309. The 'wife' and I do more boating, from Reading to Windsor
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- My 'canal wife' Lorna and I continue our voyage down the Thames in a former Norfolk Broads hire boat, in this episode going from Reading to Windsor where the trip ended.
#AD Visit ABNB, the canal boat broker, to buy or sell your canal boat at www.abnb.co.uk or call 01788 822115
Ed (who owns the boat) has now refurbished it and is hiring it out! See his Facebook page at www.facebook.c...
My video about Henley's classic boat regatta: • 273. The Little Ships ...
Lorna’s video of the trip • The End of our Time To...
Start point: goo.gl/maps/Me...
End point: goo.gl/maps/et...
Part 1: • 308. The 'wife' and I ...
Nicholson's Guidebooks: geni.us/CtC_Ni...
Pearson's Guidebooks: geni.us/CtC_Pe...
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Theme music: "Vespers" by Topher Mohr and Alex Alena, from the TH-cam music library
#narrowboat #canal #cruisingthecut #rivers #offgrid #liveaboard
My 'canal wife' Lorna and I continue our voyage down the Thames in a former Norfolk Broads hire boat, in this episode going from Reading to Windsor where the trip ended.
#AD Visit ABNB, the canal boat broker, to buy or sell your canal boat at www.abnb.co.uk or call 01788 822115
My video about Henley's classic boat regatta: th-cam.com/video/BRQ4Xfd6U0I/w-d-xo.html
Lorna’s video of the trip th-cam.com/video/beyitBpF-wA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=HSQ8Bz13i9CaUkkD
Start point: goo.gl/maps/Mep8GUqViY2GMzMw7
End point: goo.gl/maps/etKrSgRPu7gABZbQA
Part 1: th-cam.com/video/Z1El4bL5HOU/w-d-xo.html
Nicholson's Guidebooks: geni.us/CtC_Nicholsons
Pearson's Guidebooks: geni.us/CtC_Pearsons
Thanks for sharing, that was a very enjoyable virtual boat journey.
The beaver is nice but the green boat at 20:13 is pretty good too, don't you think?
...yes, that is my boat!
Thanks David and Lorna for taking us along, and thank you to Ed for loaning you the boat. We viewers appreciate it!
Well said …. and ..yes we do.👍
I’ll drink to that too! 🍸
"Weeks passed" made me laugh.
That was as lush as it gets, I reckon. Beautiful cruising. Thanks for taking us along. Congratulations on adding a banana to your lunch menu.
There's nearly always a banana
'Old School' Cruising the Cut episode, thank you and Lorna!
OMG I spit my drink out when you said "canal wife," I was NOT ready for that!!! 😆
I missed the C out of that word and thought fair play to you both lol
This was SOOOOOO good. Even better than part one. I can’t wait for the next trip
😀😀
If you want more time, take her for a week next time!!
I like your collaboration with Lorna whom I have appreciated for years. Happy for you.
MV Lymington (built in 1938) was indeed partly brown, says the great Wikipedia. Especially on the inside... Unusual colour for a ferry, so I had to look it up. That is some very specific knowledge for a silly joke. Excellent! 😅
Love your videos of life on the water, and this one passed through the town of Henley on Thames where I grew up.
Just a little history of the entrance to the River Kennet 1:27 the unassuming timber bridge is known as Horseshoe Bridge and with the Brunel brick bridge behind are Grade II listed structures. The timber bridge is high sided and was created so that horses towings goods barges could pass over the River Kennet un-sighted of the ground and would not be spooked. It forms part of the Thames path linking one of the sources of the Thames in Gloucestershire with London.
Also another piece of river history 12:40 the Széchenyi Chain Bridge (1849) in Budapest is literally an upscaled version (5x) of Marlow Bridge (1832). Same Designer.
Thank you! Good info
The stretch between Henley and Marlow is glorious....you missed some great pubs and the reindeer park!
21:15 "Why did they build Windsor Castle under the flight path to Heathrow? What were they thinking?"
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LOL.
Your narration of the videos that you post on TH-cam is magnificent. Thank you.
Wow, thank you!
Seeing Shiplake Lock brought back sad memories. In 1982 the lock keeper, Peter Gough, a good friend of my parents, drowned after falling into the river as he tried to free wood jammed in the weir. 59-year-old Peter had been lock keeper at Shiplake for nearly 30 years.
