favourite stretch of Thames.

[Simon clarke]

Just meandered up the Thames from Richmondto lechlade. Was Absolutly blown away with the reach at cliveden. Moored up and walked up to the house. Views and house amazing. How many just motor past without exploring that amazing place. What's others favourite stretches?

[Daiboy]

The Thames generally is a fantastic voyage. I spent my time at Marlowe, Bourne End (the Bounty), Eton, Windsor and all points South/East. Stop and look at the vista as you say. Am now on the GU but miss the Thames.

[churchward]

Just for the memories it has to be around Buscot and Lechlade. I used to swim in the river there as a boy and a little later I lost something there that was a pleasure to lose.

[Daiboy]

You don't mean your penknife !! Oh no

[gazza]

Cricklade to lechlade. No boats for all but a mile or so :-)

[cereal tiller]

Just meandered up the Thames from Richmondto lechlade. Was Absolutly blown away with the reach at cliveden. Moored up and walked up to the house. Views and house amazing. How many just motor past without exploring that amazing place. What's others favourite stretches?

Windsor to Lechlade is the best bit of the Thames,with only Reading to spoil it.

 

CT

[KJT]

I like all of the Thames really, with so many interesting places along the way. If I had to choose a favourite part then I think from Oxford to Lechlade. We are at Lechlade at the moment. Beautiful and peaceful. Except for some cows that took a liking to the taste of my cratch cover!

 

Ken

[Murflynn]

I love most of it but the biggest disappointment has to be Oxford which was built with its back to the Thames/Isis.

[Peter-Bullfinch]

Absolutely all of it....and us northerners aren't easily impressed.

[john6767]

I love most of it but the biggest disappointment has to be Oxford which was built with its back to the Thames/Isis.

Glad it is not just me I thought Oxfrod was terrible in respect of both the river and the canal. On the other hand I was presently surprised by Reading, I did not find that offensive at all.

 

The rest is all great for different reasons, some being how the other half live with the houses and hotels along the river, and others quiet natural areas. Other than at the weekend it was not busy either.

[The Toad in the Hole]

with my smelly festival hat on (ooer!) I saw these folk at the weekend, so I thought I'd share it here

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVKFABVCTM

 

Old Father Thames, Mishaped Pearls.

[OldGoat]

Oxford -

The cut from The Folly bridge to Osney bridge does the city a great disservice. However, stop awhile; use the excellent free overnight moorigs above Osney lock and walk into town.

Selling points for me are:-

• Korean and two chine restaurants (at least) in Hythe Bridge Street, plus Indian cuisine in the street that runs parallel to it
• Open air market (can't remember which days
• Asmolean museum
• Mathematical museum
• National History museum,
• Pitt Rivers ditto behind the above - now that's a must
• Bate museum of musical instruments - sounds like a turnoff, but the curator will give you a guided tour - if asked.
• Some colleges will allow you to walk around the quadrangle.
• If you like classical music then try Choral Evensong in term time - you don't have to be 'churchy', just listen to the organ and choir (OK not to everybody's taste). Merton has about the best - home of at least two TV series.

 

 

[Scholar Gypsy]

Bridge 1 is quite impressive too - if not as scenic as the other places noted above ...

 

 

[john6767]

Oxford -

The cut from The Folly bridge to Osney bridge does the city a great disservice. However, stop awhile; use the excellent free overnight moorigs above Osney lock and walk into town.

Selling points for me are:-

• Korean and two chine restaurants (at least) in Hythe Bridge Street, plus Indian cuisine in the street that runs parallel to it
• Open air market (can't remember which days
• Asmolean museum
• Mathematical museum
• National History museum,
• Pitt Rivers ditto behind the above - now that's a must
• Bate museum of musical instruments - sounds like a turnoff, but the curator will give you a guided tour - if asked.
• Some colleges will allow you to walk around the quadrangle.
• If you like classical music then try Choral Evensong in term time - you don't have to be 'churchy', just listen to the organ and choir (OK not to everybody's taste). Merton has about the best - home of at least two TV series.

 

 

I agree what the centre of the city brings in restaurants and things to do is great, it really is just the river front that is so poor in contrast to the other town/cities along the river. I was very surprised to find that in August we were able to moor both on the canal before Isis lock, and on the river above Onsey lock.

[JV44]

Goring and the Child Beale opposite the hartslock wood bit takes some beating and for the energetic walk up the hill from Streatley to the top and along Lardon Chase to the end for a panoramic vista that makes the Clivedon view look tame by comparison .

Cereal Tiller we are heading downstream from Reading Friday evening for a couple of weeks if you are around be good to meet up Steve,Alex and the dogs

[LEO]

Hi,

 

Port Meadow, Oxford, happy times punting there from Folly Bridge, swimming,and in the mid Seventies on my first river trip in poor weather, running the small 16 ft Dolphin we were in aground and sloping off to the Perch for a pint or two.

 

At the far end is Godstow and the now ruined Trout inn - what ever happened to the long shoal of chub which swam below the terrace waiting for bread?.

 

Punting up the Cherwell in Oxford used to be fun too - Parson's pleasure where the big ones used to hang, taking the punt round the weir used to be fun - especially come back and launching the punt like a lifeboat down the rollers. - great times!

 

L

[ditchcrawler]

Oxford -

The cut from The Folly bridge to Osney bridge does the city a great disservice. However, stop awhile; use the excellent free overnight moorigs above Osney lock and walk into town.

