 We found we got on well with Roger and Sarah on Royden, and their children Emma and Ben, so we boated with them until our paths diverged at Reading. |
 Locking through together. At 71' 6" Fulbourne is too long for us to open the K&A bottom gates on the same side as the boat when locking down. Previously we had had to pole the bow across at each lock. Now however, Roger was keen to snatch our bow as he he passed to pull us over. And it all worked remarkably well! |
 The children pooled the bike resources from each boat and went ahead to set locks and open swing bridges. |
 Roger introduced George to fishing. An early success. |
 Passing through West Mills swingbridge at Newbury. |
 Alongside Newbury Lock we found this interesting sculpture. |
 Approaching Newbury Bridge |
 Tied up for lunch alongside the park in Newbury. |
 A road cone caught in the paddle baffle. Fortunately it didn't stop the paddle closing. |
 One of the turf sided locks on the River Kennet. |
 Leaving County Lock Reading. |
 Passage through the narrow and winding Brewery Gut is controlled by traffic lights. |
 No sign of the brewery. Now its just a shopping centre. |
 Approaching High Bridge in Reading, known to us as "Keith's Bridge", after a former Fulbourne shareholder who failed to make it through unscathed. |
 George, Ben, Pippa, Clare and Emma. |
 Kennet Mouth, junction with the River Thames. Royden headed off downstream here, while we turned upstream towards Pangbourne. |
 We queued for about two hours for Caversham Lock, which is out of site ahead in this picture.... |
 ... but there were many more boats behind us. Despite the wind we managed to hold the boat in midstream without too many problems.... |
 ... but it was a relief to be able to tie up (four abreast) as we reached the wall below the lock. |
 We passed several attractive boat houses along the river. |
 Tied up with the other historic boats at the National Waterways Festival - from right; President, Kildare, Ben (with George cleaning the portholes), Fulbourne, Lynx and Betelgeuse. |
 The sterns of the same boats, together with the bows of Brighton (foreground) and Gosport. |
 Gosport heading for the Historic Boats Parade, which was held in the rather confined space of a pool off the main river. |
 LMS tug Sandbach. |
 President and Kildare. |
 Sandbach, James Loader and Betelgeuse. |