Oh my, that's horrible
😢
I can understand why so many lock keepers were upset. You were stopping them gardening. There must be a "Best Kept Lock" competition, like they used to have for railway stations.
Pleased I'm not the only one to be a long time appreciaterof the Cowes joke! 👍
I'm glad it's not just me as well!
That Victorian mansion(at 19 minutes ish) was frankenferters castle in rocky horror
Forgot how much I miss your humor! Thank you for the ride.
You've given me an idea for a business. I'm going to get a card reader, walk along the bank of the Thames, and charge everyone who is moored up eight quid!😂😂
Fight you for it 🤣
It's an old scam. In Three Men in a Boat, JKJ describes people doing exactly that (although not with a card reader, obvs). He also relates how it was not unknown for them to be told to go forth and multiply.
They should really issue a ticket. I got fleeced by a guy at Pangbourne like that. He came up and asked for the mooring fee and I give him a fiver only to find out later it was free mooring. After that I refused to pay unless they issued a ticket
Brilliant, David and Laura. A nice balance of chat, research and great camera work. A large groan for your Isle of Wight joke!! See you again soon,
.John, Ontario, Canada.
It truly is my favourite joke ever (and for the benefit of other overseas viewers who may not have understood it, Cowes (yes, like that) is a town on the Isle of Wight.
I done this from reading to Windsor in 4 days by kayak. Loved every minute doing it. Folk in the boats cool in the locks. They kept offering me alcoholic drinks lol..
Whatever happens on your trips, you always to make the narrative entertaining and informative with the wink of an eye now and then. Well done, I smiled several times, of course on moments where pun was intended. 😂
You are most kind, thank you
Tbanks for the video. Never realized the Themes was like this. And all those boats. Never knew the English were so into boats. Pretty cool.
The English have always been into boats! We practically invented seafaring 🤣
Splendidly scenic!
I did that very journey over 40 years ago in a bright orange Hoseasons fibreglass boat. It was magical and the only time I have ever seen kingfishers. Not much seems to have changed except it is much more crowded and the rich have got richer.
What excellent scenery this trip. I wasn't even there and those rowers got on my nerves 🤣
Happy to have found 'cruising the cut'. Very enjoyable with great narration.
Welcome aboard!
Thankyou David and Lorna, good 2nd half. 😊
there is something so relaxing about your "narrow boat" videos that I miss. glad you can get out from time to time.
Lots of really nice scenery on both halves of this trip.
Stunning how beautiful this trip. Those houses. Oh my. Thanks for the vlog. 👍
I enjoy your shows and see things I barely remember from some 50 years ago. Do remember "private property' wherever water looked fishable. You also reminded me of what I was told back then," the U.K. and USA are separated by a common language", you ate tah-mah-toes for lunch while I had ta-mA-toes for breakfast. Safe Journeys lol
"Danger. More danger! What peril awaits?!"
"Oh, a man in a tiny boat"
Ahahaha I much appreciate your humour David!
Thanks for a fun and informative "Part 2" video, David. I even learned a new word from you: "pongy."
My pleasure!!!
Have loved watching this mini series David. So well put together. You and Lorna make such a great boating team. The way you play off each other is great to see. I’m so pleased you had a few decent lock keepers. Some are so nice.
On my way back from Windsor, I was staying in Henley, and had a river swimming group pass the boat. There were over 800 of them all together, but unlike the rowers, they were not allowed to go through the locks and had to portage themselves!
Thank you again.
800???!!!!!! 😱😱😱
@@CruisingTheCut seriously. It took them 2 hours to all come past!
Missed your narratives mr. David 😂
Tks for sticking around
14:37 love to see that Dutch barge; Merwede, the river I live next to her in The Netherlands. How thoughtful showing this for your subscriber. Thank you, David!
Great video showing us Englands water way. Your wit and humor at full maximum power as usual. I think the reason why there was no lock keeper at the one lock was because the hydraulics were down (😂😂😂). Let someone else power through it all. 😂😂😂 either way glad Lorna and you had a great experience and fun with Ed’s boat. Thank you all for allowing and sharing your boat and sharing a few days of your lives.
Oh how I have missed your remarks as you ride along. More PLEASE!!!
