Another lovely day for cruising. Sunny, blue skies and moderate temperatures. We spent most of the day on the top deck enjoying the views as we cruised.
There were some pretty gardens.
One had a huge sculpture of a head. Too bad we couldn't see the front.
There were a lot of rowers and paddle boarders out enjoying the sunny day and the smooth waters of the Thames.
We passed under or by a number of picturesque bridges.
We went through a number of locks today. Unlike on the canals, where the boaters managed the locks, on the Thames, most of the locks have lockkeepers who operate the powered locks. We sailed through the Hambleden Lock,
Hurley Lock,
Temple Lock,
Marlow Lock,
Cookham Lock,
Boulters Lock,
Bray Lok,
and Boveney Lock. A lot of locks today.
Many of the locks had small weirs on a branch of the river nearby. A weir is a small dam that helps control the water level. Water was flowing freely over the weirs.
And we saw lots of waterfowl. Swans,
Canada Geese,
Greylag Geese,
Gulls,
Mallard Ducks,
A Great Blue Heron,
And Cormorants.
We saw stretches with a number of boats moored along the river...
and this poor boat that didn't make it.
We passed through some small towns with tithe barns and beautiful old churches.
Lunch today was a massive charcuterie board with lots of yummy items from which to select.
There were a lot of beautiful homes along the river...stately manors, modern structures, quaint cottages and everything in between.
And sometimes we were surrounded by nature and seemingly miles from civilization.
Near the end of the day we passed the Windsor Race Course.
As we approached Windsor we started seeing the airplanes headed to nearby Heathrow airport.
And then we rounded a bend in the river where the towering Windsor Castle came into view. Very magnificent.
We had another great evening meal. Will miss their cooking.
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More Thames River Cruising
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