Windsor or Bust pt. 1

Since collecting her in Reading, and bringing Anticus home to Shepperton Marina, our cruising has mainly been in the very near vicinity of the marina. A couple of trips to Sunbury and the odd turn or two to Lady Lindsay’s Lawn.

 Lady Lindsay’s Lawn

However the time was upon us when we decided to be a little more adventurous and push the boat out (sorry!) with a trip to Windsor. A plan was formed which was: Day 1 – Runnymede, Day 2 & 3 Windsor and then back to Runnymede for a night before returning to Shepperton.

It’s only about 3 hours from Shepperton to Runnymede including 4 locks. The trip was quiet and leisurely  under a fabulous blue skies, high 20’s temperature and the greenest of green board river conditions.

One of the great things about our Piper Barge is the ease of handling such a large craft. In locks we can stop it exactly where we want to, enabling us to easily lasso the bollards. After past experiences on twitchy plastic hire craft which are bounced around in locks, the confidence to Piper gives us is fantastic.

Locking on the Thames – we are aiming for the 4th bollard after the steps!

Arriving at Runnymede we were very luck in finding a lovely National Trust mooring in sight of the Magna Carta memorial and the Air Forces memorial. There are no facilities such as electricity or fresh water, but the moorings and secluded and peaceful.

Whilst moored there we were treated to the sight of some lovely boats cruising past including some Dunkirk little ships and a French Brothers steam tourist boat.

Tomorrow it’s on to Windsor……….