Thanks for having us along on the trip!🛥
Excellent video. Nice to have you back on the water. Great to see you had company. Love you sense of humor.
Thanks 👍
Thanks for the educational and entertaining journey. Also thank for introducing Lorna, I will follow her channel, so I will be keeping up with your shenanigans too. Also, thanks for some of the other channels you recommended. Lou and Emily crack me up.
Delightful travelogue! The odd tidbits of history, local folklore and truly awful (and appreciated) puns and commentary are an entertaining escape from reality. Thank you for taking us aboard!
Awful?!! 🤣🤣🤣
Having totally succumbed to geekdom, I toggle back and forth from this and Google Earth, following your journey down the Thames..currently at Temple Island Eyot....
Beautiful scenery and waterway with an abundance of history. Thank you David, for your humor and delivery of same. My favorite shots continue to be the approach to the covered bridges. Each one has its own uniqueness and beauty.
Coincidently my kettle was on when the whistle went off on your video. I got up and went to turn mine off, just as I heard you say it was your kettle.
Great storytelling is "Alive & Kicking'. Thanks to you and your 'canal wife' for giving us these special moments.
Glad you enjoyed it
Oh my my my ! The workmen on the scaffolding high in the sky at 7:55 minutes! How brave - don't look down!
You speak just like the audiobooks and films we were given in english class. You know, the ones where they pronounce everything really clearly and pauses etc. No critique I just found it fun. Love your videos my friend.
Thanks to you both. David, you wit is lovely. I truly enjoy your diagolog.
Many thanks!
@@CruisingTheCut you are welcome 😊
You had me at: "Probably required to wear a dinner jacket to go boating." Hahhahaha.
Well, well, well David. At 9:38 you describe your lunch as a cheese & tomato sandwich. Now I distinctly remember from your vlogs when you were a live-a-boarder that you said you preferred Pilgrims Choice Extra Mature cheese with NOTHING added. Is this a sign that you're mellowing as you get older?!! 😅😅
Haha I've often snuck in a bit of tomato as long as it's just before the sandwich is eaten and not left in there for hours in advance else soggy bread - yuck.
I'm sure someone mentioned it, but if not - let's talk why they chose not to do a portage of a scull/rowing boats.
First: Rowing shoes are not for walking in. Can be slippery as all get out and if they have sole configurations they are impossible to walk on. I used to put my on boat side because of this.
Second: While they are exceptionally lightweight and can be easily carried, it is the difficult entrance into them and damage that can be caused to them/the rowing blades if you try from the wrong kind of spot. They are costly and can be damaged in ways that are not repairable. I haven't seen many lock landings where it could be done easily by a team or a solo. Not to say it can't, mind.
Good info, thank you
Your video was more interesting than most of the stuff on the TV nowadays, which I can't watch.
Your classic Brit narration cracks me up 😂 so I had to subscribe. Thanks for all the laughs. Cheers from California USA 🇺🇸
Welcome aboard!
I often returned to Wraysbury late Sunday nights after an ADLS event, to be ready for work Monday morning. Winding those lock wheels all the way, once forgetting my jacket with keys in the pocket three locks back. No tow path so had to rewind one lock, never forgot the jacket again.
My brother did the motorcycle on the table stunt for Meatloaf in the RHS. He also jumped Tower Bridge in Branigan in an E Type for John Wayne.
Lovely to see “my part” of the Thames from a boat perspective. I’ve walked the Thames Path between Reading and Windsor countless times.
The “event” you saw being prepared at Shiplake would have been for the “Wargrave and Shiplake Regatta”.
Thank you both for visiting “my world”. 👏👏👍😎
That would certainly be more likely than a jousting tournament!
@@CruisingTheCutHad it been the sort of tournament you described David, the organisers would certainly have left their setting up to the last minute. Or as they would say "Joust in time".
I'll get my coat..........😱😱
The River trust, or whoever, should fine the rowers for not ‘Portaging their shells/sculls(spl)! Though you and Lorna, plus other boaters showed proper patience. Lovely video.
I absolutely loved the sights and the witty monologue. Awesome. Former Brit now in TX 😄👍🏼👍🏼
A pleasure as always to see your vids.
Lovely!
Lorna is a real love. Great and very enjoyable. Ty.
