Pangbourne

The direction of riverflow cannot be reversed - even in Reading - but before Pelangi can properly navigate towards the Thames, we must set off stern first for about 300 yards for the cut of the Kennet and Avon Canal - the river bridge at Burghfield Bridge is too low for anything much larger than a canoe.

We're running later than planned, but fortunately the northerly breeze isn't too strong, and soon we are heading for Southcote Lock and waiving goodbye to neighbours of more than ten years at Southcote Moorings.

Our second lock, Fobney, is proving once again to be the bane of boaters on the K&A. We have to wait for a traditional narrowboat that is locking-up (navigating upstream), but the bottom gates are leaking badly. Fobney is one of the bigger locks on the Eastern K&A, and today is taking an age to fill. The last couple of inches are interminable and it takes four adults to get the top-gates to part enough to overcome the leakage at the other end. A solo boater would just have to wait an age more for any chance of getting out!

Now we're turning west from Kennet Mouth in eastern Reading, through Caversham Lock on the Thames, where we buy a week-long Thames River licence (£68 for a week; an unbelievable £39 for a day from the Environment Agency. Typical: we will likely be on the Thames for just three days!).
Now on upstream passing north of the town centre, a young couple are moored on the south side of the river from Fry's Island where they've hired a small plastic cruiser - we disparagingly call these boats 'tupperware tubs'!

At last we're in open country beyond Purley-on-Thames and heading for Pangbourne, where we'll moor for the night; but as we wait for Mapledurham Lock's lock-keeper to close the gates, the hire-boat comes into view, taking a while to enter the lock. The skipper shouts across to Chris "I'm lost... not geographically, but handling this boat". Secretly, it's fun watching novice boaters learning - the lock-keeper has to explain tying-up their vessel before he can fill the lock.Read more