Monday June 21st Heading up the Thames River

The day started out rainy. At times it poured. I slipped on my rain gear and headed out. We were moored close to the lock so I walked down and set the lock before casting off. I moved the boat through the lock and out onto the Thames River. The current was between 3 and 4 miles per hour. That doesn't sound like much but when it's pushing against a 63' barge it feels strong. 

Soon we were passing Port Meadow. It is a large open meadow that is between the Thames and Oxford Canal. 

A nice feature of the Thames is the locks are operated by a lock keep. You pay a 69 pound environmental fee which helps pay for services on the river. As we approached our first lock I saw a sign that read self service. After a few minutes of studying the control board, I started throwing levers and pushing buttons. Fortunately I got it right.

Next to the lock was a ruin that dated back to 1115. Sherri and I took a few minutes to walk through. 

We were only on the river for a couple hours before we came to the final lock and our right hand turn into Duke's Cut. 

We made our way back onto the Oxford Canal then to Thrupp.