I live in the vicinity of all these places so extra interesting to see. Unfortunately i do not own any of the houses we see in the background, if i did I'd probably have my butler type my message here for me.
FWIW did look at holding a wedding receptions in the Temple Island eyot, it wasnt as expensive as youd think (or to put it another way it was no more expensive than anywhere else nearby) but IIRC only had a max of 30 people. But it would have been a cool place to hang out.
My favourite American Tourist joke; Jeez Elmer, why'd they build that castle so close to the airport?
Another great story! Getting to see some of the sights of London without leaving my home. Someday I'll get over there.Thanks to you both for all the hard work!
Another excellent narration and a wonderful adventure. Thank you!
Cheers!
10000 times? If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, don't exaggerate!! Another enjoyable video, and I'm not exaggerating :)
Beautiful scenery shots really enjoyed the wildlife
The rowers do cause some problems for motorized traffic on the Thames - I used to kayak mostly around Abingdon and there are a couple of things I can say with some certainty.
The speed limit on the Thames is for powered boats, even I (in my knackered old fibreglass 14 foot kayak) could comfortably cruise at faster than the speed limit, and an eight would comfortably outpace me.
The lock landings tend to be narrow, with inconvenient corners, so not easy to manoeuvre a 60+ foot rowing eight along. I could manage my kayak easily enough through most (but not all) of them with only a few bumps and scrapes to the collection, but I hardly need point out to you the problems of long narrow boats and confined spaces.
At least that far downstream the coaches have their own boats. Avoid mooring anywhere near the Oxford (or Cambridge, if you do the Cam) college boathouses unless you want an early morning wake-up call from a coach riding a bicycle with one hand and berating the passing crew via a megaphone with the other.
Fair points, thank you
As always, loved your narrative. Love the funny comments a lot.
Such a fun and interesting cruise, and so lovely! I’ve never seen Egyptian geese before, ducks though they be, and the cygnets, though ugly ducklings they’ve been known as! Really interesting sights this go-round! Photography a real treat!
Glad you liked it!
Thank you David and Lorna for taking us along on your adventure. More please.
David, again you went and set my wishes to be young again and visit England by narrow boat. I would pay a kings ransom to boat the cannels. What an enjoyable 4 days you had. The country side was one that I was very much surprised to see. Thanks to you and your boating wife really did a wonderful job. Thank you.
Great story telling and narration
Much appreciated!
These two short videos are one of my best! And, I have to agree with Lorna, I was left thirsty to see what was along the route. Thank you very, very much for sharing with us such a beautiful journey! And, keep on boating! David, as always, you did a splendid job narrating this trip! I really felt like I was there with you guys! Cheers from sunny Puerto Rico! :)
Glad you enjoyed them 😀
Watching this video is riding personal on the boat with a very friendly and cheerful tourguide. Love it ❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you! 😃
Ah! My new home (Reading) to my old home Windsor ...well, south Slough.... Nice to see my regular walks from the river
Nice to see a wee bit of Eton.(on the left) Hope the Waterman's is still a good pub..my old local
It is nice to see a cruising video again. I have missed your canal cruising wit that seems less present in your documentaries. Thank you.
Cheers; you say that but of the last 10 videos, 7 were me cruising on a boat!!! 🤣🤣
Love your sense of humor. Enjoyed so much your trip from Reading to Windsor both parts. We live in the US and so enjoy your videos. God Bless from Pennsylvania😊
Awesome! Thank you!
This leg of the trip was fraught with man eating waterfowl and highly dubious land pirates masquerading as property owners who were preying upon unsuspecting boaters 😂😂😂. And don't feel bad about being worn out from operating that lock gate. Captains aren't accustomed to doing manual labor. That's really the best cover story I could think up on the spot 🤷🏾♂️. Stay safe as always and I'm looking forward to your next boating adventure ⛵👍🏾.
So happy to be on the water again with you!
Thoroughly enjoyable: light, relaxing, funny & informative. Thank you. :)
Amazing beauty on that trip! Those inconsiderate rowboats are so frustrating! Here in Florida, we have sailboats that constantly require the drawbridges to be raised, usually during rush hour or when you go out to lunch.