Selling points for me are:-

• Korean and two chine restaurants (at least) in Hythe Bridge Street, plus Indian cuisine in the street that runs parallel to it
• Open air market (can't remember which days
• Asmolean museum
• Mathematical museum
• National History museum,
• Pitt Rivers ditto behind the above - now that's a must
• Bate museum of musical instruments - sounds like a turnoff, but the curator will give you a guided tour - if asked.
• Some colleges will allow you to walk around the quadrangle.
• If you like classical music then try Choral Evensong in term time - you don't have to be 'churchy', just listen to the organ and choir (OK not to everybody's taste). Merton has about the best - home of at least two TV series.

 

 

I like to go to the very end of the Oxford Canal to moor, all the above are a lot closer then.

[dmr]

All of the Thames is wonderful, (or at least almost all of it), but we are currently exploring the Nene and that is even better.

I am amazed that less people explore and rave about this river.

 

...........Dave

[john4647]

The Thames is our favourite waterway.

The last three journeys from Lime House to Oxford (and reverse) have been in the footsteps of Jerome K Jerome. It's amazing how much has remained the same. Particularly the Bull at Sonning.

[Peter X]

I guess boaters find Oxford disappointing because the colleges are mostly set well back out of sight from the river, with meadows much of the way through the city. Historically I think the city developed that way because most of the land along the river was vulnerable to flooding? When I was there in 1973-76 the stretch from Osney Bridge to Folly Bridge was rather ugly and derelict, I would imagine that has changed a lot since I last saw it but not necessarily for the better?

 

Punting on the main river below Folly Bridge was an interesting experience, as it involved coping with the wash from speeding cruisers, looking out for fast-approaching racing eights, using the right technique when crossing the deep channel in the centre, avoiding swans, and above all making sure when approaching Iffley lock from upstream not to be on the weir side of the river!

 

Going slightly off-topic into a tributary, basically punting on the Cherwell was a much more relaxing experience, but from what I remember I don't suppose a narrowboat could get far up that without running aground. Maybe past Magdalen Bridge, which has plenty of width and air draught and maybe enough depth; has anyone tried it? Parsons Pleasure, being a set of punt rollers alongside a weir, would be the absolute limit of navigation.

[gazza]

All of the Thames is wonderful, (or at least almost all of it), but we are currently exploring the Nene and that is even better.

I am amazed that less people explore and rave about this river.

 

...........Dave

Oi!

 

You are the second person I've had to pull up on this, don't tell everyone, it will ruin it!

 

Its a terrible river that floods in a heartbeat with nowhere to moor, the locals are awful and its impossible to get a decent pint anywhere...

 

Honest guv :-)

Edited September 3, 2014 by gazza

[john6767]

As I have said that I think the river through Oxford is disappointing, let me try and elaborate, and point out that my comments are mostly with respect to how good the river is both downstream (even in places you would think that it would not be, like Abingdon and Reading), and upstream. Don't get me wrong I like the Thames, but my impression of Oxford would have been very up market, and Abingdon and Reading very down market, but the feel from the river at least is exactly the opposite.

 

To illustrate a bit, going upstream from Iffley lock through Oxford (Images are from CanalPlanAC, under creative commons right to share)

 

Graffiti covered Donnington Bridge

 

Untidy boat yard (there were many more scruffy boats there than in this image)

 

University boat houses, on the right then parkland with no mooring signs. Lots of scruffy boats moored on the left

 

Folly Bridge and surrounds is good, followed by a very drab man made channel with not particularly attractive modern (70's?) flats on right and terrace houses on left. Crossed by various bridges, not all of which are attractive!

 

Then Osney lock, who's only problem is that is seems to be about the only one on the lower river that is not routinely manned.

 

The short term moorings above the lock are convenient, but it is not really a river but a lock cut, the channel here in not much more than canal width. The right side is not particularly attractive, it currently seems to be derelict

 

Then the "famous" low Osney bridge, which is in need of a lick of paint. Note the over hanging trees which now start to become a major feature

 

The junction with the Sheepwash Channel (to the Oxford canal), the area is a mess and feels more like the Walsall Canal than the Thames

 

 

Upstream of Sheepwash the channel is narrow and very overgrown (currently worse than this image shows)

 

Then at Port Meadow the river opens out and you are through Oxford, and back into more typical pleasant Thames surroundings

 

You might look at all this and say it looks great, but compare it with Abingdon, Reading, Henley, Marlow, Bourne End, Maidenhead and Windsor, and Oxford is disappointing. I will get off my soap box now.....

[LEO]

Oi!

 

You are the second person I've had to pull up on this, don't tell everyone, it will ruin it!

 

Its a terrible river that floods in a heartbeat with nowhere to moor, the locals are awful and its impossible to get a decent pint anywhere...

 

Honest guv :-)

 

Cheerfully agree with you, had to re-visit to confirm my suspicions and Fotheringhay - what a dump! remains of a castle and a 'dodgy' bridge with bits chipped of it by various narrowboats.................

 

L

[Scholar Gypsy]

 

Cheerfully agree with you, had to re-visit to confirm my suspicions and Fotheringhay - what a dump! remains of a castle and a 'dodgy' bridge with bits chipped of it by various narrowboats.................

 

L

 

And the church is half - demolished as well. On the other hand there is quite a nice water point- just off this photo.

 

[gazza]

 

Cheerfully agree with you, had to re-visit to confirm my suspicions and Fotheringhay - what a dump! remains of a castle and a 'dodgy' bridge with bits chipped of it by various narrowboats.................

 

L

Love it!

 

You'd think they would get rid of that rubble and point up the bridge.

 

Still, we don't have too many scruffy boats lying about so perhaps that helps?

 

Fancy not painting all those bridges in Oxford. Tsk!

 

And the church is half - demolished as well. On the other hand there is quite a nice water point- just off this photo.

 

Did the water point have a nice flawless coat of paint on it?