maidenhead.
There was no mooring at Marlow - most of the mooring space that had been once there, has been given over to fishermen..... The lock above Marlow is really scary, even dangerous. The current from the weir alongside the lock sweeps round upstream TOWARDS the lock as you come in to moor below it, so instead of slowing down, the boat accelerates towards the lock gates! Very frightening. From there to Sonning there is some very attractive river scenery, though at times moorings are few and far between, or in some places too shallow even for a v-bottomed boat.
No wonder they hold the regatta at Henley, when its as wide as this!
An attractive spot to wait for the lock to be free.
At Sonning, there is a riverside restaurant and theatre, and our friends went to see the show, having a very enjoyable evening. We chatted with a couple of passers-by of similar age to ourselves, who had retired from Hong Kong, given up sailing, and bought their first narrow boat - same make and size as HW, just 10 years younger! They had just picked up the boat, and were making their first journey with it, back to their home near Aldermaston.
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