Wonderful video guys👏👌 Took me back to the early eighties sitting in the Angel listening to the hip George Benson and drinking the oh so fashionable (relatively new to market) Perrier water😎👌😂
Beautiful video and history! 🇬🇧
ANother really great David video,,,,,Blimey O Reilly!! HAHA i enjoyed that!!! THis one showed more boats than ive seen in ever i think,,,and many beautiful homes and shores but then we are getting more into the populous area of the home land. Seems to me that the water looked cleaner and less cluttered with limbs, leaves, and flotsam......more beautiful and ancient bridges,,,id not had any idea that those built sooo long ago were sturdy enough to be still useable and looking so attractive.,,,,Thanks again David for the education and entertaining comments. Im thinking by now that maybe you could do well as an after dinner entertainer or speaker, or toastmaster, or maybe stand up comic!! You have lots to draw from and a very personable and intelligent, friendly approach to all we see. Lotsa editing here that is not evidenced of course, but in reviewing, it all fills in smoothly and seamlessly,,,,,thanks for your dedication and caring for us across the pond to your left. I know im to your left because as i look at a map, you are to my right 8 inches and up about 5 inches.....bill in alabama,,,stay safe,,,
Bill, you are most kind, thank you
One thing I love about the Thames is the little eyots/aits you pointed out and that word appears in The Lord of the Rings and Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic. It's not a word I'd been aware of before cruising around the Thames though, despite having read both of those books.
Aww thank you for this David. I grew up in Bourne End and went to school in Marlow and it was a lovely trip down memory lane seeing the river. Great video. ❤
😀😀😊😊
So much beauty to look at. Loved the churches and the cormorants (including the commentary accompanying them). Eyots--I knew the word and the spelling, but had never heard the pronunciation and never had bothered to look it up, so thanks for that. I don't know who does the landscaping for those locks, but they are an ambitious and hardworking bunch. Thanks so much for this trip.
Nice video with brilliant narration 👍
Many thanks!
Great, super photography - I love you on the water best. Sorry, just can not image being locked in a box to sleep and toilet around England. You are best on the water - just borrow boats and do all the Northern canals - but for all your watchers, you are the best at showing us a world we are missing and can not see! Many thanks!
Wonderfull journey, well done both of you.🇦🇺🙏👍
What a lovely trip.. so enjoyed the cruise.. hope you both do more of these! Cheers to the both of you!
Very enjoyable. Now watched the last third of it. Loved the feel of money around Henley!
Thanks for taking us with you, a lovely video and, as always, some laugh inducing wit.
Thank you
Believe it or not George Clooney and Amal live at Sonning ( well one of his houses 😂 anyway ) and the village where they filmed Chitty Chitty bang bang is Hambleden, very unspoilt and only 10 mins walk from lock 13:00
Having sailed (and latterly) cruised the Norfolk broads for more than 55 years, I am pleased to see you using mooring pins, rather than the traditional Rhond anchor used widely on the Norfolk Broads, as they are more in keeping with your surroundings. The NB cruiser may look out of place in the upper Thames, but has to be robust to passing through (or even mooring in) Great Yarmouth, with a potential rise and fall of 6 feet or more and the strong currents associated with these conditions on their way between the North and South Broads. This cruiser appears to be well equipped to the challenges of the upper Thames down as far as London, and possible further down, but not open sea worthy. Which begs the question "How did she get there?"
What an enjoyable trip. Thanks for sharing it with us. P.S. Those rowing boats using the lock when there is a portage.....unbelievable.
Last year we went between Reading and Teddington. Very windy at stages and had to go through the Henley Regatta while it was cloudy... Quite an experience 😂
About a year ago I wanted to get away from my life for a variety of reasons so I flew to England with my packraft and paddled down the Thames from Godstow to the barrier. It was more exactly what I’d needed than I’d imagined. It could be. It was wonderful to see some of the same stretches of river again. Thank you for filming it. And for what it’s worth, having done almost all of those portages, I expect some would be quite awkward with a long shell - operating gates, making sharp doglegs, often bad ramps - and they’d risk banging their racing craft up a bit. I went through a couple of locks when I snuck in with a narrow boat or two. And the power was out for us as well so there was a lot of wheel turning. One boater had counted exactly how many times the wheel had to be turned for each operation. I checked my notebook from the trip and was disappointed to find that I hadn’t written the number down but I think it might have been in the neighborhood of 330. It’s exhausting even when you split the work
Thank you! And good to hear knowledgeable points about the portering too, cheers