On our first day out from T&K Marina, passing through Sonning, Shiplake, Marsh, Hambleden, Hurley, Temple and Marlow locks, we were extremely pleased to find a mooring near Cookham Bridge, exactly where we enjoyed spending several days last summer.

And as we’d made such good progress, we decided to stay for three nights – Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The fact that it was a Bank Holiday weekend, and mooring downstream might have not have been easy to find before Monday, sealed the deal.

Apart from one 10K run downstream past the Cliveden Deep – described as the prettiest part of the Thames, down to Boulters Lock and a little further to the bridge at Maidenhead, I knuckled down and managed to break the back of a writing and editing project for Expat Living in Singapore.

Cookham

We had one great dinner out (salt-baked lamb-rack) at Bel and The Dragon in the high street, and a jolly good breakfast at the Pizza Café near Cookham Station.

We bought various provisions (it’s a never-ending endeavour)  at the well-stocked Countryman nearby – actually a Londis superette, but way better than the average. That’s not surprising, considering that Cookham was fairly recently described as the second-richest village in England.

No wonder that the delicious Ross Poole, who also runs a luxury hair, nail and beauty salon in salubrious Brentford-Kew (near Chiswick), recently set up shop in Cookham’s high street Arcade.

I’m not usually a big spender on hair salons, but something weird came over me – maybe to do with the realisation that I have no idea how to ask a French hairdresser for my usual monthly service: a slight trim, colour just the roots, stronger developer at the back than at the front: don’t bugger it up. And, just in case my mother reads this, I won’t mention what this little foray cost. (It would probably feed the average South African family for a month.)

 

Windsor

Onwards to Windsor, passing through Cookham, Boulter’s, Bray and Bovenay locks, and we moored for the night at Baths Island with a view of the castle.

I’d been looking forward to this; our last visit to Windsor was for Roy’s godson Thomas’s wedding some years ago. In fact, the town centre was so crowded with tourists that it was a relief to get back to the boat and a bowl of homemade Scotch broth.

Just one magical moment: around midnight, Roy called me to look at the dozens of sleeping swans afloat on the dark waters, heads elegantly curved backwards to rest on their wings.

Penton Hook

We’d booked ahead at Penton Hook marina – the biggest in England, apparently – and got there after a mellow cruise that took us through Romney Lock, Old Windsor Lock, Bell Weir Lock and Penton Hook Lock.

A convenient spot on the visitors’ berth (£23) at Penton Hook was made nicer yet by the fit young guys who gave Karanja an excellent wash-down (£96 well spent) at very late notice. Dinner at the marina yacht club made things easier, too.