Offenham Lock

We saw out another mini heat wave just above Offenham Lock. Once again there was an area restricted to 24 hours and another nearby, restricted to 48 hours, so we used both and stayed three nights.

It was a quiet spot away from roads. The nearest building was a pub that you had to cross the river to get to; another thing the canoe came in handy for!

The pub, the nearby static caravan site and private moorings were all owned by the same people. It's possible the golf course down the lane was too.

There was a little tree cover between us and the wier, but the rest of the area was short grass- great for the furries but not so good for shade. We dunked blankets in the river and hung them over the windows on the sunny side which helped a little. A few narrowboats, ribs and SUPs passed by and Will joined them; swimming, snorkeling and canoeing.

The lack of tree cover and relatively dark, clear sky made this a good place to watch the Perseid meteor shower. We climbed on the roof and lay back. The view was such that the major constellations were filled out with other fainter stars. We tracked the progress of satellites (a surprising number!) and listened to the gentle flick of bat wings as their fast moving silhouettes whizzed close by over our heads. Both of us gasped each time we saw a shooting star. They move so fast, their tails flaming so brightly before they disappear in less than a second. They never fail to thrill. We counted five before we went inside, having added another special memory to our lives on Rainboat ☄️Read more